The baby ___________ because she was hungry.

The correct choice is "cries" because it is in the present tense and appropriately completes the sentence, indicating an ongoing state or repeated action. In this context, the sentence suggests that the baby typically cries when she is hungry, making "cries" a suitable choice for expressing this habitual aspect.

Using "cried" would imply that the action occurred in the past, which does not match the context implied by the term "because she was hungry," suggesting an ongoing situation. "Crying" is a present participle form that would require additional structure, such as a helping verb, to function properly in the sentence. The form "cry" is incorrect as it lacks the subject-verb agreement necessary when talking about a singular subject, which in this case is "the baby." Thus, "cries" accurately fits the grammatical and contextual needs of the sentence.