单选题 General George Washington and his hungry, ragged troops crossed the Delaware River from Pennsylvania, surprised the garrison of German mercenaries in Trenton, and captured the city.

【正确答案】 D
【答案解析】[解析] 在给出的选项中，formidable：强大的，可怕的，令人敬畏的；sturdy：强健的；provocative：刺激的，挑拨的；shabby：破旧的，衣衫褴褛的。只有D选项能替换画线部分词语，与题意相符。因此正确答案是D。