"Buoyantly, warm" is a trap to try to get you to choose a seemingly close, "practice list" word—buoyant—with "warm," luring you because of the apparent connection to the sun rays.  Likewise, "ceaselessly . . . fleeting" tries to trap you into overthinking the answer. The sense of the sentence wants you to consider the calmness of the waves because of the key word "lulling;" therefore, the best answer is "placidly" (calmly) and "undulating" (moving like a wave—with the overtone of gentleness, though not necessarily).

Several of these options are tempting. Perhaps "amorous" and "joyfully" seem to make sense, as does "tedious" and "lovingly." The key phrase, though, is "often overwhelming."  This indicates that the perseverance is more than a minor affair of "pushing along;"  therefore, it would be best to have a word to capture a certain tenacity in this regard.  "Rapaciously" does not really fit the bill for this, but "doggedly" does. Likewise, "connubial" means related to marriage and thus fits the fact that the duties are "of" the life-long commitment. That is, they are "of a marital nature" (or at least related thereto).

The man most likely did not follow the rules of high etiquette, or behaved indecorously. The dinner guests, on the other hand, seem to over-value the rules of politeness, being prudish.

For the first blank, we need an adjective that means something like "young," because the owls don't lose their striped down until they're a year old. Possible choices include "fledgling" ("relating to a young bird") and "juvenile" ("of, for, or relating to someone or something young"). For the second blank, we need a word that means "striped;" since "striated" means "striped" and "pedantic" means "narrowly, stodgily, and often ostentatiously learned," "striated" is the better choice, and the answer is "fledgling, striated."

Here we have a contrast: there aren't any clue to what the words are, but they should be opposites. The best fit is "decorous" and "boorish"—the first meaning "characterized by proper manners" and the latter "unmannered and crude."

From the context, it would seem that Suzanne has a rather innocent and naïve personality. (She misses even the most well known scoundrels.) Now, we might call the liar "notable," but in this case, "forgiving" does not completely fit as well as does the correct answer. "Mendacious" does in a sense reduplicate the sense of lying, but in so doing, it strengthens the indictment against such persons. Particularly, "ingenuous" captures Suzanne's innocent and unsuspecting personality.

For the first blank, we're looking for an adjective that means the opposite of "serious." Either "facetious," which means joking or jesting, often inappropriately or "sportive," which means playful or lighthearted,could work. For the second blank, we need an adjective that means not explained. In choosing between "tacit" (understood or implied without being directly stated) and "austere" (severe or strict in manner, attitude, or appearance), "tacit" is the better choice, so "facetious . . . tacit" is the correct answer.

For the first blank, we're looking for an adjective that reflects how the butler worked without paying attention to his work. Either "perfunctory" (carried out with a minimum of effort or reflection) or "desultory" (lacking a plan, purpose, or enthusiasm) could work. For the second blank, we need an adjective that describes how the household scandal is "in its earliest stages." In choosing between "nascent" (just beginning to develop) and "resolute" (admirably determined), "nascent" is the better choice, so the answer is "perfunctory . . . nascent."

For the first blank, we need an adjective that means "clear" and applies to liquids. While "lucid," "limpid," "luminous," and "clear" all sound like potential correct answers, "lucid" means expressed clearly or easy to understand and refers to ideas or texts, and "luminous" means reflecting or emitting light. This leaves us with "clear" and "limpid," which describes liquids and means free of anything that darkens; completely clear, as potential answers. So, we need to pick between "mercurial" and "turbid" for the second blank, which needs an adjective describing the river's cloudiness after the storm. Since "turbid" refers to liquids and means cloudy, opaque, or thick with suspended matter, it is the better choice, and the answer is "limpid . . . turbid."

The key phrase is the intensifying "indeed . . ." Here, the only option is "acrid," which can mean not only bitter and angry, but also sarcastic in tone. The first word, "sanctimonious," fits as well, for it indicates being showy with one's holiness—from the Latin word sanctus, whence we derive other words like "sancity" and "sanctify."