An “amalgamation” is a coming together, a union. The term is most commonly used to describe a business merger, but it can be used to describe any coming together in general.

“Levity” means humor or lightheartedness. For clarification, degradation is a synonym for poverty and squalor.

"Plethora" means an abundance of or a lot of; Dearth is a lack of; Ruse is a trick; Conflict means disagreement or problem; and Permanence means lasting forever.

"Commotion" means disturbance. "Examination" means an inspection or test. "Verification" is the process of determining the truth or validity of something. "Malice" means malevolence. "Creativity" means imaginativeness or inventiveness.

"Equanimity" means calmness or emotional composure. None of the other answer choices are close in meaning to "equanimity": "whimper" means whine; "entrance" means the way by which one enters a place; "disinfectant" means a substance that kills germs; and "escape" means getaway.

"Sagacity" means wisdom. "Foolishness" is an antonym of "sagacity"; it means stupidity or silliness. None of the other words have the same meaning as "sagacity." "Premonition" means a feeling about what will happen in the future, usually something bad. "Persistence" means the refusal to quit at a difficult task or the existence of something over time. "Oblivion" means unconsciousness.

An "aberration" is something that occurs outside the normal range. You might say, "Since he normally hit home runs, Dan's strikeout was an aberration." "Deviation" has a similar meaning of something that happens outside of the normal course of events. "Fleeting" is an adjective meaning happening for a short brief time, and as such cannot be synonymous. "Freezing" is an adjective used to describe a temperature below zero degrees celsius or the feeling of being very cold. An "imitation" is a copy.

"Nuance" is a noun which means fine shade of meaning. Your acting teacher might tell you to pay attention to the nuances of an actor's performance. This means that you are paying attention to the subtle differences in vocal tone, emotion or facial expressions that the actor uses to enhance understanding of his performance. "Subtlety" is a noun which means being delicate or precise. This is a similar meaning to "nuance."

"Differentiate" is a verb meaning to recognize differences between things. You may use your skills of differentiation to determine the fine nuances in the actor's performance, but it is the act of making the determination, not the fine shades of meaning themselves.

"Enhance" is a verb which means to make better.

"Ensconce" is a verb which means to settle in a secret place.

"Obfuscate" is a verb which means to make unclear; to confuse or bewilder.

An "enigma" is a noun meaning mystery or puzzle. "Puzzle" is also a noun, while "mysterious" is an adjective meaning difficult to understand. "Puzzle" is a better choice than "mysterious" because "puzzle" and "enigma" are both nouns.

"Noxious" is an adjective meaning poisonous; harmful.

"Disoriented" is also an adjective. It means not oriented; confused. You might become disoriented in the forest and walk in the opposite direction of your campsite.

"Reliable" is an adjective meaning trustworthy.