The key to this question is the participial phrase "removing much of the wonder." The implication is that modernity made the world appear "bleak" like equations of physics. By stripping it of its wonder, it made it quite plain and without poetic meaning—at least the sentence claims this. This is not necessarily to destroy the world, and it does not make much sense to say that it depressed the world. (Perhaps it depressed the people.) The word "disenchanted" (or "disenchantment") can be used merely to describe a person who has become disillusioned or has lost interests. It can also describe, in an extended sense, the thing that was disenchanted—the world, which had lost its appearance of being wonderful.

The general idea of this sentence is that the given plan or idea "looked good on paper," though it did not make much sense when you actually tried to do it. Now, this does not mean it is on physical paper. (Hence, "textbook" is not necessarily called for.) What we mean is that "taken in consideration that ignores the details of reality's facts" the idea seemed excellent. Such consideration is made "in the abstract" (as opposed to the concrete). The word "tractor" comes from a similar Latin base meaning "to pull". To "ab"+"stract" is to "pull away from [the details]". The prefix "ab-" means, of course, "away from" (e.g. "absent").

The clue for this sentence is the participial phrase, “wandering . . .” When we begin talking about one thing then go to another then another, each in succession but not related to the main topic (at least not directly), we engage in digressions. The word is related to “progress” and “regress,” words that have to do with “going” somewhere. They come from the common Latin word for “to walk.” A “di-gression” is an act of “walking away” from a topic (metaphorically speaking).

From context, you know that whatever they saw must have been like a ghost or at least made them believe in ghosts. The correct answer is therefore “apparition,” which means ghost or phantom; “remedy” means solution to a particular problem or disease; “rancor” means bitterness or hatred; “apprehension” means nervousness or fear that something bad will happen; and “ultimatum” means a final demand that, if rejected, means the end of something.

Someone who does not enjoy the company of others and who likes to live alone is called a “recluse.” A “recluse” can also be called a hermit or an ascetic. “Amateur” means not professional or not paid to do an activity; “vender” means someone who sells things; a "deity" is a god; and “progenitor” means ancestor.

The author of this statement tells you that he is often tired during the day and easily annoyed; this suggests he does not sleep enough, which in turn suggests he suffers from “insomnia.” “Insomnia” is sleeplessness or the consistent inability to sleep; “obesity” is the condition of being medically overweight; “malfunction," when used as a noun, means an error in a device that prevents it from working; “surrogate” means something that replaces something else; and “zeal” means passion.

The author tells you that the subjects slowly fell in love through the expression of the written word; this tells you they were writing to each other. So, it was their “correspondence” that grew steadily more passionate. “Correspondence” means communication through letters; a “schism” is a break in some organization or a fracture; “plagiarism” is taking credit for someone else's work as your own; a “lagoon” is a saltwater lake adjacent to the ocean; and “melancholy” means feeling sad and reflective or somber and thoughtful.

You know from context that whatever the subject suffered from, it stopped him from enjoying or really doing anything; this suggests that what he suffered from was “lethargy.” “Lethargy” means inactivity and idleness, apathy and weariness, or a lack of energy; “vigor” means strength and energy; “dynamism” means the quality of being dynamic, energetic, and effective; “temerity” means nerve, audacity, and excessive cockiness; and “gregariousness” means the personality trait of having a social personality and enjoying the company of people.

Because many people approached her for help, you can assume that she must have been famous for her skills as an orator. This means the correct answer is “renown.” “Renown” is fame or good reputation; “infamy” is fame achieved for doing bad things; “indifference” means apathy or not caring; “sacrifice” means offering or surrendering some possession or idea for greater good; and “candor” is honesty or frankness.

From context, you can tell that the correct answer must be something like love or passion. This should lead you to the correct answer, “ardor.” “Ardor” is enthusiasm, intense love, or passion. As for the other answer choices, “apex" means the highest point of something, "ennui" means boredom, "ignorance" means the state of not knowing about something, and "collaboration" means the process of working together toward a goal.