The use of the words “remained” and “never” should clue you in that the sentence is describing how Thomas Jefferson was consistently committed to liberty and universal freedom throughout his life. This means that the first blank has to describe how he never stopped. Of the possible answer choices "wavered," "deviated," "halted," and "paused" could all possibly be correct, though "wavered" and "deviated" are the most obvious choices. From the context of the sentence, you know that the second blank has to mean something like unwavering. "Steadfast" (which means resolute or persistent) is a much better fit than "anxious," so "wavered . . . steadfast" is the correct answer. "Deviated" means turned away from; "apathetic" means not caring; "enumerated" means listed; and "histrionic" means extremely dramatic.

We can infer that because Karen "stamp[ed] her foot, [made] annoyed noises, and demand[ed]" help with getting her kite back, she must have been angry. So, we need to pick out an adjective that means something like "angry" for the first blank. Either "frustrated" ("feeling or expressing distress and annoyance, especially because of inability to change or achieve something") or "irate" ("feeling or characterized by great anger") could be potentially correct. For the second blank, we can infer that we need to pick out a verb that means something like "get back," because we know that Karen's intention was to get her kite back. Either "recover" ("find or regain possession of something stolen or lost" when used with an object) or "retrieve" ("get or bring something back; regain possession of") could be potentially correct. Of the possible words that we've identified as potentially correct for each blank, only "irate" and "retrieve" appear in the same answer choice, so the correct answer is "irate . . . retrieve."

We know that the boar was looking "for berries and roots," so we can infer that it was searching around near the ground. So, we need to pick out an adjective that means something like "search near the ground" for the first blank; either "rooted" ("of an animal: turn up the ground with its snout in search of food") or "searched" could be potentially correct. For the second blank, we need to pick out an answer choice that means something like "quickly moving" to describe the stream, because we're told that it "gushed, bubbled, and whisked away any sticks of leaves that chanced to fall into it." Either "weltering" ("moving in a turbulent fashion") or "roiling" ("of a liquid: move in a turbulent, swirling manner") could be a potentially correct answer. Of the potentially correct answers we've identified, only "rooted" and "weltering" appear in a single answer choice, so "rooted . . . weltering" is the correct answer.

"Precocious" and "advanced" could both describe a child prodigy. A precocious (from a Latin word meaning "fully ripened") musician might "improvise" (make things up on the fly), "perform," or "embellish" (ornament or adorn—in music this would involve making a simple tune sound more complex and intricate) a piece. Thus, the precocious/improvise pairing is the only one that works in both blanks.

We know that the English teacher really appreciates Shakespeare and his works, so for the first blank, we're looking for an adjective that means something similar to appreciates. Both "venerates" and "reveres" mean deeply respects, so each could work in the first blank.

This leaves us to pick between "extemporaneously" and "meticulously" for the second blank. We need a word that conveys how the teacher is able to recite Shakespeare without preparing beforehand, and since "extemporaneous" means spur-of-the-moment, and "meticulous" means very detail-oriented, "extemporaneously" is the better choice, and the correct answer is "reveres . . . extemporaneously."

Here, the best option is to pay heed to the second blank. The scientist wants to make his competitor’s work seem "dubious," that is, doubtful; therefore, he would like to make its credibility questionable by the broader community. It is best to say that he wishes to “discredit” it. Regarding the first blank, we really are not told anything about the first scientist’s character in the sentence. This means that the best option is the one that merely states what we can imply from the rest of the sentence, namely, that he is a "[competitor]," or a "rival" scientist.

For the first blank, because we know that Harry "apologized for his rude humor," we can guess that his joke was a borderline insult. So, we need to pick out an answer choice that means something like "similar to." Either "akin to" ("of similar character") or "equivalent to" ("having the same or a similar effect as") could be potentially correct. For the second blank, we need to pick out a word that describes the emotion that Harry felt that prompted him to apologize; either "guilty" or "contrite" ("feeling or expressing remorse or penitence; affected by guilt") could be potentially correct. Of the possible words that we've identified as potentially correct for each blank, only "akin to" and "contrite" appear in the same answer choice, so the correct answer is "akin to . . . contrite."

For the first blank, we can infer that because the police chief decided to go meet the outlaws at their hideout, he must have thought that it would be a bad idea to miss that opportunity. So, we need to pick out a word that means something like "a bad idea." Either "foolish" ("lacking good sense or judgment; unwise" and used of a person or action) or "imprudent" ("not showing care for the consequences of an action; rash") could be potentially correct. For the second blank, because we know that the police chief wanted to "try to come to an understanding" with the outlaws, we need to pick out a verb that reflects this. Either "talk with" or "negotiate with" ("negotiate" meaning "try to reach an agreement or compromise by discussion with others") could be potentially correct. Of the possible words that we've identified as potentially correct for each blank, only "imprudent" and "negotiate with" appear in the same answer choice, so the correct answer is "imprudent . . . negotiate with."

For the first blank, we can tell that we need to find a word that means something like stolen, since we know the princess was taken against her will to the sorcerer's lair. Either "abducted" (taken away illegally by force or deception) or "kidnapped" (taken away by force, typically to obtain a ransom) could work. For the second blank, we need to find a word that means something like "large," since the reward involved gold, jewels, and knighthood. Either "vast" (humongous, extensive, immense) or "enormous" (very large in size, quantity, or extent) could work. Of the potentially correct answers we've identified, only "abducted" and "vast" appear in a single answer choice, so "abducted . . . vast" is the correct answer.

Because we know that Eleanor wrote a five page paper for an assignment "which was intended to be about two pages at the most," we can infer that we need to pick out an adjective for the first blank that means something like "too long" and can be applied to written works. Either "verbose" ("using or expressed in more words than are needed") or "wordy" ("using or expressed in too many words") could be potentially correct. For the second blank, we need to pick out a verb that means something like "cut down on the size of," because we can infer that Eleanor's teacher would offer her tips on how to get rid of extraneous material, not on how to add more. Either "excise" ("cut out surgically" or "remove a section from a text or piece of music") or "trim" (" make (something) neat or of the required size or form by cutting away irregular or unwanted parts") could be potentially correct. Of the potentially correct answers we've identified, only "verbose" and "excise" appear in a single answer choice, so "verbose . . . excise" is the correct answer.