The second part of the sentence describes the word that should fit in the first blank. “Canard” could fit the “rumors were lies” description, although this word is usually used in a derogatory manner; moreover, “jaded” does not fit in the second blank. “Falsehood” could work, except “tantamount,” meaning equivalent, does not fit the second blank. “Latent,” in this case meaning previously dormant, fits well for the second blank since Jerry is a high school senior. “Story” and “latent” form the correct answer.

Any of the choices could be used in first blank. It is only when the second blank is considered in conjunction with the first that the wrong choices can be eliminated. “Abeyance,” meaning a temporary halt, and “tawdry,” meaning cheap or tasteless, form the correct answer.

“Wendy became a dissenting voice” gives us insight into the answer choices. Since Wendy is speaking against others, the two blanks must represent contrasting viewpoints. One interesting clue is the word “casting,” which “aspersions” almost invariably follows. “Aspersions,” meaning slander, and “egalitarian,” meaning asserting belief in equality of all people, is the most correct answer.

There are no sentence shifts, so the first and second blanks will be in harmony with one another. “Bacchanalian” might look tempting if the word were derived from Johann Sebastian Bach, but it actually means a drunken festivity. One of the definitions of “involved” is complicated, and an “amalgam” is a mixture of things. Together, these form the correct answer.

The second blank is defined by the sentence as “always questioning everything she said and arguing at every opportunity.” From the answer choices, “skeptic,” “freethinker,” and, to a lesser extent, “bigot” and “anarchist” could all plausibly fit. Since the boy “transformed,” we can assume the first blank is opposite to the second. “Ingenuous,” meaning to be naive and innocent, is paired with “skeptic.” These form the best answer.

By filling these two blanks naturally, you likely will say that Joan was careful, giving her a reputation for being an excellent employee. Luckily, the word "reputation" is one of the options given among the answers. You could become confused by "renowned" and even "statured." What is key, then, is to consider the options provided for the first blank. "Lauded" is not appropriate, as it means praised. Certainly, Joan was praised by her fellow employees (as the sentence implies). That is not, however, the focus of the first blank. While we might wish to call her "obsessive," this is not quite fair, given the tone of the sentence. Therefore, the word "punctilious" is the best option, for it indicates the character trait of being very careful about details.

Stay as close as possible to the clues that are offered. All that we are told of Regina's life is that it was in the rural farmlands of Pennsylvania. As no other judgments or indications are made regarding her life in these farmlands, all that we can say is that the poetry must have inherited something of the character of her rural homeland. The word "roots" is fine for indicating this general idea of homelands. For the character of the poetry, the only word that works well is "georgic." The word comes from the Greek for "farmer," though it is often known from the Latin poetry by Virgil named the Georgics. The poetry dealt with rural life, though not necessarily without all of the drama involved in that form of social existence.

The first blank in this sentence is likely the easiest to fill in. It is a synonym parallel to "praise" in the final clause of the sentence. The author in question must have received much adulation for the works in question, meaning that she received much praise. These works are written for the general populace, making philosophical topics accessible to them. Such works are called "popular," not necessarily because they have won a popularity contest but because they are written for the people—for the "general populace."

The first blank is probably the more obvious of the two, for Henry's action is described as being quite careful. When we take great care about the details of something, we act in a meticulous manner, as Henry is doing in the story presented in this sentence. The second blank is likely a bit stranger, for we do not use the word "disposition" in this way very often. In a very general sense, a "disposition" can merely refer to the overall order found in a whole made up of various parts. Henry's actions are helping to create such a harmonious disposition in the whole group.

Stay as close as possible to the clues in a sentence. It is clear that the minister is preaching. This is indicated at the very close of the sentence. Therefore, you should stay with options that indicate some kind of verbal expression. Now, the options "colloquy" and "discourse" are not as good as "homily." A "homily" is a kind of sermon. Often, we think of Catholic priests giving homilies, as this word is still used in Catholic circles more frequently than in other religious groups. The word can be used for various kinds of religious preaching. It seems that the minister's homily had questionable components in it, at least in the estimation of some people. This must have led someone to think that he was a heretic, meaning that some people must have thought that he was setting forth teachings that were not the explicit ones of his particular religious tradition.