We know that the value of Theo's stocks is dropping ("plummeting") because he's losing thousands of dollars. The fact that he "never lets on the turbulence he feels" indicates that he is "impassive," or stoic.

“Erotic” is related to "sexy” or “arousing”; it might be a bit much, given his simple invitation “to share lunch together.” “Bawdy” and “lewd” refer to inappropriateness related to sexuality, so they are not really the words for which we are searching. “Amorous” refers to love, especially being inclined to love or to expressing it. “Rebuff” is to reject someone rather bluntly. “Amorous . . . rebuffed” is the best answer.

To “obscure” or to “mask” is to conceal or hide something. If her friends wanted to hide their disapproval, they wouldn’t have sat at a different lunch table. You might relate “amplify” to increasing sound only, but many things can be amplified. “Amplify” can mean emphasize, or increase something in size, effect, volume, or significance. To “mar” is to damage or spoil. “Marred . . . amplified” is the correct response.

Although “amputate” generally refers to cutting off a body part, as in a surgical procedure, it can also refer to removing a part of anything. When someone is “circumspect,” they are cautious; they think long and hard before taking action. This could fit, seeing as he made his decision “after much deliberation.” “Circumspect . . . amputate” is the correct answer.

Occasionally a test may have questions that could be filled out plausibly in two different ways; this is one of those questions. If Antonio had listened to his mother, he would not be in the poor state he is today; if he had ignored his mother, he would not be in the wealthy state he's in today. Either of those would work, but given the answer choices, only the first one is supported ("heeded" means listened to; "penurious" means impoverished). 

“Incite” and “goad” denote encouraging or prompting to action. If the patient's doctor had given him pills to trigger symptoms, then the patient needs to switch physicians. “Ancillary” describes something that aids or provides support. “Alleviate” means to lessen or make something easier. “Ancillary . . . alleviate” is the correct answer.

This one is fairly straightforward. The first blank is a verb, and the second blank describes part of the definition of that verb. “Cozen” means to cheat or fool someone, so this word can be eliminated. To “anneal” metal or glass is to heat and then cool to make the material more “ductile” — meaning easy to bend or shape. “Annealed . . . ductile” is the correct answer.

The fact that the politicians passed a relief bill is an indication that the first blank will be satisfied by a word that means to improve or to make better in some way. Unfortunately, "assist," "quell," "alleviate," and "ameliorate" are all close in meaning. As a result, we will need to take a look at the second blank in order to determine an answer. The context of the second blank, with regards to "financial struggles" suggests we should be looking for a word which means something along the lines of not having money. Only impecunious comes close to this, so we know "ameliorate" and "impecunious" are correct.

The reference to the girlfriend's gradual lack of trust is our greatest clue for the first blank. What sort of behavior would lead to a lack of trust? Only "disingenuous" and "perfidious" make sense here. Upon examining the second blank, it becomes clear that dishonest behavior would "diminish" trust over time. Therefore, we know that "perfidious" and "diminished" are our best choices.