Because the town no longer needed a bridge after the river dried up, we know that we need a word that means something like eliminated. We can eliminate the answer "precipitated," as it means caused, as well as "propitiated," which means appeased. Choosing from "annulled," "rescinded," and "obviated" can be a bit tricky, because in some sense they all mean canceled, but "annulled" specifically means declared an agreement or decision invalid, while "rescinded" means revoked, canceled, or repealed a law, order, or agreement. Since the sentence isn't talking about an agreement, decision, law, or order, we should choose the remaining choice, "obviated," which simply means to remove.

The choice that makes the most since is "attenuated," to make thinner; weaken or lessen in degree.

The tribes went from "warring" to becoming "one kingdom." The correct answer will describe their process of uniting. "Coalesced," meaning to come together or merge, is the best answer choice.

The key element of the sentence is the fact "two teams" had to make "one roster." This means the two teams had to combine and the correct answer will reflect this. "Merge," meaning to combine and come together, is the best choice.

"Delineate" means to explain or describe precisely, and most clearly makes sense of the sentence.  The attorney wants the jury to comprehend the information.

The structure of the sentence indicates that the bad grades were a surprise, and therefore he was held in high esteem for his abilities. This means "admonished," "criticized," "degraded," and "despised" can all be ruled out. "Lauded," meaning praised and celebrated, is the correct answer.

The professor "rarely disagreed with his students," although he still wants them to "defend their position."  This means the correct answer should indicate he is challenging them.  "Gainsay," meaning to automatically contradict or go against, is the best choice among the answers.

We need a noun that represents a person, so we can discard "halcyon," an adjective defined as denoting a period of time in the past that was idyllically happy and peaceful. "Neophyte" and "tyro" both mean beginner, so we are left with "anathema" and "ascetic." As "anathema" means something or someone vehemently disliked, and "ascetic" means a person who practices severe self-discipline and abstention; "ascetic" is the correct choice.

To "extol" means to praise. It makes sense that the critic, finding little wrong with the play, offered a good review. "Lambaste" is the opposite: to criticize severely.

The boss obviously scolded her, which is the meaning of "castigated." “Maligned” means slandered, which isn't quite the same thing. The other answers don't make sense in context.