The best first clue to note is the fact that the lot was becoming filled. This implies that it had been empty heretofore. Thus, the last blank is best filled with "vacant" which means empty. It is related to words like "vacuum" and "vacation" (an "emptying" of time from work). A "maelstrom" is a kind of whirlpool, but it can also mean a very vigorous kind of activity that is like such a formation in the water. It seems the crowds are gathering in the once-empty lot. Therefore, they are "coalescing" there. This means coming together into one group.

This sentence expresses an intensification from the first blank to the second one. To find the appropriate meaning, we can begin by looking at the description given of Dorothy's sister. Her sister was harsher in some way. This means that Dorothy must have been kinder or, at least, less harsh. "Caring . . . loving" is the most tempting wrong pair. This is a kind of intensification. However, it is not as good as "sentimental . . . maudlin".  Maudlin means excessively sentimental. This works well. Furthermore, it is more likely that we are talking about her sister's personality than her sister's "outlook." Therefore, "temperament" is a better choice for the last blank than is "outlook."

Several initial clues help to interpret this sentence. Of course, it is important to notice that Ronald is "jittery", implying that he has a nervous temperament. Now, his reaction to the tuba music is to jump up and hit his head. Thus, we have a pair here between the first blank and this action. Almost all of the options for the third blank are tempting, so it is necessary to read them in conjunction with options for the first blank. (On some tests the answers might be independent; however, this kind of "parallel reading of options" is an important skill to have for unraveling the options provided on test day as well.)

The tuba clearly makes a loud sound and elicits a large reaction. We can be almost totally sure that the second blank will be "sounds," so long as the other two words match well. At the smallest sound, Ronald would react as well. We only know that he would jump, so our first blank should be as close to that as possible. When someone "starts," he or she jumps with a sudden, small movement in surprise. This is much better than the other options provided for the first blank. Clearly, the tuba is eliciting an strong reaction, so the sound must have been rather loud. Therefore, "resonated" does well describe the sound the tuba made as its sound filled the hall. Certainly, "blasted" and "boomed" could work, but they are not paired well with the options for the first blank. 

The easiest pair of blanks in this question are the last two. They represent an intensification. We can tell this by the word "utterly," which signals completeness. The only pair that might be tempting in this regard is "fierce . . . tenacious," for the latter means persisting with vigor or (more literally) holding on to something fiercely. (The word comes from the Latin "teneo," meaning to hold or keep.) That does not make much sense with the hint phrase "refusing to question any orders whatsoever."

Thus, the best pair is "obedient . . . obsequious." To be "obsequious" is to be excessively obedient—like someone who cringes and follows every order given to him or her. The relationship that helps us choose the first blank is one between a superior and someone "under" the superior. A "subordinate" is such a person. The word literally means placed ("-ordinate") under ("sub-").

Clearly, Ronald is filled with fear at his wound—as is indicated by the second independent clause in this sentence. However, we should not say that he was filled with fear at the thought of how he could become maimed (or any other form of extreme injury). He was merely wounded by a small skin abrasion (i.e. a scrape). The sentence hints that he was filled with more fear than necessary. If the abrasion filled Ronald with such fear, it likely made him think of the fact that he could die—i.e. the fact that he is mortal. Though perhaps an overreaction, the sentence hints that he was reminded of his mortality. Hence, "hint at . . . mortality" is the best pairing for the first two blanks.

The sentence hints at a contrast between the first and the third blanks. Additionally, the third blank is signaled to be a strong adjective, given the adverb "quite." The word "fervid" means extremely passionate, which works well as regards both the intensity and the noun that is being described, namely "disagreement." In contrast to this, one would think the medieval university to be a calm environment. Hence, "tranquil" is an excellent option for the first blank, meaning free from disturbance. Such tranquility was broken by public and private disagreement. Thus, the best choice for the second blank is "disputation," which well describes such disagreement.

Based on the context of the sentence, we know that the interivewer found the physicist's responses to be "overtly" some negative characteristic, which made them some other characteristic and "impossible to follow." Based on this, the correct answer could begin with "arcane," which means likely to be understood by a small group of people, or "cryptic," which means puzzling and difficult to understand. "Circumlocutory" (said to avoid directly talking about a topic), "ancillary" (extraneous or additional), and "spurious" (seemingly true or authentic but actually not) wouldn't make sense, given that we're specifically told that this characteristic has to do with the physicist's remarks being "hard to follow."

From here, note that the first two blanks are likely similar in meaning, then consider the two remaining answer choices: "arcane . . . esoteric . . . jargon" and "cryptic . . . superfluous . . . know-how." "Arcane" and "esoteric" are similar in meaning, but "cryptic" is not close in meaning to "superfluous" (unnecessary), and "superfluous" doesn't make sense in the sentence's context. This means that the correct answer is "arcane . . . esoteric . . . jargon"; checking the third blank reveals that "jargon," meaning highly specialized language which is not readily understood by people who don't specialize in the subject, makes sense.

Based on the context of the sentence, we know the first blank will describe some quality that will be similar to Ellen's friend group, described as "studious and hardworking." Given this context, "sedulous," meaning dedicated and diligent, and "industrious," meaning diligent and hardworking, both would make sense. "Obsequious," meaning sychophantic, "hidebound," meaning unwilling to change because of tradition, and "conniving," relating to being conspiratorial or planning something immoral, don't make much sense here. As such, we know our possible choices are either "sedulous . . . shirked . . . nonplussed" or "industrious . . . malingered . . . vexed." 

We know the second blank describes some action relating to Ellen favoring her private interests over her schoolwork. "Shirked," meaning avoided or neglected, fits here, and "malingered," meaning feigned an illness to avoid something, also could potentially fit, but doesn't seem to work quite as well. Moving to the final blank, we know the word describes something that contrasts with "shock." "Nonplussed" means not phased or not surprised, whereas "vexed" means annoyed or frustrated, which does not fit nearly as well. As such, we know the correct three choices are "sedulous . . . shirked . . . nonplussed."

Based on the second sentence, which states that Cindy "spoke passionately," we know that the first blank involves some positive characteristic that reenforces the passionate character of her speech. Based on this context, "verve," characterizing a speech delivered with passion, and "gusto," meaning enjoyment had as a result of doing something, both make sense. While "lucidity," meaning clarity, would not be nonsensical, it would also not convey the passionate nature of her presentation. "Trepidation," meaning fear or apprehension, and "commiseration," meaning emotional sympathy, would not make sense here. 

After looking at the second sentence, we know that the second blank is describing some quality of the obstacles that have to be overcome. We can infer from this context that the blank is some negative characteristic, probably relating to difficulty. Given this context, "harrowing," meaning distressing, "exasperating," meaning infuriating, and "inordinate," meaning excessive, could all make sense here; however, because we have already rulled out "commiseration" for the first blank, we know we can also disregard "inordinate," leaving us with only "harrowing" or "exasperating" as possibilities. "Cantankerous," meaning bad-tempered, and "inadmissible," meaning invalid, would not really make sense in this context.

The context for the final blank is provided by "giving them the same voting rights as their male counterparts." Through the above analyzed process of elimination, we have been able to narrow down our choices to either "verve . . . harrowing . . . enfranchise," or "gusto  . . . exasperating  . . . remunerate." "Remunerate" means to pay someone for a service that person has provided, which doesn't really fit here. "Enfranchise," however, directly means to allow to vote legally, which fits perfectly given the sentence's context.