Clearly, based on the structure of this sentence, you are looking for a pair of contrasts. Perhaps the only tempting wrong option is "lethargic . . . inquisitive." A "lethargic" person is not very hard-working. He or she is likely lazy and slow moving. This seems to be quite the opposite of someone who is inquisitive, but the two words are not directly antonyms, so this is not the best option. Instead, the best option is "pacific . . . agitated." Whenever someone is "pacific," he or she is peaceful. This comes from the Latin pax, pacis, and is found in English words like pacifier and pacifist. (Even the Pacific Ocean was named after this idea of being peaceful!)

"Salacious" means lurid or bawdy, which Marie might find inappropriate for family dinner. An "apogee" is the highest point, so Darren's story would be the height of bad taste. The closest incorrect answer is "astringent" and "apotheosis," since "apotheosis" means the model example of something, but "astringent" doesn't fit in the first blank.

"Stentorian" is a synonym for "booming" or deep and loud. A "tyro" is a novice. "Neophyte" and "dilettante" are both possibilities for the second blank, but neither "tenuous" nor "laconic" signify a booming voice.

"Intrepid" means courageous or adventurous, which would be useful in the face of challenges. "Hubris," though, is a feeling of overconfidence that could come from overcoming some challenges quickly. One could also be "glib" or "insouciant" in tough situations, but neither "celerity" nor "derision" fit for the second blank.

"Unfeigned" means real and not faked. "Rent" is the past tense of "rend," which means to tear (especially in the context of clothing). "Sadness" could also be related to "stoic," but in that case the grief would not be outwardly demonstrated, because to be "stoic" is to not betray emotion.

If something is "emollient" it is soothing, and emollient is typically used to refer to things that sooth skin. To "abate" is to lessen intensity. "Ameliorate" has a similar meaning to abate, but is used differently. For "ameliorate" to work in this sentence, it would have to be "Using the emollient cream helped to ameliorate the pain from Sharon's sunburn."

Maria is against prejudice and discrimination, so "abhorrence" (a strong dislike) and "bigotry" (intolerance) is the best choice here. "Egalitarianism" is the belief that all people are equal, so it wouldn't make sense for Maria to dislike or to have a "revulsion" of it, while a "predilection" or "preference" would signify that Maria likes favoritism and insularity.

"Disenfranchisement" signifies that a group lacks the right to vote, which "hampered" or held women back, and is the best answer here. "Suffrage" means the right to vote, which is the opposite of what the sentence refers to in the second blank. "Buoyed" implies that women were supported by their disadvantage while "ensnared" implies that "privileges" would not be beneficial- neither option makes sense.

"Kindled" and "noxious" are the best choice here. It doesn't make sense for the fire to be stopped by a smoldering cigarette, so "halted" and "extinguished" can be eliminated. "Salubrious" signifies healthy, and if cigarette smoking was considered a healthy habit, there wouldn't be a reason to "abstain from" (stop) it.

"Covert" and "placidity" are the best answer here. "Clandestine," "surreptitious," and "undercover" are all synonyms of "covert," but "agitation," "volubility," and "candidness" would all give away inner worries and anxieties, unlike the calmness and stillness signified by "placidity."