For the first blank, we're looking for an adjective that means the opposite of "serious." Either "facetious," which means joking or jesting, often inappropriately or "sportive," which means playful or lighthearted,could work. For the second blank, we need an adjective that means not explained. In choosing between "tacit" (understood or implied without being directly stated) and "austere" (severe or strict in manner, attitude, or appearance), "tacit" is the better choice, so "facetious . . . tacit" is the correct answer.

For the first blank, we're looking for an adjective that reflects how the butler worked without paying attention to his work. Either "perfunctory" (carried out with a minimum of effort or reflection) or "desultory" (lacking a plan, purpose, or enthusiasm) could work. For the second blank, we need an adjective that describes how the household scandal is "in its earliest stages." In choosing between "nascent" (just beginning to develop) and "resolute" (admirably determined), "nascent" is the better choice, so the answer is "perfunctory . . . nascent."

For the first blank, we need an adjective that means "clear" and applies to liquids. While "lucid," "limpid," "luminous," and "clear" all sound like potential correct answers, "lucid" means expressed clearly or easy to understand and refers to ideas or texts, and "luminous" means reflecting or emitting light. This leaves us with "clear" and "limpid," which describes liquids and means free of anything that darkens; completely clear, as potential answers. So, we need to pick between "mercurial" and "turbid" for the second blank, which needs an adjective describing the river's cloudiness after the storm. Since "turbid" refers to liquids and means cloudy, opaque, or thick with suspended matter, it is the better choice, and the answer is "limpid . . . turbid."

The key phrase is the intensifying "indeed . . ." Here, the only option is "acrid," which can mean not only bitter and angry, but also sarcastic in tone. The first word, "sanctimonious," fits as well, for it indicates being showy with one's holiness—from the Latin word sanctus, whence we derive other words like "sancity" and "sanctify."

The key here is to note that the young often think they can accomplish more than they actually can. For this reason, the most likely candidate, at first glance, would be "bright-eyed"; however, the option having "grandiose" for its second word is closer in that regard. The key here is to remember a (fictional) man of chivalrous idealism—Don Quixote—from whose name we derive the adjective "quixotic," meaning impractical in the pursuit of ideals. This fits just as well as "bright-eyed," if not better. Coupled with "grandiose," it makes for the correct pick.

For the first choice, "chary" works best as it means careful or cautious, while "vigilant" has a different connotation, closer to watchful for danger. The second choice must mean rash, which is the definition of "impetuous."

The writer states that his opponent is making promises that seem to be one way, but in fact are the opposite. The opposite is phrased as "no better than outright lies," so the second blank is a work that probably means false or wrong in some way. That implies that the first word is a positive one, so we are looking for a positive and negative pair of words, with the second one meaning false, illusionary, or incorrect. 

"Interesting" is not a bad choice for the first blank, as promises of economic growth would likely be interesting, but the second word, "aphoristic," is nonsensical here—it means pithy, like a brief slogan or statement. There is no connotation of truth or falsehood in connection with an aphorism, so we can rule that pair out.

"Fanciful" is a word meaning unrealistic. If this statement were in praise of the opponent's economic ideas, the statement would start out negative ("fanciful") and switch to something postive instead, such as "sound." But the second word is definitely negative, so this pair isn't right.

"Obsequious" is a word meaning "having a servile attitude". It's hard to see how this word could apply to economic ideas. And the second word, "grandiloquent," means simply talking in a grandiose manner, which says nothing about the truth of the statements being made. 

"Redundant," like "fanciful," is a negative word, meaning needlessly repetitive. This, again, does not fit the structure of the sentence, which is going from positive to negative. The second word, "egotistical," is also a negative, which does not fit.

In the correct answer, the first word is positive—"alluring", meaning attractive, which promises of economic growth certainly would be—and the second word, "meretricious," means misleading or false. This is a perfect fit and is the correct answer. 

For the first blank, we need an adjective that describes how the valley has not been developed or ruined. Either "pristine" (unspoiled) or "unspoiled" could work. For the second blank, we're looking for another adjective, this time one that means something like "clear." In choosing between "limpid," a word that specifically refers to liquids and means clear and "lucid," a word that refers to ideas or writing and means expressed in a clear way, "limpid" is the clear choice, so the answer is "pristine . . . limpid."

The sentence gives few clues, but it does tell us that the behavior of the teenagers upset the older women. So, the word that goes in the first blank must describe a personality trait that could potentially upset someone else; thus, we can eliminate "reticent" (rarely speaking) and "egalitarian" (fair and equal), neither of which make sense in the sentence. It is possible, though, that being "boorish" (ill-mannered and rude), "puerile" (immature), or "histrionic" (excessively dramatic) could upset someone else. Examining the remaining potential answers for the second blank describing the teenagers' behavior—"callow" (immature) "sophisticated" (complex or experienced) and "poised" (elegant)—only "callow" makes sense in the sentence, so "boorish . . . callow" is the correct answer.

The sentence explicitly notes that the two descriptions are "distinctly at odds," so the correct answer will have two words that mean opposite things. "Terse," meaning concise and to the point, and "loquacious," meaning extremely talkative, together make the best choice.