The sentence clearly is trying to contrast Sam and Isidore ("On the contrary . . ."). The sense of the sentence is that Sam is upbeat in the worst of situations, while Isidore is never able to suffer such light-hearteness in the best of times.

This immediately eliminates "amorous . . . dolorous," because "dolorous" does not fit. It really is not a matter of "maturity," so "immature . . . convivial" isn't directly spot on. "Disconsolate" means hopelessly sad, so "disconsolate . . . jovial" is out. The last two choices are the toughest: "joyful . . . uplifiting" and "jocular . . . festive." The latter is correct, because "jocular" captures the sense of joking that is indicated in the sentence about Isidore. "Joyful" is related but just a bit shy.

For the first blank, we need an adverb that describes the author's strong work ethic. Possible choices include "solicitously" (eagerly) and "seduously" (diligently). This leaves us to decide whether "meticulously" or "intransigently" is the better option for the second blank, which needs an adverb that describes how carefully the author works. "Meticulously" (extremely carefully) is the better choice, so the answer is "sedulously . . . meticulously."

The sense of the blanks implies that the tasks were difficult or tiring (or something of the like). The second blank implies that such energy was not well spent (particularly because of the key word "however").

The most tempting answers are "gargantuan . . . stunning", "heroic . . . significant," and "multitude . . . surprising"; however, in both cases, the second word does not match the negative sense implied by the "however."  

"Strenuous, frivolous" best captures the sense of these two blanks.

For the first blank, it is key to note the intensification implied from the first clause to the second one. The second blank aims to describe the style of politics. If you note both of these clues, you might be tempted to choose "extravagant . . . sacrosanct"; however, "sacrosanct" really indicates holiness. Don't be tricked by this kind of surface-level proximity to "churchmen." Also, "extravagant" is a bit weak for the purpose of intensifying the notion of complexity (though it could work if no better options were available). There is a better option, however: "labyrinthine . . . ecclesiastical."

Since this sentence focuses merely on Aaron’s ability to cheer others, the best option will be that one which describes him in terms of cheerfulness and contrasts that with those who are not so cheerful. When someone is “jovial,” he or she is cheerful. The word comes from the description of Jove / Jupiter in Roman mythology. A person born under the influence of the planet Jupiter was believed to exhibit the cheerful personality characteristic of the God with the same name. For whatever one might say about the source of this word, it has stuck in English usage, though Jove has been left far behind. When someone is “sullen,” he or she is gloomy or bad tempered.

Because we know that the forecast predicted snow storms, we can infer that it also predicted cold weather. So, we need to pick out an answer choice for the first blank that means something like "cold." Either "frigid," "chilly," or "icy" could be potentially correct. For the second blank, we need to pick out a word that describes the action of wearing a scarf, hat, and mittens if one knows the weather is going to be cold and snowy. Since wearing those items is a good idea, either "smart," "necessary," or "prudent" ("acting with or showing care and thought for the future") could be potentially correct. Of the possible words that we've identified as potentially correct for each blank, only "frigid" and "prudent" appear in the same answer choice, so the correct answer is "frigid . . . prudent."

For the first blank, we need to pick out an adjective that means something like "involving individual opinions and personal feelings." So, either "subjective" (" based on or influenced by personal feelings, tastes, or opinions") or "qualitative" ("relating to, measuring, or measured by the quality of something rather than its quantity") could be potentially correct. For the second blank, we need to pick out an adjective that means something like "based on facts, theories, and laws." Either "objective" ("not influenced by personal feelings or opinions in considering and representing facts") or "quantitative" ("relating to, measuring, or measured by the quantity of something rather than its quality") could be potentially correct. Of the possible words that we've identified as potentially correct for each blank, only "subjective" and "objective" appear in the same answer choice in the correct order, so the correct answer is "subjective . . . objective."

We can infer that because "many people [are] choosing to install fake, manmade grass," we need to pick out a combination of words that either means "real lawns have become rare" or "fake lawns have become common." While "artificial" and "manufactured" are both similar in meaning to "fake" and "manmade," only "artificial" lines up with a word for the second blank that means "common" - "commonplace." "Manufactured" lines up with "uncommon," so it can't be the answer, because if many people are installing fake lawns, manufactured lawns cannot be uncommon. Similarly, "authentic . . . pedestrian" cannot be the correct answer either, because if many people are installing fake grass, authentic lawns are not likely in the process of becoming "pedestrian," or commonplace. The correct answer is "artificial . . . commonplace" because it best fits the context of the sentence.

In this question, there are more possibilities for the blanks: the teacher can use popular themes to deliver a new curriculum, or classical themes to deliver a classical curriculum, etc. Here only "apposite" and "au courant" match with each other; "apposite" means appropriate while "au courant" refers to something up-to-date. "Canonical" and "prosaic" are valid options for the first blank, but do not have an adequate matching word for the second blank. Be careful of similar sounding words with completely different meanings: apposite / opposite, opprobrious / appropriate.

To be "gregarious" means to be social and to enjoy companionship. To be "loquacious" is to be talkative. In this case, it makes sense that a gregarious, social person would be talkative.