"Pragmatic" means practical and not idealistic. "Credulous" means naive and trusting. It would no doubt annoy Shania that her brother was so willing to believe their parents about Santa.

This question can be a little tricky. “Amiable” and “affable” refer to being friendly and easy to approach, and either one of them would be a great candidate for the first blank. You might think that “brusque” and “terse” are the same, but they have a subtle difference that makes one a better choice than the other. “Brusque” means rude and brief. “Terse” also means brief, except it contains the meaning of concise, to the point. The word isn’t always synonymous with "rude," because its connotations are less direct than with "brusque," which always means rude. Therefore, “affable . . . brusque” is the best answer.

“Counterfeit” means pretended, and it provides a clue for the word we are looking for in the second blank. “Feigned” means pretended, but so does “affected,” which refers to pretending to possess something in order to impress others. “Affluent . . . affected” is the correct answer.

The words that should go in the blanks are hinted at in the first sentence. We know we are dealing with art that is appreciated by only a select few. “Aesthetic” refers to the academic characterization of beauty. “Esoteric” means that something is understood by or meant for a special few. “Aesthetic . . . esoteric” is the correct answer.

It would not make sense that he would be critical to keen or wise calls made by the coach. “Astute” and “perspicacious” can be eliminated. A “vitriolic” response is severely critical and intended to hurt feelings. When something is “asinine,” it is incredibly stupid. “Vitriolic . . . asinine” is the best answer.

There is a shift between the first and second sentences. The two blanks must be opposite in meaning, or at least close to it. “Aleatory” comes from a Latin word that refers to playing games with dice. This is mind, it makes sense that the word describes something happening by chance. “Meticulous” means exhibiting extreme care in the little details. Together, these form the correct answer.

Since habitually reaching for a bland or bad-tasting snack is rarely a problem, “insipid” and “unpalatable” can be eliminated. “Scrumptious” means something is tasty. “Alimentary” means something is nourishing. “Scrumptious . . . alimentary” is the correct answer.

"Sensitive" works because it describes someone who gets hurt easily; "Blunt" works because it describes someone who speaks his or her mind very freely.

"Loving" seems like it could work at first glance, but "subtle" doesn't work as the second word choice, as the teacher said whatever was on his mind.

"Ungrateful" doesn't work in context here, as no clues have been given about the boy's level of gratitude, only his sensitivity. The whole answer, thus, doesn't work. 

"Sly," meaning cunning or deceitful, doesn't work to describe the boy as he has only been described to be hurt be the most inoffensive of comments. The whole answer, thus, doesn't work.

"Sleek," meaning smooth or glossy, doesn't work here, as no indications have been given about the boy's physical appearance, only his personality.

"Impatient" works because it describes the actions of the priest who rushed past the vows. "Horror" works because it describes the state of the bride, which we know is a grim one due to the word "sadness" directly following horror.

"Wry," meaning having a dry sense of humor, doesn't work, as no indications have been made about the priests' sense of humor.

"Sleepy" doesn't work, because no indications have been made about how much or little sleep the priest has gotten.

"Adept," meaning advanced, doesn't work, as no indications have been given about the priest's skill level. 

"Impractical," meaning not adapted for action, doesn't work here as the word typically isn't used to describe another human being.

"Inchoate" works because it means new, and it describes the state of the school, which we know is new because it just opened its first physical location. "Concerned" works because we know the moms are worried about the school not having experience. 

"Deep" doesn't work because no indications have been made about the extensiveness of the school network. 

"Power-hungry" doesn't work, because a school system typically wouldn't be described with adjectives reserved for humans, except in specific cases. Thus, the whole answer is incorrect.

"Respectful" doesn't work, because a school system typically wouldn't take adjectives reserved for humans, and no indications have been made that this example is different. Thus, the whole answer is incorrect. 

"Unabashed," meaning demonstrating no shame or fear, doesn't work to describe the school system; again, this is a very human adjective.