The word "alarm" has several meanings. As a verb, it means to surprise or frighten. For example, you could say, "The news was so alarming that Peter was unable to sleep for three days." This means that it was so surprising or unsettling that he was unable to be at peace for days. It can also be used as a noun to indicate a sound, a warning, or even the emotional state of being surprised. For this question, the meaning being used is the verb definition "frightening." Do not be confused by options like "wake" or "loud," which are trying to get you to think of "alarm clocks."

Do not be tricked. This question is not immediately about the fish we find in water. Instead, the word "fish" is being used as a verb. Now, when we go fishing, we are looking for the small creatures in water. The verb "to fish" has an extended meaning. It can mean to search. Have you ever heard someone say, "I fished around in the attic but just couldn't find the item"?  This means that the person searched around—like looking for fish, though actually looking for some other item.  This is the meaning being implied in this question. Do not be tricked by "flesh" or "aquatic." These are not immediate synonyms for "fish" even when the word is used to describe the little animals in the sea.

While we usually use "fork" as a noun for the utensil that we use for eating, it actually is related to a verb that means to divide. Indeed, the prongs on a fork are divided, right? That is why the words are related; however, we use "fork" about many other things. For example, the "fork in a road" has nothing to do with there being a metal utensil in the road! It means that the road splits. It is in this sense that the word is being used in this question. The best option matching this meaning is "divide." None of the others are synonyms for any sense of the word "fork."

Be careful! The word "produce" can be a verb meaning to make. It can also be used to describe the thing that has been made. It is like "products." The word "produce" almost always means the plants that have been grown. Think of the "produce section" in the grocery store. Thus, strangely, the best option is "vegetables"!  Do not be tricked by the "making-related" words like "recruit," "employ," or "worker." While related to production, these are not synonyms for "produce" in any sense.

When we feel "shame," we feel embarrassed. The word "shame" can be used as a verb as well. We can say, "He shamed her for her actions." This means that he made her feel embarrassed. In other words, he "humiliated" her for her actions.

Note that the word "dispute" can be used either as a noun or as a verb. As a verb, it means to argue or to disagree about something. The noun version basically means the actual argument or disagreement. Thus, for this question, the only option that works is "argument." Although disputes can involve anger and shouting, none of these options are directly about disputes as such. Thus, the simple noun "argument" is the best option!

The suffix "-cide" comes from Latin and means kill; it is found in English words like "patricide" (the killing of a father), "regicide," (the killing of a king), and "fratricide" (the killing of a brother). So, it makes sense that “homicide,” a combination of roots meaning man ("homo") and kill ("-cide") means the killing of a person, or "murder." As for the other answer choices, a "wound" is a physical injury; "health" is one's well-being, often specifically physical; "robbery" is an act of theft; and "protection" is something that defends its user against something else.

Words that contain the syllable "-gress" often have something to do with stepping or going somewhere, so it makes sense that "progress" means move forward, proceed, or "advance." "Halt" means stop and "discontinue" means stop something, usually something done often, and "suspend" means pause. All of these words are antonyms of “progress” and “advance.”

"Cordial" is defined as warm and sincere. "Cordially" is commonly used at the end of letters, in place of "sincerely." "Friendly" is the closest match because warmth and sincerity are associated with friendliness.

"Headstrong" is an adjective that means "not willing to do what other people want: very stubborn." So, we need to pick out an answer choice that is also an adjective and means something like "stubborn." While "tough" might look like a potentially correct answer because "tough" is a synonym of "strong," and "headstrong" contains the word "strong," "tough" does not mean "stubborn," so it cannot be the correct answer. "Obstinate," however, means "stubbornly refusing to change one's opinion or chosen course of action, despite attempts to persuade one to do so." Because "obstinate" is the answer choice closest in meaning to "headstrong," "obstinate" is the correct answer.