The first sentence tells us that the third graders have historically been champions, but every student knows that this year is different. Since they are students, the third graders must also know that they are not going to win, or at the very least, that something has happened to make their victory less likely than it used to be. The only statement that supports this idea is the one saying that they "know they can't compete" with the first graders. The statement about the third grade's confidence is the opposite of the correct answer, and the final two choices have nothing to do with the information given.

We know that Avery is good at science, and we also know that something about the exam's treatment of biology made him happy. Since biology is a category of science (and since he presumably wants to do well), there must be a lot of biology on the test. "Focused heavily on" is therefore our answer. The other three choices all state the same thing—that the test didn't include a lot of biology, which doesn't make sense in this sentence.

Rose and her mother want to take this trip, but the key word "although" tells us that Rose's father has a different opinion. Rose's father, therefore, must have a negative opinion of either this road trip or travel in general. If he "enjoyed exploring new places" or "had loved to travel" for years, he probably would've wanted to go on this vacation as much as the other members of his family. Similarly, having extended family members in other states is a reason that would make the trip more appealing, or a neutral statement at the very least. The only answer that makes sense is that he "disliked traveling by car," which explains why he might not want to go on a road trip.

"Shallow" means not deep. The correct answer is that he wasn't able to submerge all the way under the water.

He wouldn't drown because the water was shallow.

He would not be able to float with his feet not touching the bottom in shallow water.

Huge fish wouldn't be able to swim in shallow water, so he wouldn't find one there.

He wouldn't try scuba diving in shallow water.

Here, the key word is "similarities." If Bradley is "astonished," or shocked, at the similarities between two things, the things in question must seem very different on the surface. Therefore, a choice like "his grandfather's childhood during the 1940s" is incorrect because this choice is too close in meaning to "the olden days"; finding similarities between the two would not surprise anyone. From this reasoning, we can deduce that the best choice would be related to modern life, as it would be the most likely to be compared with times of old. "His life during contemporary times" is the most relevant answer. "Contemporary" means modern, and it is certainly logical that Bradley might be surprised when finding that his grandfather and himself have some things in common.

What do we know about Mr. Garrett? Only one thing—that he is known to be a very slow grader. We can infer that Mr. Garrett is a teacher of some kind. We also know that we are looking for an answer choice that causes Ryan to become "astonished," or very surprised. The only event that might surprise Ryan is receiving his grade in less than a day, since he is expecting Mr. Garrett to take much longer. Of the other choices, one is completely unconnected (the teacher's sister becoming ill) and the other two are opposites (Mr. Garrett taking a long time to grade, which would not surprise Ryan in the slightest).

The key to completing this sentence is the word "dethroned." To "dethrone" an individual is to unseat or remove him from a position of power, so the aging boxer must have not only have won matches, but also held some sort of title. Two of the choices ("underwhelming performance" and "being vanquished in the early rounds") imply that the boxer tended to lose or perform badly, so these can be eliminated right away. The choice in which he won about half of his matches makes slightly more sense, but you wouldn't be able to "dethrone" someone who only won half of the time, since that kind of record would not have given the boxer a title or figurative "throne." The last remaining choice, in which the boxer was a reigning champion, is the only sensible answer.

Our only information about Maggie can be found in the first part of this sentence, where we learn that she "despises strenuous physical activity." To "despise" something is to hate it or even view it with disgust, and "strenuous physical activity" means "intense exercise." In short, Maggie hates exercise. However, properly completing this sentence involves noticing another key aspect: the word "neither." This word tells us that we're looking for an activity that Maggie would not enjoy. The only choice that involves exercise is the one that mentions school sports, which is certainly an activity that Maggie would not like and is therefore the correct answer.

To properly complete this sentence, you must know the meaning of the word "skeptical." A "skeptical" person is one who questions what he or she is told instead of believing it immediately; in other words, he is doubtful instead of gullible. Since Allie's brother is skeptical, he would certainly not believe Allie's statement about a haunted house without further evidence. Of the answer choices, two involve becoming afraid, which would not happen to a boy who doubted that Allie was telling the truth. A third choice, in which Allie's brother "thoroughly believed his sister," is the opposite of what a skeptical person would do. The only possible choice remaining is that the boy "laughed and dismissed (his sister's) comments completely," which makes perfect sense in this context.

The keywords "more . . . than" tell us that we are looking for a group that contrasts with pacifists. In other words, since pacifists have achieved more progress than a certain group, this group must be different from the pacifists in some way that makes them less successful. First, however, we need to know that the word "pacifist" means someone who is against war and favors peaceful, nonviolent means of inspiring change. Looking at the answer choices, we see that the "nonviolent individuals," the "demonstrators" who prefer unity over conflict, and "people who advocate for peace instead of war" are all synonymous with pacifists. The only answer choice that provides contrast is that which describes the violent activists, and this selection is therefore our answer.