"Soothing" and "reassuring" are synonyms, so go ahead and eliminate them. "Usual" means normal or everyday. "Eerie" means strange or creepy. "Weird" has the closest meaning to "eerie," so it is the correct answer.

If someone is "exempt" from something, such as chores or taxes, it means they are excused from, free from, or not subject to doing the chores or paying the taxes; so, "excused" is the correct answer. "Exempt" has a meaning different from that of "dismiss," which means send away, "incorporate," which means include as part of a larger thing, and "restrain," which means prevent or control.

First and foremost, do not confuse "thorough" with "throughout." The latter means all over or completely filling something. (Look at the words that it combines: "through out.") The word "thorough" is an adjective describing something that is complete and detailed. For instance, if someone performed a detailed study of the facts of a legal case, we would say that the person gave a "thorough examination of the facts." All of the wrong answers are trying to trick you into choosing some synonym for "throughout." Certainly, the two words—"thorough" and "throughout"—are related. However, they don't have the same meanings. Therefore, the best option is "complete." A "thorough examination" is a "complete examination."

When we "deprive" someone of something, we make them lack that thing. For instance, we would say that the slaves in the American South were deprived of their rights and were therefore freed in order that they might have the freedom that they lacked. To be in a state of "deprivation" is to be in a state of poverty or great want. A "privation" of something is a lacking of that thing. For instance, darkness is a privation of light; the dark is only understandable as a non-being of light. We often use the word "deprived" with the modifier "sleep" to describe the state of being tired and lacking rest. Being "sleep deprived" or suffering from "sleep deprivation" is such a tired state. Therefore, "lacking" is the best option for "deprived."

This question likely seems very easy, and it basically can be. Just don't be tricked by its seeming ease. The word "boring" is very familiar. Therefore, go through the answers eliminating them word by word. Something that is "regular" might be boring, but not everything that is boring is regular. Something very new and unexpected can also be boring. "Academic" and "scholarly" things are often boring, but this is not a definition of what it is to be boring. These is just descriptions of things that sometimes might be boring. "Annoying" is not a good synonym, as it describes something else—once again, some boring things might be annoying, but "to be annoying" means something different than "to be boring." Therefore, the best option is "tedious," which means "dull and repetitive," which implies being boring much more than do the other options.

The word "impoverished" literally means "in-poverty" or in the state of poverty. To "impoverish" someone is to make that person to be poor. The "-ed" form indicates that this is a passive participle, meaning that it is an adjective describing someone to whom the action of "impoverishing" has occurred. To be "impoverished" therefore means to be made poor or merely to be poor.

When something is dismal such as a dismal day, it means that it is bleak or desolate.

The word "extinct" refers to species of living things and means no longer existing or gone. "Gone" is the best choice because it is part of the definiton of "extinct."

When a process is "automated," it is done by a machine instead of by a human. "Mechanized" also refers to procedures that are completed by machines. If you have trouble remembering these words, just think about how a machine (a similar word that you likely know) is automatic. "Personalized" has a very different meaning; it means changed to fit an individual's unique needs. "Bland" means tasteless, and "reckless" means careless or willing to do dangerous things without worrying about the consequences.

Residual means left over or left behind. For example, I noticed some residual dirt on some of the dishes when I was taking them out of the dishwasher.