Pay close attention to the contrast being expressed in this sentence. Sarah didn't like going to stores that were found "throughout the entire country." Therefore, she wanted to go to stores that were much closer to home, so to speak. This describes something that is local. We do not know if she wanted to go so tiny or small businesses—even though many local stores may be smaller than national ones. All that we know is that she wanted to shop locally, not at national stores.

A sentence like this needs to be read carefully. The small child did not admit his guilt about the cookies. The first part of the sentence seems to indicate that he didn't lie and cover it up either. This is hinted at by the way the sentence starts ("While . . ."). Thus, the best option is "deny", which expresses this idea of trying to cover up the small crime that he committed.

The sentence states that the prisoners were surprised. In order to understand their surprise, you need to consider what they were thinking before this. According to the sentence, they thought that they would not be freed by the army. Therefore, the surprise that they experienced was that they actually were freed. The word "liberate" is a verb meaning to free. The word "liberty" means freedom and is clearly related to the verb "liberate."

Notice that the sentence states that the army killed every single one of its foes. This means that nobody was "left standing." The best answer is the word that describes an act of very thorough killing. The word "slaughter" means just this. The word "destroyed" does not express this complete killing as well as "slaughter." The other options are even more distant from this meaning.

This sentence states that the very large plane was able to fly well above its normal altitude. While either "fly" or perhaps even "elevate" might work to express this general idea, the best option will be a word that expresses the idea of flying very high in the air. The word "soar" does just this, so it is the best option among those provided.

The key clue in this sentence is the fact that Daniel feared being arrested for his action. This implies that it might have been illegal. When something is "illegal," it is against the law. Likewise, something "legal" is lawful. He apparently doubts whether or not it was lawful. It is not merely a fear about it being acceptable!

The expression "to seek refuge" means to go somewhere as a safe place. A "refuge" is a place that is safe from a particular kind of danger or fright. Now, perhaps the child wanted peace (or even consolation) by going to his parents' bedroom. It is, however, a slightly better option to choose "refuge", for he was clearly looking for a safe place. A refuge would provide just such safety.

Something that is "spectacular" is amazing and surprising. Peter thinks that his brother's story must be "made up"—it is too amazing actually to be true. Therefore, he must believe that his brother has invented the story. We often use the word "invent" to describe the process of making a device or a physical thing. We can also invent by "making" stories or ideas.

For this sentence, pay close attention to your clues. The steak is described as hissing and popping. It is likely cooking, so in most situations, the word "cooking" would be the best option. The option "sizzling," however, provides an adjective that describes how something can be making the sounds that we hear when things are heated. This clue is the best. We do not know if it is burning or flaming. We certainly do know that it is making hissing and popping sounds.

The best option will be a word that describes a kind of physical movement that expresses fear.  Now, running, screaming, or even escaping can express fear. Whenever someone shudders, he or she shakes or shivers because of fear. (At least, most of the time fear is involved.) Therefore, the best option for this sentence is the word "shudder" because it explicitly includes this element of fear.