A speaker who is articulate and persuasive is "eloquent."

"Hazy" is incorrect, because "hazy" means unclear and murky.

"Reliable" is incorrect. "Reliable" means dependable and consistent. It doesn't necessarily have to mean reliably articulate. 

"Intense" is incorrect. "Intense" means extreme, which doesn't have to mean "persuasive." Sometimes being too intense can scare people away.

"Pedestrian" is incorrect. In this case, "pedestrian" would mean boring and dull.

"Hazy" means only partially visible, not fully comprehended, or clouded by particles. By using context clues in the sentence, it becomes apparent that the missing word is the opposite of "clear." "Hazy" is the word choice that best fits. 

If one is "thrifty," one uses money carefully and not wastefully. In the context of this sentence, a person who could buy many outfits but spend only ten dollars would be considered "thrifty."

"Hazardous" means dangerous or potentially causing harm. Battling thieves and riding through a dark woods could both be considered dangerous activities; therefore, the context clues in the sentence point to "hazardous" as the best word choice. 

If Ryan is usually full of energy, but his behavior today is confusing his friends, then we are looking for an opposite of the given phrase "energetic and talkative." "Apathetic," a word that describes the lifeless behavior of a person who doesn't care about anything, fits the bill. Behavior of this sort would definitely surprise and possibly worry Ryan's friends. "Motivated," "engaging," and "enthusiastic" are terms that describe a person with passion for the world around him, which is the opposite of the answer that we are looking for.

We're looking for the answer choice that makes sense in the context of the sentence, which tells us that Mr. Johnson "focuses on the good things in life." The clear answer here is "optimistic," which refers to a hopeful and generally positive attitude. If Mr. Johnson is usually positive despite having a hard life, the words "negative" and "unhappy" are clearly incorrect. "Perplexed," which means confused, does not fit here either.

The sentence tells us that the company hosts an event on the same date every year. Things that occur once a year are described as annual. To further help you, fortnightly means occurring every two weeks; perennial means frequently reoccurring or constant.

The context of the sentence tells us that the water in the pool is not deep enough for diving. Shallow water is water that is not deep. To further help you, nimble, agile and flexible are all synonyms and mean having good balance.

Because her work was praised, we can assume that it must have been good or great in some way. Outstanding means brilliant, exceptional, or very good. To further help you, malevolent, diabolical and wicked are all synonyms and mean evil; lackluster means not good enough, lacking, or deficient.

You probably already know that smoking is a bad habit. The second part of the sentence describes the ways in which it makes your life worse. From the context, you can figure out that the blank word must mean something like harmful. This should lead you to the correct answer, destructive. To further help you, fecund means fertile, abundant, plentiful; bashful means shy; protective means inclined towards looking after something or making sure something is safe.