The word "splinter" can be used either as a noun or as a verb. As a verb, it indicates the action of breaking something—as when you splinter a piece of wood into pieces. As a noun, it is used to describe the product of such breaking. Thus, a splinter of wood is a small piece of broken wood. It gets its name from the fact that it is such a small piece. The word "splinter" is not synonymous with "wooden." The word "shard" is synonymous with "splinter," however. A "shard of glass" is a kind of splinter of glass.

In this question, the word "reward" is being used as a verb. You can eliminate the possible noun option "wealth." While rewards might be sums of money, they are not essentially a matter of wealth. Instead, they are awards, prizes, or honors given for some reason. As a verb, "reward" can mean, to give (an award), but it can also have the sense of repaying someone. For example, you would say, "For his hard work, he was rewarded with a trip to the movie theater." This is the sense used for this question.

When used as a noun, "alert" indicates a kind of warning. As a verb, it means to warn or to make aware. Thus, you would say, "I alerted him about the dangerous ice on the stairs before he left the building." This means that you warned him about it.

For this question, you must realize that "free" is being used as a verb, as when you say, "I freed the trapped bird." Therefore, do not be tricked by the trap answers "minimal" and (especially) "inexpensive." These are trying to make you think of the adjective forms of "free;" If this question were using free in that way, then it would not be "inexpensive" but "costless." Free things are not merely inexpensive; they cost nothing. Therefore, the best option is "release," for when you free something, you release it.

The word "dispute" can be used as a noun or as a verb. As a verb, it means to disagree about something, to debate about something, or (at least) to discuss something because of disagreement. Thus, we can say, "Katherine disputed the claim that her computer needed a new screen. She knew that something else was wrong with it and therefore tried to convince her brother not to buy the expensive new display." The word can also be used as a noun to describe the actual act of debating. Thus, there can be "a dispute" between two people—meaning that there is the activity of disagreeing and debating. The best option here "discuss," which is closest to the proper meaning of "dispute" used as a verb.

This question could be confusing, for it is using "trouble" as a verb. We often think of the noun "trouble," which means problem or difficulty. We also can say something like, "The loud sound troubled her, and she could not sleep." This means that it bothered her. Sometimes, we do say "a trouble" in a way similar to a bother (or, at least, "a bothersome thing").

For this question, you must be very careful. While a tree is a kind of plant, it is not synonymous with the word. Likewise, while plants do grow, the word "grown" is not appropriate either. It is neither synonymous nor the same part of speech. Instead, "plant" is being used here as a verb. When you "plant your feet on the ground," this means that you place them firmly on the ground. Thus, the simple word "place" is the best option!

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."