The word "alter" comes from Latin roots meaning another. Have you ever heard of someone's "alter ego"? This is another personality that a person might have. For instance, a simple clerk at a store might also be a famous organ player by night. Perhaps when he is an organ player, he dresses and acts in a very different way so that nobody can even recognize him. This is his alter ego.  Thus, "alter" merely means to change. It does not necessarily mean that something gets better or worse. It merely means that it changes.

The word "locate" is merely a verb meaning to find or discover. It can also mean to place in a given location. For this question, the first meaning is the only one given in the options. Although "discover" is not found there, you can use "detect."  When you "detect" something, you at least find out that it exists.

You almost certainly know what the word "pierce." Do not be fooled by some of the other options. Yes, piercing can cause bleeding. It certainly is a "surprise" often as well; however, these are not at all the same as the immediate meaning of "pierce."  A piercing wound is one that pokes or punctures. Therefore, it also is not a matter of slicing or destroying either.  Therefore, among your options, "puncture" is the best.

We tend to think of "stirring" as the action of spinning a spoon (or another object) in a fluid. We also can use the word as a verb to describe someone waking up. Thus, when someone "stirs" in the morning, he or she gets up and is awake.  Have you ever heard someone say, "He began to stir at 9 AM"?  This means that the person was just waking up at 9 AM.

The word "despise" means to hate greatly or intensely. When we despise someone, we do not merely dislike that person. Indeed, we do not even merely hate that person. We really, really hate them. This question does not give any options for "really hating." Therefore, the best answer you can choose is "hate."

You need to be careful about this word.  Yes a "desert" is a kind of wasteland—often with sand and with no vegetation at all. None of the options are a synonym for this. (No, not even "dry".  This describes "a desert," but it is not a synonym for "desert.")  Now, don't confuse this with "dessert." When there are two s's, this describes the tasty kind of food. Always remember, you want two desserts because of how they taste—so dessert has two s's in it. The word "desert" can also mean, to abandon. Hence, we can say, "They deserted the ship, leaving it empty on the high seas."

When we "obliterate" something, we totally destroy it. It is related to the word "oblivion," which means nothingness. Now, several options provided here seem okay. Neither "harm," nor "destroy," nor "kill" are strong enough options. If you had no other option, one of them might be fine. The word "annihilate," however, is excellent, as it means to destroy totally. It comes from roots meaning nothing, namely the Latin word nihil.

We tend to think of "infections" as being physical illnesses. Thus, "to infect" something means to give it an illness. The word "infect" can also be used to describe any kind of adding of pollution to an environment—be that pollution biological or merely other physical trash. Indeed, we can "pollute" water merely by adding a poison to it. Thus, the word "contaminate" can be used as a synonym for "infect."

For this question, you need to be very careful. The word "slay" indicates a very violent way of killing someone. It is not merely a matter of hurting, harming, or even merely "killing." The best option will be the one that expresses this idea of killing in a very violent manner. The only word that does so is "massacre." When a massacre occurs, it is a very violent act of murder or killing.

The word "replicate" literally means to fold something over itself. In its normal use, the word means to copy or create a duplicate. You could say, "Peter tried to replicate the train, making a small model that exactly matched the proportions of the full-sized train." The word "replicate" can be used as a noun that means a copy. Thus, you can say, "The statue was a replicate of the Empire State Building." This means that the statue was a copy.