In this sentence, Mary is trying to make me believe her. The best word that fits into the blank is "insisted." "Insist" means use emphasis to try to make someone believe that you are telling the truth or do as you request. None of the other answer choices would make sense in the blank: "lingered" means took one's time; "perished" means died; "restrained" means held back; and "unveiled" means to made visible, often for the first time and to the public.

In the English language, the prefix "co-" suggests working together. Because of the way the sentence is framed, “combat” is the only possible answer. To “combat” means to battle against something else. None of the other answer choices make sense in the blank: “deduct” means figure out; “denude” means uncover or lay bare; “allude” means hint at or suggest; and “abdicate” means give up the throne.

Based on the context of the sentence and its references to bullying based on people being different, we can assume that the blank word must mean something like "not include." The correct answer is therefore “exclude,” which means not include. To provide further help, “exalt” means praise or celebrate, and “portray” and “depict” both mean show.

Because the student didn't do well on his first test but wants to try again, you could also say he wants to “redo” his test. The prefix "re-" is often used to refer to something done again. To provide further help, “unfurl” means unfold, roll out; “adorn” means decorate; a “ruse” is a scheme designed to trick someone; “comprehend” means understand. 

The author suggests that people abusing their pets makes him very angry. This suggests that the answer is a synonym for "abuse," so the best answer choice is "mistreat," which means treat poorly. The prefix "mis-" is a negation prefix. To provide further help, “protect” and “defend” are synonyms and both mean look after, stop harm from coming to; “deny” is to say something is not true.

Since the subject did not want to sell his house, we can infer that he did not accept the offer to move to a new city. The correct answer is therefore “declined.” To provide further help, “deplored” means hate; “enamored” means in love with; “accepted” means established, allowed; “received” means given.

The author of this sentence tells us that his car wouldn't start because a problem with the ignition. The best answer choice is “malfunctioning,” which means not working properly or functioning poorly. The prefix "mal-" means bad or wrong. To provide additional help, “interposing” means getting involved in; “abrasive” means rude; “suggesting” means hinting; “benign” means not harmful.

A “psychic” is a person who makes predictions. “Predicting” something is to say that something will happen in the future. To provide further help, “antiquated” means old and out of date; “elected” means chosen or selected; “beleaguered” means under pressure; “characterized” means defined as. 

If the sled was hard to steer, it makes sense that Tim might nearly hit or crash into a tree, so you need to pick out an answer choice that means something like "hit." "Collided" is a verb that means impacted while moving, so "collided" is the correct answer. None of the other answer choices make sense in the blank: "veered" means turned sharply while moving, and while one might talk about someone on a sled "veering away" from a tree, one would not "veer with" a tree. "Crashed" may look like a good answer, but one does not "crash with" a thing; one "crashes into" a thing. Neither "jumped" (hopped or leapt off of the ground) nor "slid" (glided or skated) make sense in the sentence's blank either.

The word "incite" means stir up angry or unlawful behavior. It makes sense within the context of this sentence, because if a person is already short-tempered, one would not want to encourage, or "incite," him to violent behavior. "Dispel," which means make something go away or disperse, means almost the opposite of what we need. "Presume," which means assume without evidence, and "assert," which means state something confidently, do not make sense in this sentence, and are therefore incorrect.