When you first read this sentence, you might think that Gino must not be very intelligent. We really are not told if he is intelligent or not. What we do know is that he does not come up with new ideas. Whenever someone is "inventive," he or she is able to think creatively and come up with new ideas and insights. Clearly, you can see the relationship between this word and "invention." Someone who is inventive very likely makes many new inventions—maybe not new technological gadgets, but something that is new.

This sentence is very simple in structure and poses an opposition for you to consider. On the one hand, Theodore was very outgoing when he was young. The key word "although" indicates, however, that he has changed. He had this outgoing character only when he was young. In contrast to being outgoing, the word "introverted" is an excellent antonym. This word literally means turned inward. An introverted person does not share himself or herself with others, at least not readily.

Notice the contrast implied in this sentence. James's friends notice that he is generally very aware of his surroundings. It seems that he doesn't notice sounds at all. Now, the word "enamored" is not good, for this means to be in love with. The word "intrigued" means "interested in," which is not a good fit either. The other two options are not good matches, obviously. Therefore, the word "oblivious" is best. This means "totally unaware"—a perfect match for this question!

For this sentence, it can help to know what is meant by the expression "a handsome profit." Surely, this does not mean that the money looked good—like a handsome man! Instead, the meaning is metaphorical. The money "looks good" insofar as it is a significant amount of money. Thus, Harry used to make a good bit of money at this particular kind of work. The sentence structure indicates that he no longer was able to do so. Whenever something is very profitable, it is "lucrative." Hence, this is the best option among those provided.

The sentence indicates that the family's Christmas celebrations must not have changed much. This is hinted at by the use of "although." It might well have been the case that some aspects of their lives had changed. When it came to Christmas celebrations, it seems that things had continued to remain the same. Whenever something is "changeable," it is mutable. When it does not change, it is immutable. 

The contrast in this sentence is between the techniques that were now available and those that are said to be "well-known" and "tested." We really do not know if the new techniques are dangerous. All we know is that they are not so well known and have not gone through testing processes like the other treatments. This indicates that they are likely experimental drugs, meaning that they are still in the process of being tested—though they have not been through all the testing that the other drugs have been.

The contrast expressed in this sentence is between Bonaventure and Thomas being friends and them being foes. All of the other details just tell us a bit more about them. There is only one option that is synonymous with "foe", namely "adversary." The word comes from Latin roots literally meaning turned against—as though an adversary is "turned against" his or her foe in battle.  

Whenever we describe someone's writing as being "flowery," we are saying that it uses many words (often implying that it uses too many). Jennifer's writing style is contrasted to a flowery writing style. This means that she must be rather brief in her manner of self-expression. Whenever someone is "terse" in his or her manner of expressing himself or herself, that person uses few words. This is the only option that expresses this idea of being brief, so it is the best option among those provided.

The contrast in this sentence does not focus on Lulu being hungry. Instead, it contrasts her demeanor to the other dogs, which are full of energy and are very loud. She is "calm," just waiting for the food. Therefore, the best option is "mellow." Whenever something is "mellow" it is calm and not harsh. Even a food can be mellow if it is not harsh in character. Lulu's mellow attitude is quite the opposite of the other dogs described in the sentence.

Despite is the correct answer, as it means in spite of. All of these answer choices are conjunctions, but only "despite" matches the context of the sentence. "Through," "but," "after," and "if" would misconstrue the meaning of the sentence.