The key thing to notice in this sentence is that Thomas' outlook changes unexpectedly. That means that it is difficult to expect what he will or will not do at any particular time. When someone has an "erratic" temperament, he or she acts in a manner that is unpredictable. The word "erratic" comes from root words meaning to "wander" or to "stray." An "error" is something that "strays" from the truth. None of the other options capture the sense of the word "unexpectedly" as does the word "erratic."

Since the cottage is set into the lush forest, this indicates that it is in a rural area or a "rustic," pastoral region. An "urban" setting is a place in the city; "blatant" is loud; and "serene" means calm. These choices are not as fitting as "rustic" or a place in the countryside.

We can tell by the sentence's context that we're looking for an adjective that means something like old. While both "elderly" and "obsolete" mean old, "elderly" refers to people, while "obsolete" specifically means out of date. Because "obsolete" fits the context of the sentence best in referring to technologies that are no longer used, it is the best answer.

Since we know that the snow leopard is rarely seen, we should pick out an answer choice that means something like rarely seen. While "sneaky" may look like the best answer choice, "elusive" is actually the better answer because while "sneaky" means sly, "elusive" means difficult to find. "Elusive" fits the context of the sentence better than "sneaky" does because the meaning of "elusive" involves being hard to find, so "elusive" is the correct answer.

Since the boat rocked back and forth, it indicates that the waves were violent or turbulent.  The key to this question is noting that the waves must have been violent for the passengers to feel ill.

The sentence implies that Ronald is returning to life "among the people," that is, no longer doing military work as he had been doing. In contrast to "military" life, "civilian" life literally means "life in the city" or "life as experienced by those living in the city." Civilians are all the members of the population that are not in the military or police. This is the best option to choose as a contrast to Ronald's former military life.

Because she could barely fit through the door because of her hairstyle, we know that the queen's hairstyle was very large. So, we need to pick out an answer choice that is an adjective and a synonym of "large." While "largesse" may look like an obvious answer, "largesse" is not an adjective meaning "large" but a noun meaning "generosity in bestowing money or gifts upon others." So, "largesse" cannot be the correct answer. "Egregious" may also sound like a potentially correct answer, but egregious is an adjective meaning "outstandingly bad" or "shocking." Neither of these meanings are similar to "large," so "egregious" cannot be the correct answer either. "Voluminous," an adjective meaning "occupying or containing much space; large in volume," is the correct answer because it is the only answer choice that means "large in volume."

We know that the actor missed some direction telling him to enter the scene, so we need to pick out an answer choice that means something like "signal." While "summons" might seem like the correct answer, "cue" fits the context of the sentence better; while "summons" means "an authoritative or urgent call to someone to be present or to do something" or "an order to appear before a judge or magistrate, or the writ containing it," "cue" means "a thing said or done that serves as a signal to an actor or other performer to enter or to begin their speech or performance." Because "cue" best fits the theatrical context of the sentence, "cue" is the correct answer.

We can infer from the sentence's context that we need to pick out a word that means something like "a short trip," because the biology class went to the local zoo but was back in time for lunch. All of the answer choices refer to different kinds of trips except for "itinerary," which means "a planned route or journey" or "a travel document recording these," so it is not the correct answer. "Odyssey" refers to a very long journey, so it cannot be the correct answer either, and neither can "vacation," because we can infer that the trip took place as a field trip during school hours. While "errand" refers to a short trip, it specifically means "a short journey undertaken in order to deliver or collect something, often on someone else's behalf"; that wouldn't fit the sentence's meaning, so "errand" cannot be the correct answer. "Excursion," a noun that means "a short journey or trip, especially one engaged in as a leisure activity," is the best answer choice for the sentence's context, so it is the correct answer.

The barbarians clearly are being said to have driven out the people who originally dwelled in the caves. We do not know anything about the identity of these people. All that can be said is that they lived in the caves. While this is very limited, it is expressed by the word "inhabitant," meaning one who lives in a given area. The word is related to "habitat," which means living space, and a number of other related words.