The key thing to note in this sentence is that Reginald wants—above all—peace for himself and his siblings. He would "try to do anything" to achieve this peace. Therefore, it is best to infer that his actions are aimed at calming his raging mother. When we "placate" someone, we aim to make them less angry or more pleased (whichever way you wish to look at it). This option is the best, since it is related to the "peace" that the Reginald desires. It is not primarily a matter of "personal conquest" of or battle with the raging mother, which the other answers all imply.

A bullet is sent forth or sent out of a chamber using the power of gunpowder. This is most similar in definition to “propelled.” If you see either of the roots "pell" or "pul" in a word, that word probably has somethign to do with movement, as in the words "repelled," "propulsion," and "expulsion." None of the other answer choices make sense in the blank: “molted” means shed and often refers to animals shedding things like fur, feathers, or skin; “encumbered” means burdened; and “dispersed” means spread out.

Because the author had one opinion and everyone else had the opposite opinion, it stands to reasons that the author might want to reevaluate or “reappraise” his opinion. So, "reappraise" is the correct answer. To provide further help, “supplant” means replace, “barrage” means relentlessly attack, “gawky” means clumsy or awkward, and a “garrison” is a group of troops left behind to defend something or, when used as a verb, supply a location or with such troops. In English, the prefix "re-" means do something again.

The speaker's uncle has found out that he has high blood sugar and wants to get his health under control, so we can infer that he won't be eating many, if any, deserts for the time being. So, we need to pick out a word that means something like deny oneself something. To “abstain” from something means to not take part in it, or to deny yourself that thing, so "abstain" is the correct answer.

The mechanic bolted the cover onto the battery only after he was certain that it had been "made secure." That is, it had been "fixed in place." In addition to "repair," the word "fix" can mean fasten or attach. The word "affix"—as in, "Affix the label here"—means stick to. We cannot say how the batter was made secure; however, whether by ratcheting, bolting, screwing, or any other means, it was certainly secured, that is, "fixed."

The key phrase (as is likely obvious) is "unable to decide." The implication is that the child's attitude "went back and forth" between the two choices. When someone is uncertain in this manner, he or she is said to "waver" between multiple options. (Generally speaking, "waver" means shake or quiver. A wavering person "quivers" between two options.)

By reading the sentence, we can infer that the blank should contain a word like "cheated" or "violated," since we are looking for a way to describe how African Americans didn't receive equal treatment under the laws during the time of Martin Luther King, Jr. The word "impinged" means violated, and works the best. The other words do not work in this sentence: "palliated" means eased; "consummated" means completed; "ameliorated" means improved. 

By reading the sentence, we can infer that Joe's aggressive body language and disrespect towards his colleagues had a negative effect. Thus, we are looking for a word that would suggest that his attitude made problems worse. We are looking for a word that means something like "continued to make worse." The word "perpetuated" is correct because it means cause something negative to continue. The other words do not work in this sentence: "satiated" means made full or saturated; "assimilated" means became accustomed to; and "ameliorated" means improved or made better.

Since the sentence indicates that the students lingered around school, the best answer choice is "loitered." This means that the students waited around a specified area without doing anything. The other answer choices have the following meanings: "dispersed" means became less concentrated by spreading out over a wide area; "budged" means moved slightly from having been stuck before; "loped" means ran with large steps; and "flaunted" means showed off.

Because the girl being discussed in the sentence tried "to bully her sister into doing her chores," the best word choice for the blank is "chastised," which means reprimanded. The girl's parents would likely reprimand her for such an action. None of the other answer choices makes sense in the blank: "affirm" means confirm; "defy" means reject the authority of or go against; "repress" means stifle; and "qualify" means add additional information to a statement in order to make it seem less sure or absolute.