The subject of the sentence is a tied-up prisoner trying to escape, so we can infer that we need to pick out an answer choice that means something like escape. "Constrict" may look like a potentially correct answer choice, but "constrict" actually means hamper the movement of or restrict, so it is an antonym of escape and cannot be the correct answer. "Extricate," however, means to release from difficulty or entanglement, and because it best fits the sentence's context, it is the correct answer. As for the other answer choices, "compact" means to make smaller, "abduct" means kidnap, and "censor" means remove any potentially offensive material from.

The most appropriate answer is "spurned" because it means rejected or refused, which is what the sentence's subject is doing. "Absconded" means ran away, "elided" means omitted, "stoked" means encouraged, and "formulated" means fashioned, planned or systematically created.

"Lauded" is most appropriate here because it means celebrated or honored, which fits the context of the sentence and the actions of the manager. "Hailed" means called out to while "chided" and "castigated" both mean scolded, with "castigated" having the more intense meaning. It would also make little sense for a manager to have "decried" successful employees, because this would mean that he criticized or denounced them.

Since the lizard is adapting well to its environment, it is "thriving," which means prospering, flourishing, or developing well. None of the other answer choices make sense in the sentence's context: the lizard cannot be "extinct," a word that describes a species that is no longer living, because it "has adapted well to the rainforest"; "understandable," a word that means able to be comprehended, also makes no sense in the blank; "captive" (not free or wild) may seem like an initially good answer choice, but we can infer that the lizard is living in the wild in the rainforest, so "captive" is also incorrect; and "perturbed" means annoyed and has nothing to do with the sentence's context.

Having struck an iceberg, it is logical that the ship would break and sink. The answer choice that most closely resembles that definition is “capsize,” which means to overturn or to sink and is usually used to refer to a boat or ship. To help you, "decreed" means ordered, and "renowned" means famous and well-regarded.

The sentence tells us that Gareth did not want to make his mother’s suffering worse by telling her bad news. This rules out "thrill" and "delight" as possible answer choices because they both mean make happy or excited. The correct answer is “burden.” A "burden" is a weight you carry that makes life more difficult, and to "burden" someone means to make someone's life more difficult by distressing them. To help you, to "commiserate" means to sympathize. 

The sentence tells you that Jenna did not want to discuss her feelings directly, therefore the answer choice must be close in meaning to hinted, or suggested. The correct answer is “alluded,” which means hinted at indirectly. To help you, "contrived" means faked or made-up, "meandered" means traveled somewhere indirectly, like a river, and "detained" means withheld or arrested.

The process of "recuperation" is literally the "recapturing" of strength that has been lost through illness or overwork. To "recuperate" is to recover in this sense. The sentence implies that Sally was greatly weakened by her fight with the flu and therefore needed to recover her strength before being able to return to work. The word "recuperate" best expresses this.

"Perched" is the only answer choice that makes sense in the sentence, because the sentence informs the reader the cat is sitting somewhere high above the garden, and "perched" means balanced on something or sitting on something. We also know that the cat sat "silently" on the fencepost, so neither "yowled" nor "purred" can be the correct answer, as each of those words describes something or someone making a noise.

The general idea being conveyed is that Dana's friends want her to use her leadership abilities. (These would certainly help keep things orderly, so long as she applies them well.) Therefore, they are likely asking her to lead the meeting (or at least to have a leadership role). When someone "presides," he or she acts as the authority in a given situation. We could say that the "president" presides over the nation. (The words are indeed related, just as they look.)