The best prediction for the first word should be famous or well known. The second word choice describes "artifacts," and what we're told in the sentence is that they are "many thousands of years old." We should predict that the word describing the artifacts means something like old, ancient, or aged.

Let's eliminate the pairs that obviously don't match these predictions. "Endured" means put up with (usually something unpleasant) or bore with patience. "Explored" means looked over closely or scrutinized. Neither of these fit the sense of the sentence. "Revered," meaning held in high or sacred esteem or highly prized, might work, but the second word in that pair doesn't: "concurrent" means occurring at the same time. "Notorious" means widely and unfavorably known; that would suggest that the museum was hated. Our best choice is "acclaimed," which means enthusiastically welcomed or received, and "archaic," which means ancient or old-fashioned.

If the author's inspiration died after only a few pages, it didn't last long. We should predict that it proved short or fleeting. Since the novel is waiting to be completed, we should look for a word that means incomplete or unfinished.

Eliminating the obviously incorrect choices, we can hone in on "enduring," which means lasting or permanent—the opposite of what happened to the author's inspiration. "Absurd," meaning ridiculous or foolish, doesn't fit, either. "Decrepit" might make sense—it means falling apart or decaying, but the second word in the pair, "irksome," doesn't fit. It means annoying or irritating. Likewise, "volatile" means changeable and fleeting, but "obsolete" means outdated or useless. Not the best fit. "Ephemeral" means lasting only a short time, and "inchoate" means unformed or unfinished. That will work!

The key here is that book was too long; we should expect that the editor shortened the book by turning the first half into just one chapter, and that she did so by removing or getting rid of the rambling explanations and drawings.

Let's see what we can eliminate. "Expanded" means to have increased in bulk or size—that doesn't work! "Bemoaned" means lamented over or complained about, which makes no sense in the context of the sentence. "Shortened," meaning reduced or decreased, works, but the second word in that pair, "protracted," doesn't; it means drew out or lengthened. You can't shorten a book by protracting its contents! Likewise, "abbreviated" means made brief or short, but "bolstered" means supported—not the right choice. "Condensed" means reduced in volume or size, and "truncated" means shortened by cutting something off. That's the best fit!

The hero is "fearful," and the monster is "outraged," so our prediction for the first word should be that the hero is trying to calm the monster down, or to make it peaceful. Since we can predict that the monster's rage came about from the antics of the adventurers ("mischievous" certainly doesn't mean that they were well behaved!), the second word should mean caused, excited, or inflamed.

Let's look for words that might fit our first prediction. "Taunt," meaning provoke, won't work; if you're fearful for your life, you won't want to provoke an angry monster. "Administer" doesn't make sense, either—it means give, manage, or direct. "Assassinate" might work—to kill suddenly or secretly—but the second word, "pacified," means to make peaceful. If the monster was "pacified," there would be no need to "assassinate" him. "Remedy," when used as a verb, means to treat or cure something, but the monster isn't sick or injured, so that doesn't really work. Our best pair choice is "mollify," which means to soften or reduce someone's temper, and "exacerbated," which means to increase in severity or bitterness or to exasperate.

The first blank word choice is in front of "building," which means the word is describing the building. All we know about the building is that it has "enormous bulk," so we should predict that the building is large, huge, vast, or big. For the second word, if the bulk has become "minute" (meaning small) "fragments" because of an explosion, we should predict shattered, smashed, or destroyed.

As always with these sorts of questions, eliminate answers that cannot be true. "Minuscule" means tiny, "sedulous" means diligent or persistent, and "magnanimous" means generous and forgiving. "Angular" doesn't quite work, either: it means relating to an angle, or bony, lean, and gaunt. Likewise, "sorted" means arranged or categorized—not exactly how we'd describe the aftermath of an explosion, as rubble certainly isn't sorted—it's blown all over the place! The best choice is "colossal," which means enormous or huge, and "pulverized," which means violently smashed into bits.

If no one likes the old man's parties (described as "miserly," note!) because they go home hungry, the best prediction for describing his menu would be scarce, small, or tiny. Since the old man's neighbor is unlike the old man, we should predict that his parties are the opposite and that he offers lots of food. The word we want there should be similar to lots, large, huge, or generous.

First, eliminate as many wrong pairs as you can. "Munificent" means extremely generous or giving—completely opposite of the word for which we are looking! No miser is "munificent"! Likewise, "abundant" means overflowing or richly supplied. That won't work. "Superior" means of higher quality or quantity than others. Our best options are "sparse," which means scanty or thin, and "parsimonious," which means miserly or stingy. So, to choose between them, let's look at the second word. "Sparing" means limited or scanty, and "copious" means abundant and plentiful. The best choice is "sparse . . . copious."

Let's look for clues in the sentence. The first blank is followed by "hadn't attended school in three months," so we want a word that means being absent, not attending, or gone. "Paragon" doesn't work. That means a great example of some idea or someone we admire or look up to. "Traitor" is a little too extreme; that means someone who commits treason or betrays a cause. We are left with "transient," which when used as a noun, means someone who is present only for a short time;"vagabond," which means wanderer; and "truant," which means someone who stays away from school when they are required to attend. "Truant" is the best fit for the sentence between those three remaining answer choices. Let's check the second word, "ludicrous." Our sentence clue is that it describes everyone's response to Roger's claim that he had been kidnapped by aliens. Most likely, everyone would think his excuse was silly or unbelievable, and "ludicrous" means ridiculous or absurd. This word pair fits.

In order to find the best pairing, we need to look for clues in the sentence that help us figure out what sort of words best fit the blanks.

First, we can see that the effect of the fever was to leave the person weak or sick, because his voice is "no longer hearty or booming." What word best fits this? Clearly, not "regenerated." That means "healed." "Sequestered" means separated so as to be alone, or isolated and separated. "Abandoned" means left alone or left empty and uncared for. None of these word choices fit.

We've eliminated three of the choices, and we are left with either "defeated" or "conquered." Both of these word choices work for the first blank, so we need to look at the next word. The next word after "defeated" is "obscure." That means unclear. But, if the man's voice is "barely obscure," that means his voice is barely unclear, which means his voice is getting clearer. That doesn't fit the idea of the fever almost defeating him. The other choice is "audible," which means able to be heard. If the man's voice is barely audible, it means his voice is not easily understood. This fits with the clue that the fever is "conquering" him and contrasts nicely with the way his voice is described as having been "booming and hearty" before he fell ill. Our answer is "conquered . . . lucid."

The prophetess "correctly predicted" the destruction of Rome. What word best fits someone who can see the future? Not "imbecility," because that means foolishness or lack of intelligence. "Folly" doesn't work, because that also means foolish behavior or actions. "Apprehension" means to be fearful of things that could happen in the future, but doesn't specifically have to do with being able to see the future, and the second word in the pair, "concord," doesn't work. "Concord" means agreement or peace, and "pillage, destruction, and peace" doesn't make sense. Our second word should be similar to "pillage" and "destruction." "Concord" doesn't work. Likewise, while "instinct" could work for the first word choice, "truce" doesn't work for the second. Finally, "prescience" means foresight, or in other words, the ability to foresee future events, and "anarchy" means the chaotic state of a society lacking a government. That works! The correct pair of words is "prescience . . . anarchy."

A major clue with which the sentence provides us is its first word, "while." This indicates that the king and the monk are being contrasted, and should be described as opposites. The context clue means that we want a word pair where each adjective means the opposite of the other.

What would be a good word to describe someone who dresses in flashy jewels? Maybe something like flashy, over-the-top, or vain. Let's see what we can eliminate. "Meek" and "spartan" don't work, because those words imply that the king's dress is simple and without fuss. We're left with "domineering," "ostentatious," and "flamboyant." For the second word, we need something that means the opposite of "flashy." The monk prefers to dress in plain robes, so we want a word that means plain, simple, or restrained. "Capable" doesn't work; it means "good at something," so it doesn't fit. "Obtrusive" means obviously noticeable and conspicuous, so it doesn't fit, either. "Temperate" means restrained, moderate, and not showy. That fits! Our word pair is "ostentatious . . . temperate."