The contrast in this sentence is between one god and many gods. Our blank is not necessarily about ancient legends. Indeed, it makes little sense to speak of “corporeal” (bodily) stories. The word “deity” means god or god-like being. Words like “deify” (to make into a god) or “theology” (the study of god) are related to “deity.” Therefore, the sentence is speaking of our ancestors believing in many gods—or, many “deities."

The two key descriptors used in this sentence are “exhibit self-motion” and “not found in lifeless beings.” To be “life-filled” and to be “self-moving” is to be “animated.” The word “animated” actually comes from the Latin "anima," meaning soul. We often use the word to describe moving cartoons or perhaps someone who is very active in expressing himself or herself—as in, “He discussed the topic in an animated manner, flailing his hands about in excitement.”

Normally, we use the word “pedestrian” to mean one who is walking instead of driving in a city. The roots of the word would lead us to think this as well, for “pedestrian” is derived from the Latin for “foot,” found in other words like “pedal” and “pedicure;” however, as an adjective, the word can mean “unexciting” or “uninteresting.” Since John is being contrasted with his wife, who has “daring tastes and hobbies,” he must be somewhat unexciting and dull—rather pedestrian.

The contrast in this sentence is between Tilghman’s “svelt” siblings and himself. If someone is “svelt,” he or she is slender; therefore, if he is not svelt, Tilghman must be fat or “corpulent,” which means the same.

The word is derived from an almost identical Latin root that means the same and is more distantly derived from the Latin for “body” found in words like “corpse,” “incorporation,” and “corporeal.”

The sense here is that Frowin occupies a “middle position” between these two, balancing their characteristics. The “mean” of a series of numbers is the average. The term is often used to describe any type of average between two or more things.

The sense of the sentence is that Randall wishes to separate the large dogs from the small ones. The word “segregate” best implies separation of this sort. It literally means “to gather apart (or into parts).”

The prefix “se-” here implies the parts or “apart,” while the “-gregate” is derived from the Latin for “flock,” a root found in “congregation” and “gregarious.”

The implication in the contrast formed in this sentence is that Donald does not have superior or extremely noteworthy skills at the organ (though he is adequate). A “virtuoso” is one who has great skills, particularly in artistic or musical areas, so this is better than “expert” for our purposes. The term is related to “virtue,” which is derived from the Latin “virtus,” meaning “strength” or “power.” This word came to be applied to virtue in the sense that we use the term insofar as virtue “empowers” one to act in a truly good manner.

By looking at the contrast established in this sentence, we can say that Francis must have been something of a womanizer or rather promiscuous during his college days. Such a person is called a “philanderer,” a term almost always applied to men.

This is in because of its literal meaning, “man of (many) love(s)” from “phil+anderer.” The “phil-” portion is found in words like “philosophy,” which means “love of wisdom,” and “Philadelphia,” “(the city of) brotherly love.” The second half comes from the Greek word for man and is found in English words like “android,” and “polyandry” (meaning “having many husbands”).

Since she is different than her brother (in this respect, at least), Gina must be happy and able in social company. Such a person is “gregarious”, a word that is derived from the Latin root “grex” (and “gregis”) for “flock.” This base has many related English words that likewise reflect this “multitude” or “flock,” such as “aggregation,” “congregation,” and “segregate.”

One is considered to be “droll” if their actions are amusing because of their curious manner. The humor is not necessarily “side-splitting” in the sense of being boisterously humorous. In an older usage, the word “droll” means a jester (of sorts), and the word might be derived from roots meaning an imp or goblin. Even if this is not the case, we can add (for our vocabulary expansion) that the word “impish” means mischievous or (sometimes) odd or crafty.