The key phrase to note is “able to heal a countless number of ailments.” A “panacea” is something that is believed to be able to cure every sort of ailment. It is derived from the prefix “pan-” meaning “all” and the Greek “akos,” meaning “remedy.” The former is found in English words like “pantomime” and “pantheist.” 

“Diction” involves both the choice of words and, particularly in its normal usage, the style of speaking and forming words. It is derived from the Latin dicere meaning “to say or speak,” a word with forms that have in which the “c” becomes a “ct” (“dict-“). In this latter form we find most of our related English words such as “dictation,” “dictator,” “edict,” “addiction,” “predict,” and many others.

Since the nation is said to have avoided the reform, it can be said not to have had enough force behind the idea of such an undertaking. We are not told anything about the crisis’ effects on the psyche of the nation, so it is not fair to say that it provided the necessary “panic” (and so forth). Insofar as the crisis encouraged the nation to undertake the reform, it can be said to have provided an “impetus,” that is, the force to start it. The word literally means “to seek toward something.” The “seek” portion is derived from the Latin “peto,” which is reflected in the “-petus” portion of the word. It is found in many English words like “petition,” “repetition,” and even “appetite.”

“Avarice” is extreme greediness for material wealth. Since the second half of the sentence indicates both eagerness for such increase and comparison to the “greediest,” it is implied that this is not a matter of mere desire but instead something stronger like “avarice.” Also, all of the other “monetary words” among the possible answers are related to certain acts or strategies to be undertaken by those wishing to increase gain.

We know that the sentence is discussing the moment at which the emperor was most powerful, so we should pick out an answer choice that means something like "height." While "middle" might look like a potentially good answer choice, especially because it is surrounded by "beginning" and "end," "zenith" is the better answer choice. While "zenith" specifically means "the highest point reached by a celestial or other object" or "the point in the sky or celestial sphere directly above an observer," it also means "the time at which something is most powerful or successful." Because "zenith" is closer in meaning to "height" than is "middle," "zenith" is the correct answer.

Since the second clause speaks of “uncertainties,” anything matching this would be the best choice. Anger and indignation are too strong and specifically refer to something more than mere uncertainty, though uncertainty can often lead people to anger. Do not be tempted to think of immaturity or adolescence, though these are often marked by or related to uncertainty. The best word is “angst” which means “dread” and is often related to one’s realization of the difficulties of life. The word is related to words like “anxious” and “anxiety.”

People with doctorate degrees have had a large amount of education and knowledge. This would mean that they have an expertise in studying the brain. (The prefix "neuro" means brain).

Do not overanalyze this sentence but instead pay heed to the most obvious meaning. The implication of the sentence is that the person in question is receiving the price. Therefore, choose the word that simply reflects that act of reception, namely “recipient.” Note that the word is directly related to “receive,” although the “-ceiv-” becomes “-cip-”. The other tempting words “beneficiary” and “heir” imply either advantage or inheritance—more than is needed here. The word “honorarium” is actually a pay given to someone for services that would normally be free.

The key phrase here is “fully designed version.” The sentence implies that the investors wanted to see that an initial (non-full) design would be operational, hopefully indicating that the full version would likewise feasibly operate. Such an “initial” version is a “prototype,” a word literally meaning “a first version.” The prefix “proto-” is found in words like “protocol,” “proton,” and “protoplasm.”

We can infer that because the scientist expected her experiment to yield "relatively uniform" results, that she would be "surprised" if her data was not uniform. So, we need to pick out a noun for the blank that has the connotation of not being uniform. "Constants" cannot be the correct answer then, because a "constant" by definition is "something that stays the same : something that does not change," or "a quantity or number whose value does not change," and we need to pick out a noun referring to something that does involve change(s). "Fluctuations" is the correct answer because a "fluctuation" is "an irregular rising and falling in number or amount; a variation," making it the answer choice which best fits the context of the sentence.