The implied opposition in this sentence is made between the word to be chosen as an answer and the notion of objective facts, grounded outside of Leslie’s own biases and interests. Something is said to be “subjective” when it is related only to a given person’s perspective (wants, desires, or merely his or her knowledge and frame of reference).

When someone is “diffident,” he or she is shy or modest because of a deficiency in self-confidence. Since the sentence indicates that Eva was both confident and ready to speak of her abilities, we can say that she truly would not be known for diffidence. The word comes from root words in Latin literally means “to lack faith in one’s self.” The “-fident” portion of the word is the “faith” or “trust” portion, related to words like “confident,” “fidelity,” and “infidel.”

The key word to note is “expatiated,” to which the needed word will be opposed. When one “expatiates,” he or she discusses something in great detail (implying that it is done for quite some length of time or space). The word “succinctly,” meaning “expressed in a brief manner,” provides the best contrast to this word. It is derived from root words related to the notion of “encircling” such as “cincture.”

The answer to this question needs to be contrasted to “understated examples.” When something is “understated,” it is expressed either in a manner that presents it as less important than it is or perhaps in a way that is somewhat subtle and measured. In contrast to understatement, “hyperbole” is the overstatement of some topic. The “hyper-” portion means “over,” as is found in a word like “hyperactive.” The “-bolic” or “-bole” portion of the word comes from the Greek “to throw,” a word reflected in the words “ball” as well as “ballistics.” In a certain literal sense, “hyperbole” is a case of “throwing” a meaning “overtop” its appropriate scope or usage.

The key phrase in this sentence is “not merely difficult to catch,” as this indicates that the snipe must have been described as being difficult to capture. Something of this type is known as being “elusive,” a word derived from Latin roots literally meaning “to play away from,” though it takes more nuanced forms in English. It is related to words like “elude,” “illusion”, and even “prelude.”

Probably the most tempting wrong answer for this question is “repetitive,” for Nick’s comments are “well-worn;” however, since they are also “superficial,” the word “inane” does the best job at capturing both descriptions. Although it means “stupid” or “silly,” these meanings should not be stressed to harshly. Often, one speaks of “inane questions,” implying that they are ridiculously unnecessary and obvious. This sense matches well Nick’s comments.

The contrast here is between the rarity of Odo showing any dislike and a recent case that differed from this normal practice. When someone shows “animus,” he or she is said to show ill will or hostility. The word comes from the Latin for “soul” or “mind” as found in words like “animal” and “animated.”

The contrast that should be noted is that between the needed word and the fact that Edward’s former work was “physically-mobile.” In comparison with such work, his new work was “sedentary,” meaning that it was done while sitting. None of the other options captures the contrast as well as this option. The word “sedentary” is related to other “sitting” words such as “reside”, “preside,” “sedate,” and “resident.”

The word “but” will turn the direction of this sentence after the first clause. The phrase “due to an unexpected increase in pests” is another important clue. This tells us that the harvest was below expectations due to a negative circumstance. Therefore the correct answer is meager. Note: catastrophic is too strong a negative word in this case.

The word “elude” means to escape or to avoid (in this case, the detective’s understanding). The word “although” contrasts the detective’s diligent efforts and his inability to solve the case. The only choice that makes sense is "elude." Beware of "incriminate" and "suspect," which were given to lead the test-taker astray. These words are related to the industry of detective work, but do not have the right meaning for the blank.