Because the author loves the experience of stepping off the train at Penn Station and enjoys the energy of New York City, you know that he or she finds the experience “exhilarating.” “Exhilarating” means making you feel happy and excited. As for the other answer choices, “demoralizing” means causing you to lose confidence; “meddlesome” means interfering; “opulent” means luxurious and showy or wealthy; and “progressive” means moving forward continuously.

You are told that "no one was surprise" that the man's claims were quickly disproved in court; this tells you these claims must have been “dubious.” “Dubious” means uncertain, unlikely, causing suspicion, or untrustworthy. As for the other answer choices, “jovial” means happy and cheerful;  “deleterious” means harmful; “idle” means lazy or not moving; and "heavy" means weighty.

The use of the word “shorter” tells you the correct answer must be “abridged.” “Abridged” means edited to make shorter but still contain the entire plot or argument. As for the other answer choices, “elongated” means made longer; “destitute” means completely poor and having nothing; “exaggerated” means overstated and made to seem more intense; and “exacerbated” means heightened or made worse and is used to describe emotions or situations.

Because the subject is described as having difficulty spending time with his poor classmates, you can infer that he must have views that favor or support the wealthy or upper-class. This is called “elitist.” “Frugal” describes someone who is good at not spending money or economical; “impoverished” means very poor; and “decadent” means immoral, depraved, or sinful; and "yielding" means submissive and compliant.

From the context of the sentence, which talks about the wealth needed to afford university without assistance, you know that the underlined word must mean prosperous or wealthy. The correct answer is therefore “affluent.” “Jovial” means cheerful and happy; “meticulous” means exacting, paying attention to detail, or hard-working; “mundane” means ordinary and boring; and “senile” means suffering from deterioration of mental abilities due to old age.

Because the crowd was excited (“enlivened”), you know that the performance of the violinist must have been worthy of inducing excitement, and therefore skilled or deft in some way. When you talk about skill, particularly skill involving the use of hands, you use the word “dexterous.” “Satirical” means using irony or humor to make fun of something; “tentative” means cautious or not yet definite; “vexing” means annoying; and “elusive” means hard to catch or identify.

From context, you know that the underlined word must mean something similar to “grim” and something opposite to “cheerful.” This tells you that the correct answer is “dour.” “Dour” means stern, unsmiling, severe, and gloomy. “Penitent” means contrite, remorseful, and showing regret; “zealous” means passionate, or often too passionate; “euphoric” means extremely happy; and “exotic” means foreign.

Because the player mentioned is capable of doing several distinct and different things, he could best be described as “versatile.” “Versatile” means able to adapt or succeed in many different actions, adaptable, or multitalented. “Lofty” means high or high-minded; “enthusiastic” means excited; “heinous” means odious, appalling, or terrible; and “candid” means frank and honest.

From context, you know that the underlined word must relate to having the ability to do anything. If you are all-powerful, you are said to be “omnipotent.” “Eloquent” means well-spoken; “frantic” means hurried, stressed, rushed, and panicked; “fulsome” means complimentary, overly flattering, or fawning; and “immortal” means unable to die. “Immortal” is a little bit of a trick answer here because you may relate it to the sentence's subject of a god, but "omnipotent" is more closely related to "the ability to do anything" than is "immortal."

The use of the phrase “clean up her act” suggests that the singer’s behavior must have somehow been debauched, immoral or controversial. This should lead you to the correct answer, “licentious.” “Licentious” means debauched and immoral, particularly in sexual matters. As for the other answer choices,“poignant” means touching, moving, or affecting; “apt” means appropriate and fitting; “laconic” means brief and using few words; and “incessant” means non-stop.