The sentence describes how King James I rarely spoke in his council meetings, so you know that the word we're looking for must relate to some quality of silence or using words sparingly. This means that the correct answer is “taciturn,” which means silent or reserved in speech. "Suspicious" means distrustful; "ludicrous" means absurd; "meticulous" describes someone who pays close attention to detail; and "portly" describes someone who is big or fat.

"Desicated" means dried out. The fact that the professor needs moisturizer and that he has his hands covered in chalk tells us that this is the best choice. The other answer choices do not make sense, as "distal" means distant, "proximal" means close, next to, or nearby, "benign" means harmless, and "distraught" means upset.

The contextual clues in the sentence tell us that Jamie was not able to do much after he finished the race, and because it was a marathon it is reasonable to assume that the reason for this is that he had no energy left. The word "exhausted" means drained of one's physical or mental resources, so "exhausted" is the correct answer because it best fits the sentence's context.

Something that is divergent is dissimilar or different. The key word to notice in the sentence is "different," which indicates that the two roads people can take are divergent.

If something is "lilliputian" in size, it means that it is small. Since the people of the country are smaller than Gulliver, who is average size, this is the best answer.

Since Joe pulled an all-nighter, he was presumably tired, or lethargic, the next day.

Since the bride had wanted a small wedding, the flaunting of wealth through the sculpture and party favors would have seemed "ostentatious."

From the context of the sentence, you know that King Asoka must have possessed some positive trait that caused people to come to him for help in settling disagreements. Of the five possible answer choices, only "equitable"(fair) describes a positive attribute when it comes to mediation. As for the other answer choices, "deplorable" means appalling or terrible; "condescending" means talking down to someone or being arrogant towards someone; "lackadaisical" means careless, apathetic, or lazy; and "impoverished" means very poor.

From the context of this sentence, you know firstly that the blank word must describe some attitude taken by Marie Antoinette towards her appearance, and that it must relate to her worries about something small (the “single grey hair”). The word "fastidious" means concerned with making the smallest details perfect, and is the correct answer. As for the other answer choices, "vindictive" means spiteful; "cursory" means done in a quick and superficial way; "restrained" means showing restraint; and "steadfast" means unwavering in resolve and firm of purpose.

The way this sentence is constructed tells you that the missing word being used to describe the young Prince must relate to his frequent episodes of sulking and complaining. Of the five answer choices, "petulant," which means sulky or ill-tempered, most closely matches this description. As for the other answer choices, "miserly" means greedy or unwilling to share; "incessant" means constant; "notorious" refers to someone who is famous for the wrong reasons; and "vindictive" means looking for revenge or spiteful.