Since the concern here is with removing something that seems to increase the time of an undertaking, such an intervening object is an “impediment,” which means an obstruction.  To “expedite” something is to make it occur more quickly. Both words come from the Latin word for “foot” (This is reflected in the “-ped-” portion of the stem, not to be confused with the “ped” in words like “pediatric” and “pediatrician,” which have different roots). An “impediment” is something placed on (im+) the foot (so to speak), and to “expedite” is to remove something from the foot or away from its path (at least taken literally).

To “plumb” something is to seek out its depths.  You might know from chemistry class that the element lead has a symbol Pb.  This comes from the Latin word “plumbum,” which was used for the element.  “To plumb” the depths of some body of water would be to tie a piece of lead to a string in order to see how deep it is.  The word “superfices” means “the surfaces” and is related to the word “superficial.” 

The merchants can be said to have gathered influence to themselves. For this reason, it might be tempting to choose “grasped;” however, the term “despotism” does not apply to this kind of political state of affairs. Perhaps you were tempted by “stolen” or even “wheedled,” but nothing in the sentence justifies these particular judgments. Also, their coupled words do not fit well grammatically. The word “garnered” means “to gather” and is therefore the best option. A “plutocracy” is a form of government run by the wealthy.  The prefix “pluto-” comes from the Greek “plutos” for “wealth.”

The implication of the first sentence is that the kingdom was without a king for a period (though it continued to function as though it had one). We know not why this occurred, but there is no justification for choosing that this was a time of conflict. The best answer is “interregnum,” which means “period between rulers,” coming from “inter-,” meaning “between” and “-regnum,” meaning “rule.” The latter is related to words like “reign,” “regal,” and “regent.” When someone assumes a given position, he or she is said to “accede” to it. This is a second meaning of the term, which is literally derived from the Latin for “to give way to.” (The primary meaning of “accede” is therefore “to give way to or agree to a given demand or request”).

The best option for the first blank is “suture,” which is a stitching used to seal a wound. The other tempting options, namely “wrapping” and “bandages,” do not fit as exactly as does “suture.” The word is related to the English “sew.” Since such stitching helps to keep the wound closed, when it loosens, the wound becomes opened and exposed to the air, hence giving us our second option.

The key phrase in this sentence is that Jennifer hoped to prepare herself in order “to prevent herself from crying.” When someone “steels” himself or herself, he or she prepares himself or herself mentally for a difficult situation. Since she fears mockery, it is safe to say that she fears “ridicule,” which means “the act of being mocked or ‘made fun of.’” It is related to words like “ridiculous” and “risible,” coming from the Latin word for “to smile or laugh.”

When someone overprotects their child (or someone else in general), such action is known as “coddling.” This word best matches the key phrase “such constant protection.” The second blank is best filled by the word “consequences” because the other options do not capture the sense of “importance” that often is associated with the word “consequence.” The only really tempting trap word is “effects,” which does carry the extra moral weight that “consequences” does.

The use of the word “fatal” suggests that the second blank must describe some sort of disastrous incident. So you can rule out jubilations (celebrations) and sermons (religious message). Disasters, catastrophes (disasters) and notices (warnings) could all fit. Of the remaining three options for the first blank weather (to endure) is the best possible fit. Answering this question relies on you knowing the secondary meaning of the word weather. Other secondary word meanings that are commonly used include: table (to suggest something) and champion (to promote).

"Enmity" means hatred and hostility, while "seethe" means to be in a state of turmoil or anger but not show it overtly.  Two men who hate one another would, of course, find themselves in an agitated and angry state upon the sight of one another.

The words “mini-riot” and “exasperation” and the phrase “scene of crumpled papers and screaming children” indicate that the classroom fell into the lesser state of disorganization. Only "disarray" (a state of disorganization) and "deteriorated" (falling into a lesser state) meet these definitions.