The "although" at the beginning of the sentence gives a clue that the pair of words should be opposites. The first word should be a negative word, since we can guess that the chef did not like the fruit. In the latter half of the sentence, she's "singing its praises," which should lead us to suspect that she likes it. Let's test our first word choices. "Content" doesn't work; it means satisfied with something, and since our prediction is that the chef didn't like the fruit, we can rule that out. Likewise, "ardent" means passionate about something. "Strong" means exhibiting great force—that makes no sense! "Suspicious" would work, meaning feeling unease or uncertainty, but the second word in the pairing doesn't match "singing its praises." "Apathetic" means uninterested or bored. Our best choice is "ambivalent," meaning having mixed feelings about something and "fervent," which means showing great enthusiasm.

If the dog follows his master, we could guess that the first word shows loyalty or faithfulness. If the wilderness is "perilous" (meaning dangerous) and the dog faced the danger with courage, the second word should mean something like bravery or not giving up.

Given our prediction, we can quickly eliminate a few word pairs. "Vacillation" means the process of changing your mind from one thing to another and being indecisive. "Hyperbole" means obvious exaggeration, and "isolation" means the state of being completely separated from others. Since the dog is following his master, that doesn't make sense! None of those word pairs fit the context of the sentence. What about "allegiance"? That means loyalty to a person or state, so that fits, but "frailty" means weakness or ill health—that certainly doesn't match our prediction! The best choice is "fidelity," which means faithfulness, and "staunchness," which means firmness or steadfastness.

The contrast in this sentence is between Donald, who apparently reads quite a bit, and his father, who cannot read. The second blank does not imply anything about laziness or anything of the like. The most we can say for the second is that it is related to the fact that Donald's father is unable to read; therefore, “illiterate” works well to fill this need, meaning unable to read. The negative “il-” is attached to the base “literate,” which means able to read and is related to other English words like “literature,” “literal,” and “literary.” The word “voracious” well describes Donald’s reading habits. Although the word is often used to indicate a deep desire for food (e.g. “a voracious appetite”), it can more broadly mean that one has a great eagerness for a given activity.

Because something needs to be done to make the essays "simpler and easier to understand," you can deduce that they must have initially been criticized for being too “convoluted.” “Convoluted” means complicated, complex, and hard to understand. From there, we can figure out that they needed to be edited, or “revised.” “Simplistic” means overly simple; “abridged” means edited and shortened; “complex” means complicated; “lamented” means expressed sadness over; “involuntary” means spontaneous and unintentional; “appraised” means evaluated; “concise” means brief and describes written texts; and “elongated” means made longer.

To answer this question, it helps to know the meaning of "demagogue". This is a person who tries to lead in political and public matters by using emotions. He or she stirs up the emotions of the people to get them to act in a certain manner. This should lead you to think "exciting" is the correct first word. ("Exciting" can merely mean arousing strong feelings.) Still, you may be tempted to choose "many" for the second blank. However, "exculpatory" means getting out of trouble. That makes no sense here. The best option is "exciting ... disenfranchised". To be "disenfranchised" means to be powerless in a society. This contrasts well enough to the demagogue's "privileged few." To "gain the franchise" means to become able to vote. Voting allows people to have some power in society.

In order for the subject's reputation to be tested by the "tribulations" (difficulties) ahead she must already have an excellent or "sterling" reputation. All the other answer choices can be eliminated because they suggest a negative reputation. "Dilatory" means habitually late; "deleterious" means harmful; "neglectful" means ignoring; "ignoble" means not honorable. "Sangfroid" means calmness under stress, and is exactly the sort of characteristic that would help an individual deal with a difficult circumstance. "Obstinacy" means stubbornness; "adage" is an old saying; "devotion" is committed love; "lasciviousness" means lustfulness. 

To solve this sentence completion you have to determine which of these two answer choices go best together. If the man and the dog were "devoted" (loyal, loving, and committed) to one another, then it stands to reason that the man would be "dejected" (deeply sad and feeling hopeless) after the dog had died. To provide further help, "steadfast" and "committed" are both synonyms of "devoted"; "ebullient" means enthusiastic and "effusive" means enthusiastic in praise or support; "enthralled" means captivated by and "exasperated" means frustrated by; "somber" means grave and serious and "jubilant" means very happy.

Because something needs to be done to make the essays "simpler and easier to understand," you can deduce that they must have initially been criticized for being too “convoluted.” “Convoluted” means complicated, complex, and hard to understand. From there, we can figure out that they needed to be edited, or “revised.” “Simplistic” means overly simple; “abridged” means edited and shortened; “complex” means complicated; “lamented” means expressed sadness over; “involuntary” means spontaneous and unintentional; “appraised” means evaluated; “concise” means brief and describes written texts; and “elongated” means made longer.

The sentence implies a strengthening of meaning from the first blank to the second. This is indicated by the use of “passing” for the first and “much closer” for the second. An “evaluation” can merely mean a general judgment regarding the worth (or value) of someone or something. A “scrutiny,” on the other hand, is an in-depth examination of something. This fits well with the needed strengthened sense in the second blank.

We can infer that because Black Friday is "the busiest shopping day of the year," that every store will be in chaos trying to deal with customers. So, we need to pick out an answer choice that means something like "chaos" for the first blank. Either "an uproar" ("a loud and impassioned noise or disturbance)" or "turmoil" ("a state of great disturbance, confusion, or uncertainty") could be potentially correct. For the second blank, we need to pick out a noun that means something like "group" and can refer to a group of "impatient, demanding customers." Either "horde" ("chiefly derogatory: a large group of people") or "mob" ("a large crowd of people, especially one that is disorderly and intent on causing trouble or violence") could be potentially correct. Of the possible words that we've identified as potentially correct for each blank, only "an uproar" and "horde" appear in the same answer choice, so the correct answer is "an uproar . . . horde."