The context of the sentence suggests that people have been theorizing that the Earth cannot continue to support the growing population, but that somehow a new technology comes around that enables this growth to keep going. An expanding population needs more food, so the correct answer must be either “nourishment” or “sustenance.” From there, it is a matter of choosing between “sustain,” which means to support, and “align,” which means to match up with. The correct answer is clearly “sustain . . . nourishment.” To provide further help, “restrain” means hold back; “malnutrition” means a lack of essential vitamins and minerals; “detain” means arrest; and “dehydration” is the condition of needing water.

For the first blank, we know that Harry "shudder[ed] and brush[ed] repeatedly at his shirt," so we should pick out another verb that describes this sort of action. Either "flinched" ("made a quick, nervous movement of the face or body as an instinctive reaction to surprise, fear or pain") or "started" ("give a small jump or make a sudden jerking movement from surprise or alarm") could be correct. For the second blank, we know that Harry's friends laughed at him, so either "chagrin" ("distress or embarrassment at having failed or been humiliated") or "embarrassment" could be correct. Of the possible words that we've identified as potentially correct for each blank, only "flinched" and "chagrin" appear in the same answer choice, so the correct answer is "flinched . . . chagrin."

If the mother is sending her son away to boarding school, he obviously has bad behavior that she is trying to get rid of. Looking at the answer choices, insolence, disrespectfulness, and malevolence could all fit in the first blank, but the only word matched with those choices that could fit in the second blank is extinguish. Thus "insolence . . . extinguish" is the correct answer choice.

The second blank is perhaps easier to fill. The indication is that the teacher wants to become more certain about the itinerary of the trip. The "itinerary" is the plan for the trip. Thus, it is best to say that he wants to review these details to increase his certainty. The best option for reviewing is "examine." Based on the confidence of this second blank, you can be reassured that the first blank functions well in the sentence. It is completely arguable that the opening clause is talking about the itinerary being established. The word "agenda" is often used to describe the plan for a meeting, but the word can also be used to describe a plan or list of things that need to be done.

Three of the first-blank words for this sentence would fit with the description of the player's "graceful fluidity": "agility," "dexterity," and "nimbleness." The second blank is a bit tricky. "Pranced" works well, and the word "gamboled" (to jump around in a playful manner) would work, but the word that is actually given is the homophone "gambled" (to take a chance). Thus, "agility . . . pranced" is the only pair that works.

The best way to approach this question is to look at the second blank first. In the context, it seems that the plants are being moved into the outdoor beds. This would best be described as "transplanting" them. Just as "transmitting" is to send something across a space (e.g. air, electrical wire), "transplanting" is moving something (here: plants) from one "location" to another. The general sense of the sentence is that before this, you are preparing the plants. Hence, "preparation" is the best option for the first blank.

The key point to note is that the brush communicates the artistic skill that is not in the brush itself. It is “traversed” by a force greater than it could create on its own. (It would be rather boring on its own—though it might be quite well crafted); therefore, it is “traversed.”

Although the Latin root “-vers” often means something like to turn, there is also a Latin root, versari, which means to move about or dwell. The prefix “tra-“ is really an abbreviation of “trans-,” which means across (as in a word like “transatlantic” or “transfer”—the latter meaning to carry across); therefore, “traverse” means to move across—like the skill of the artist across the brush.

The word “utilization” means the use made of something and is related to a number of “use” words. In the earlier Latin as well as other English usages, the “t” often becomes an “s” because of the similarity of these sounds, depending on the context in given words.  

In this sentence you are told that a certain condition having to do with the number of laborers caused wages to fall and the government to respond with new policies. Logical reasoning should help dictate that a scarcity (a state of having little or not enough of something) of laborers would cause wages to rise, and at any rate, the government would not respond by "beautifying" (making beautiful) new policies. A "debacle" (disaster) of laborers does not make sense. Neither does "incoherence" (difficulty understanding). Of the remaining options, the best answer is that an "overabundance" (a state of having more of something that is needed) of laborers would cause the government to "embrace" (adopt) a series of new policies.

Every one of the wrong answers has an acceptable word provided for the second blank. There really is no indication whether Thomas found many aspects suitable for critique or for praise / approval. (The word "approbation" means "prase"). Indeed, he might merely find the other sections calling for further discussion or reflection. The key, then, is the first blank, and the phrase to note is "to one section of the talk." The implication is that Thomas wishes to focus on merely one section of the talk instead of being concerned with the whole thing; therefore, the best option for the first blank is "restrict," which means "to limit." (As a vocabulary help, a "restriction" is a limitation. "Travel restrictions" are "limits placed on travel").

For the first blank, we know that the king was worried that his people would starve despite something about the size of the fall harvest, so we can infer from the use of "despite" that the harvest was quite large. We need to pick out an answer choice that means something like largeness. Either "bounty" (plenty) or "abundance (a large amount of something) could be potentially correct. For the second blank, we need a verb that described what happened to the king's fears when he learned that his people had stored away the majority of their harvest. We can infer that this would calm his fears, so we need to pick out an answer choice that means something like calm. Either "quelled" (calm something, like worries) or "assuaged" (soothed an unpleasant feeling) could be correct. Of the possible words that we've identified as potentially correct for each blank, only "bounty" and "quelled" appear in the same answer choice, so the correct answer is "bounty . . . quelled."