As one ages (and becomes tired), they can be said to be in a state of “dotage,” meaning that they are old and weak. To step down from rule is to “abdicate” from it.

We are told that the director's reaction is due to his thick skin, which tells us that there is some substantial criticism (so we can rule out "dearth," or lack) and that he is not overly-affected by it (so we can cross out "unaffected," because if he is "hardly unaffected," the double negative (as in math) would mean that he was, in fact, quite affected by the criticism. The "impacted . . . waive" option would work if the second word were the noun "wave" instead of the verb "waive," which means to give something up willingly. We are left with "fazed" (affected) and "barrage" (an onslaught or flood).

The implication of the initial relative clause is that there is not a strict correspondence between hours and pay. This implied meaning is confirmed in part by the second half of the sentence, which appears to imply that it is difficult to calculate the exact pay that a teacher should receive. The best options for the two blanks are “equivalence” and “estimate.”

It would make sense for a starter pistol to be used as a "prompt" or "cue" for swimmers to begin a race. It also makes sense for swimmers to begin a race by "diving" or "plunging" into the water. To provide further help, "portent" and "omen" are both words that mean a sign suggesting something bad will happen; "replete" means filled. 

Because the subject of this sentence appears to be speaking to a bunch of students you can reasonably infer that he is probably a "teacher." The first correct blank is therefore "pedagogue" because this means teacher. To solve for the second blank you need to consider that the teacher is saying his points again. To "reiterate" means to say again, to repeat for emphasis. To provide further help, a "megalomaniac" is a power-mad person; to "grouse" is to complain; a "tenet" is an important belief; a "boor" is a rude person; "allure" means attract; "incarcerate" means imprison; "inundate" means flood with, overwhelm with; "expiate" means make up for, make amends. 

From the context of the sentence, you know that the word that goes in the second blank must be something similar to but less intense than the first underlined word. Both words relate to the effects of sickness on an individual. So, the first word is “incapacitated,” which means disabled or rendered completely unfit; the second word is “impaired,” which means hindered or set back. As for the other answer choices, “withdrawn” means pulled away or reclusive; “beloved” means loved by or dearly loved; “limited” means restricted; “postponed” means delayed until later; “renounced” means abandoned; “tormented” means tortured or made to feel great suffering; "hindered" means set back or slowed down; and "obstructed" means physically blocked or blocked from progressing.

The key to this sentence is the fact that the original painting is done by a professional artist; the painting is presumably well done. Thus, if you wanted to mimic or emulate the painting, you would need to look at it closely or scrutinize it.

For the first blank, we need to pick out a word that means something like "steal," because we know that the sentence concerns a "thief" and thieves are likely to steal treasures. Either "finagled" ("obtained something by devious or dishonest means") or "purloined" ("stole something") could be potentially correct. For the second blank, we know that the thief does not approve of his nephew's decision to become a thief, because "he just didn't want to see his nephew get into any trouble with the law." So, we need to pick out a verb that means something like "support," because we know that the thief could not support his nephew's decision. Either "condone" ("accept and allow behavior that is considered morally wrong or offensive to continue") or "approve of" could be potentially correct. Of the possible words that we've identified as potentially correct for each blank, only "finagled" and "condone" appear in the same answer choice, so the correct answer is "finagled . . . condone."

The verbs in this sentence need to make sense in each other's context—so, although "to stack" and "to create" have the proper meaning, they are not grammatically sound options. Out of the rest of the possible answers, "heaps . . . generating" makes the most sense, since it means to put the cupcakes in a pile and then create a mess.

"Nullify" means to negate or make invalid. "Eschew" means to avoid or dodge a responsibility or duty. "Usurp" means to take over or seize. "Procrastinate" means to put off doing something. "Wane" means to decline or dwindle. "Incite" means to provoke or agitate. "Harbinger" means to herald or give a prior indication. "Oscillate" means to move in a side-to-side motion. "Glean" means to gather or collect in a gradual manner. "Pander" means to provide what someone wants even though it may not be preferable.