Since we are told nothing about Julius’ goals and career expectations, it would be unacceptable to choose a work implying that the award marks the completion of his career or the fulfillment of his motives for doing his work; therefore, it is best to interpret the sentence as merely asserting that Julius believes himself to have reached the “high point” of his career. Strictly speaking, a “pinnacle” is a high, steep rock or mountain, though the word by extension means “high point,” understood both physically as well as with regard to human accomplishment.

The key phrase in this sentence is “have been performed . . .” This indicates that the focus is on a given interpretive performance of the works, here playing the original harpsichord music on the organ instead. Such interpretive activity is often called a “rendition,” a word related to “render,” in the sense of “giving something back but in an another form.” There is implied, therefore, some kind of “translation,” as would be the case here when the harpsichord music is “translated” into an organ performance.

Since the authors in question are said to have written outlines and explications, these works would best be called “commentaries.” Such works are written with the explicit intention of giving an explanation of someone else’s works. The persons writing such works are called “commentators.”

The only sound that is implied as being annoying here is that of chewing; therefore, while biting, crushing, grinding, and (perhaps) even clacking could be part of the process of eating, our best option would be one that most directly matches the chewing mentioned in the main clause of the sentence. To this end, “mastication” fits best, as it generally is used to describe merely the process of chewing, generally taken.

The results of ones acts might also be called their repercussions. Technically, repercussions are unintended consequences. An adult might not always pay heed to his or her acts, thus leading him or her to overlook such consequences; however, the sense of the sentence is that such a person should be more conscious than the child, paying heed to such potential outcomes. The word literally means “rebounding” or “hitting again,” the prefix “re-” indicating repetition and the “-percussion” portion related to root words from Latin meaning “to strike or hit.” A percussion instrument (a drum, gong, etc) is one that must be hit in order to function.

Clearly, the sentence means to indicate that the employees are having some sort of gathering or meeting. What is key, however, is to note that these meetings are intended to train them in given topics. This particular addition helps to narrow the answer choice to “seminars,” a word derived from the Latin “semen,” meaning seed. While seminars might be general meetings or discussions, they often imply some kind of training or at least a choice of topics that will be “seeds” for current and future thought. This root can be found in other words like “insemination” and “disseminate.”

For this sentence, we are looking for the most general term that can apply to the troops, since we are told nothing about their composition (e.g. cavalries) or their formation (e.g. phalanxes). While “clusters” or “gangs” might seem best, these options really do not apply well to troops. They would be acceptable only if no other options remained; however, the word “hosts” can mean “armies,” as the word is derived from the Latin for “enemy.” This meaning definitely could be applied to two opposing armies. Note that this is very different from the sense of “host” as in one who would “host a party.” The two usages have different derivations from Latin, the former being related to "hostile."

Here, the best option is “complexion” because this captures both the facts hinted in the question. “Complexion” means one’s normal skin color, particularly as this applies to his or her face. This is the best option not only because it best pairs with “pale” but also because the sentence hints that it is the face that is drawing this attention—as indicated by “emphasizing the radiant color of her irises.”

The general sense of the sentence is that the prime minister held a meeting with the press corps. When a public official holds a meeting in order to be interviewed, it is called an “audience.” While we generally apply the term to the group of persons listening to or watching an event, it more generally can mean “a hearing.” The word itself is related to other “listening” and “hearing” words such as “audio,” “audible,” and “audition.”

“Cincture” is a somewhat archaic term for belt, still used in describing the belt worn by Catholic monks. Although its usage is generally literary, it is not completely impossible to ascertain its meaning. The word “succinct” has similar roots, coming from the Latin for “encircled.” When someone is “succinct,” they are brief in describing something. In a sense, such a person quickly “encircles” a topic.