When you encounter a sentence like this where multiple options seem identical, it is necessary to look for the option that best fits the specific case of our sentence. The vessel that we are looking for is to be used for hand washing, so “laver” is the best option. A laver is a vessel used for containing water for washing. It is related to words like “lavatory” and “latrine,” as well as “lotion.”

Since the critique is described as being “scathing,” the most appropriate verb for this sentence would be “excoriating,” which means “to criticize severely.” In contexts related to health, the word literally means “to take off the skin surface.”

The key expressions in this sentence are “ending all conversation” and “by himself or herself,” implying that the example of bad manners is found in one who speaks alone without involving anyone else. A “monologue” is a speech that is presented by a single person without any involvement of another party. Often, the term will be used in theatre, when a character steps aside to speak alone, detached from the action of the show, almost as though he were “thinking out loud.” Also, in the media, a “monologue” is given when a broadcaster presents a topic alone without involving any other guests. The word literally means “a word (spoken) alone.” The “mono-” portion is related to English words like “monocle” and “monotonous.” The “-logue” potion likewise has many related English words such as “logic,” “analogue,” and “locution.”

The key phrase here is “by the old-fashioned methods of handwriting.” Works that are “handwritten” are called “manuscripts,” a word that literally means “hand-written.” The “manu-” portion is found in English words like “manual” and “manicure,” from the Latin roots for “hand.” “Script,” clearly comes from root meanings related to writing, as is obvious from other related English words such as “scribe,” “subscription,” and “prescription.”

Since the garage was a quiet, somewhat “protected” space for David, it is best called a “sanctum” for him. The word literally means “holy place,” coming from Latin roots that are found in “sanctify” and “sanctuary.” When it is not used in a religious sense, the term means a private place reserved for a limited number of people. Somewhat often it is combined with “inner” in the expression “inner sanctum,” implying that the given area is more deeply “inside” a location, leaving the “outer” areas for those who are not welcomed into the sanctum.

The seriousness of the violations (multiple elements), and the sense of the violation, lead to a need for a word indicating seriousness and even extremity.  "Just," "evenhanded," and "fair" are too positive, while "minor" does not convey the seriousness meant by the sentence.

The most important part of the sentence for finding the correct answer is the fact that the missing word bears little relation to the plot. The correct answer should indicate some kind of diversion from the main thrust of the novel. Of the answer choices, only "tangents," meaning unrelated diversions from the subject, has the appropriate sense.

The two nations apparently had repressed their “antagonism” during the decades mentioned. Antagonism is the state of striving against someone or something, coming from the roots “anti-” and “agonia.” The latter, literally means struggle or contest. Its meaning has been extended in a word like “agony” in English (though, a person in agony is often struggling against that which is causing the agony); therefore, the two nations were hostile to each other, though it was repressed.   Such a state is called “hostility,” coming from the Latin “hostis” meaning either “stranger” or (more appropriate for our case) “enemy.”

Since the earthquake left almost nothing in the city, it was not merely empty but was instead utterly “desolated.” The word comes from the Latin meaning “completely alone.” The “de-” here takes on the sense of “completely,” and the “-solation” comes from “solus,” meaning “only or alone.” The latter is found in words like “solitary” and “solo.”

Although we might wish to say that the secretary’s action is “unbecoming” or perhaps even “absurd,” the word “extravagant” is best, for it is often used with the further implication of overstepping the bounds of propriety with regard to money. The word itself literally means “to wander outside of” some implied boundaries. The familiar prefix “extra-” means “outside of,” while the “-vagant” portion of the word is related to English words like “vagrant,” meaning one who wanders from place to place (often out of poverty).