"Taciturn" means reserved or uncommunicative. "Gregarious" means outgoing or sociable. "Imperial" means majestic, noble, or proud. "Lugubrious" means depressing or somber. "Myriad" means multiple or various. 

"Inchoate" means undeveloped or beginning. "Myopic" means nearsighted or biased. "Lackadaisical" means careless or indifferent. "Hackneyed" means cliched or corny. "Fetid" means foul or rancid.

"Tenuous" means delicate or flimsy. "Indelible" means indestructible or enduring. "Pragmatic" means sensible or practical. "Intractable" means difficult or incurable. "Culpable" means responsible, liable, or guilty.

"Futile" means hopeless or pointless. "Venturesome" means courageous or adventurous. "Tranquil" means calm and peaceful. "Sodden" means saturated or drenched. "Nefarious" means horrible or sinful. 

Had this student actually completed seven degrees she could make the argument that her academic life was "prodigious" (which describes something that is enormous or exceptional). And one could attempt to argue that she "incessantly" (without ceasing) changed majors. But the best answer here is "fickle" (changing frequently; not particularly loyal or reliable).

Most people compose text messages using language that is more informal and conversational than the language they might use in a formal essay for school—instead of asking a friend, "Would you do me the honor of dining with me this afternoon?" you might simply text (more "colloquially"), "hey—let's get lunch." Thus, "colloquial" (language used in casual, everyday situations) is the best answer here.

You can hear the root meaning of joke within the word "jocular" (though it is pronounced not with the long O of "joke," but "JOCK-yuh-ler"). We learn here that Chris is rarely serious and that his personality provides welcome relief on difficult days. "Jocular" (joking and playful) is the best answer choice to describe him.

The sentence sets up a contrast: the critic prefers "modest" colors, but the exhibit presents the opposite. We know this because the critic "disapproved of the . . . neon colors," and we were told what the critic prefers: "modest earth tones." What word best fits the opposite of "modest earth tones" and matches with "bright neon colors"? We should predict that we need to pick out a word that means something like bright and colorful. "Subtle" means understated or cunning, which is the opposite of the word we predicted. "Frequent" means occuring often, and doesn't fit the sentence. The best fit is "garish," which means gaudy or glaring and is closest to our prediction of bright and colorful, though it describes something that is too bright and colorful.

What sort of respose would we predict "numerous outraged employees" to give?  The key word is "outraged"—we should expect the response to be angry, upset, or critical. "Jubilant" means rejoicing or triumphant, so it is the opposite of the word we're looking for. Also, "lauditory" means full of praise—another opposite word. "Apathetic" means disinterested or unemotional, and "lethargic" means sluggish or having very little energy. The best word for the blank is "scathing," which means bitterly severe.

Because the general did not take revenge when he could have and offered generous peace terms, we should predict that a word that accurately describes his nature should mean something like good, kind, generous, or merciful. "Excoriating" means harsh and specifically refers to harsh, critical speech— this word has a negative connotation, so it doesn't fit with our prediction of a positively-connoted word to describe the general's nature. "Vindictive" means seeking or done to achieve revenge—precisely what the general did not do! "Concerned" is close, but it means troubled or anxious—we don't get the sense that the general is worried in this sentence, though. "Instinctive" means based on instinct instead of something that has been formally taught or done without thinking, so it can't be the correct answer either. "Magnanimous," however, means generous in forgiving an insult or injury, so that is the word we want!