Since we know that the detective missed several pieces of evidence during his examination, we can infer that we're looking for an adjective that means quick and careless. While "expeditious" does mean quick, it also means efficient. Since we can tell the detective wasn't efficient (he missed evidence!) we know that this word isn't the correct answer. "Cursory," on the other hand, means "quick" as well, and more specifically means hasty and not doing a thorough job. Because "cursory" means both quick and careless, it is the correct answer.

The best answer choice is "abstemious," which means restrained, since it indicates that the subject's father is refraining from certain dietary choices that may be negative.

Although we might wish to mock the star-crossed lover by claiming that she was in a dreamy, half-conscious state, the sentence only can imply that she was in a state of joy; therefore, her smiling face matches her “blissful” state, a word meaning extremely happy or also blessed in a more religious or spiritual sense.

The sentence implies that Mark intended to assist the thieves with his action of turning off the alarm system. When a person is thus implicated in a crime, he or she is said to be “complicit.” The word is derived from Latin roots meaning to be folded into (or with) one another, a meaning reflected in the related English word “complicate,” which can be understood as meaning to be made more complex in the sense of such folding.

In this sentence, pay attention to the fact that Julie’s notes are said to record every detail accurately and thoroughly. The focus, therefore, is on the amount and fullness of detail to be found therein. The best word that matches this sense is “copious,” which means abundantly supplied. The word is derived from the Latin “copia,” meaning plenty, abundance, or supply. At Thanksgiving, Americans often see pictures of “cornucopias” or “horns (cornu) of plenty (copia).”

Since people could lie to Fred rather easily, he must have been rather naïve and believing. Such a person could be called “credulous,” a word that means believing too easily. It is derived from Latin roots for "belief," founding related English words like “credible,” “credence,” and “incredible.”

Since Pio is utterly sapped of strength, he is likely unable to make “even” a very weak gesture. (The word “even” is an important intensifying word here.) Certainly, one might be tempted by the options that indicate an inability to perform a bodily gesture; however, the best option will be the one that indicates the profundity of his being sapped. The word “feeble,” meaning that one is lacking strength (often implying that this is because of sickness), best fits this need.

We know that "the knight was assigned guard duty," so we need to pick out an adjective that conveys this information. While "asleep" might make grammatical sense in the sentence, it doesn't make sense for the knight to be sleeping on the job, so "asleep" cannot be the correct answer. "Sentry," a word that when used in the phrase "stand sentry" means "keep guard or control access to a place," is the correct answer because it best fits the sentence's context.

Since thick liquids pour more slowly, we're looking for an adjective that means "thick". While "rarefied" and "attenuated" may each sound correct because they have to do with thickness or thinness, both are words that mean "thin." "Viscous," on the other hand, refers specifically to liquids and means "thick; sticky; having a relatively high resistance to flow," so "viscous" is the correct answer.

The sentence states that Thomas could not make the trip to Paris to speak unless he first defended his dissertation. Therefore, the trip depends upon the successful defense of the dissertation and is said to be “contingent upon it.” The word “contingent,” literally means “touching upon.” The “-tingent” portion is related to English words like “tactile” and “tangible.” The “con-” prefix means “with.” Therefore, something “contingent” can be said to “touch with something else” in the sense of sharing, for example, borders with it.