The first clause reveals that the teacher faulted the essay for lacking focus; therefore the blank at the end of the sentence must mean unfocused or vague. This means the correct answer is ambiguous. Terse means brief; supercilious means arrogant or condescending; prosperous means wealthy.

The sentence tells you that the Hawaiian nationalist movement ended in complete capitulation (surrender) which means the struggle must have been unsuccessful/insignificant. Of the five possible answer choices futile best matches this definition. Futile means pointless or useless; jubilant means very happy; monotonous means boring.

"Bibulous" refers to a person who is fond of drinking. The context of the sentence provides clues that indicate that the individual in the sentence frequents bars or saloons and stays longer than a casual drinker.

"Tantamount" means equal in value or meaning, and the description of the way the linebacker hits the wide receiver in the sentence seems to indicate that the hit was uncalled for, or too harsh for the fact the receiver was out of bounds. This would indicate a comparison to a barbarous act, so “tantamount” fits to complete the sentence.

The sentence is structured to create a contrast between the “chaotic” state of the family’s move and the period before their new jobs start. The correct choice will be a word that means something similar to calm or tranquil, and so the correct choice is "halcyon."

The sentence calls for a word that describes the type of movements of a trapeze artist, specifically the ability to walk a tight rope or fly through the air. The word that most closely fits this description would be “nimble.”

The key phrase is “never short of words.” The semicolon here links two independent clauses of similar meaning.  “Loquacious” means talkative and is therefore the correct answer. "Outgoing" and "extroverted" both mean gregarious or to be fond of social interaction.  Though close to the right answer, these are not as good a fit as "loquacious."  Also, "outgoing" and "extroverted" have the same meaning and thus both can be eliminated.  There cannot be two right answers to a test question. 

The logic of this sentence requires a word that means “discouraged”. The introductory clause “despite all his efforts” is a key phrase. The word “crestfallen” means dejected or discouraged.

The key phrase is “having traveled to many nations.” The word “eclectic” means embracing various or different sources.

A simple word replacement helps figure out the answer to this question. As the “more generous friends” are annoyed by the subject’s manner, then go through word by word for all the answer choices. "Parsimonious," which means stingy and tight with money, is the only choice that works.