We know that the English teacher really appreciates Shakespeare and his works, so for the first blank, we're looking for an adjective that means something similar to appreciates. Both "venerates" and "reveres" mean deeply respects, so each could work in the first blank.

This leaves us to pick between "extemporaneously" and "meticulously" for the second blank. We need a word that conveys how the teacher is able to recite Shakespeare without preparing beforehand, and since "extemporaneous" means spur-of-the-moment, and "meticulous" means very detail-oriented, "extemporaneously" is the better choice, and the correct answer is "reveres . . . extemporaneously."

Here, the best option is to pay heed to the second blank. The scientist wants to make his competitor’s work seem "dubious," that is, doubtful; therefore, he would like to make its credibility questionable by the broader community. It is best to say that he wishes to “discredit” it. Regarding the first blank, we really are not told anything about the first scientist’s character in the sentence. This means that the best option is the one that merely states what we can imply from the rest of the sentence, namely, that he is a "[competitor]," or a "rival" scientist.

For the first blank, because we know that Harry "apologized for his rude humor," we can guess that his joke was a borderline insult. So, we need to pick out an answer choice that means something like "similar to." Either "akin to" ("of similar character") or "equivalent to" ("having the same or a similar effect as") could be potentially correct. For the second blank, we need to pick out a word that describes the emotion that Harry felt that prompted him to apologize; either "guilty" or "contrite" ("feeling or expressing remorse or penitence; affected by guilt") could be potentially correct. Of the possible words that we've identified as potentially correct for each blank, only "akin to" and "contrite" appear in the same answer choice, so the correct answer is "akin to . . . contrite."

For the first blank, we can infer that because the police chief decided to go meet the outlaws at their hideout, he must have thought that it would be a bad idea to miss that opportunity. So, we need to pick out a word that means something like "a bad idea." Either "foolish" ("lacking good sense or judgment; unwise" and used of a person or action) or "imprudent" ("not showing care for the consequences of an action; rash") could be potentially correct. For the second blank, because we know that the police chief wanted to "try to come to an understanding" with the outlaws, we need to pick out a verb that reflects this. Either "talk with" or "negotiate with" ("negotiate" meaning "try to reach an agreement or compromise by discussion with others") could be potentially correct. Of the possible words that we've identified as potentially correct for each blank, only "imprudent" and "negotiate with" appear in the same answer choice, so the correct answer is "imprudent . . . negotiate with."

For the first blank, we can tell that we need to find a word that means something like stolen, since we know the princess was taken against her will to the sorcerer's lair. Either "abducted" (taken away illegally by force or deception) or "kidnapped" (taken away by force, typically to obtain a ransom) could work. For the second blank, we need to find a word that means something like "large," since the reward involved gold, jewels, and knighthood. Either "vast" (humongous, extensive, immense) or "enormous" (very large in size, quantity, or extent) could work. Of the potentially correct answers we've identified, only "abducted" and "vast" appear in a single answer choice, so "abducted . . . vast" is the correct answer.

Because we know that Eleanor wrote a five page paper for an assignment "which was intended to be about two pages at the most," we can infer that we need to pick out an adjective for the first blank that means something like "too long" and can be applied to written works. Either "verbose" ("using or expressed in more words than are needed") or "wordy" ("using or expressed in too many words") could be potentially correct. For the second blank, we need to pick out a verb that means something like "cut down on the size of," because we can infer that Eleanor's teacher would offer her tips on how to get rid of extraneous material, not on how to add more. Either "excise" ("cut out surgically" or "remove a section from a text or piece of music") or "trim" (" make (something) neat or of the required size or form by cutting away irregular or unwanted parts") could be potentially correct. Of the potentially correct answers we've identified, only "verbose" and "excise" appear in a single answer choice, so "verbose . . . excise" is the correct answer.

We can infer that for the first blank, we need to pick out an answer choice that is an adjective that means something like "famous" or "well-respected" to describe the scientist because he "had written more than seven award-winning books on the subject of theoretical physics." Either "renowned" ("known or talked about by many people; famous") or "distinguished" ("successful, authoritative, and commanding great respect") could be potentially correct. For the second blank, we need to pick out a verb that means something like "talk about," because we can infer that the scientist was invited to talk about "aspects of his latest discovery which had not been discussed in the paper announcing it." Either "discuss" ("talk about something with another person or group of people") or "elaborate on" ("add more detail concerning what has already been said") could be potentially correct. Of the possible words that we've identified as potentially correct for each blank, only "distinguished" and "elaborate on" appear in the same answer choice, so the correct answer is "distinguished . . . elaborate on."

For the first blank, we can infer that we need to pick out a word that means something like "was greater than," because we know that Harold's paper "not only" fulfilled the professor's expectations, but also "included . . . criticism that demonstrated his talent for literary analysis." So, either "exceeded" ("was better than; surpassed") or "surpassed" ("exceeded; was greater than" or "was better than") could be potentially correct. For the second blank, we know that the Harold's criticism "demonstrated his talent for literary analysis," so we need to pick out an adjective that means something like "intelligent" and has a positive connotation, since Harold has "talent" for literary analysis, suggesting that the criticism was good. Either "incisive" ("of a person or mental process: intelligently analytical and clear-thinking") or "discerning" ("able to see and understand people, things, or situations clearly and intelligently") could be potentially correct. Of the possible words that we've identified as potentially correct for each blank, only "exceeded" and "incisive" appear in the same answer choice, so the correct answer is "exceeded . . . incisive."

We can infer that because the hiking route is described as "full of twists and turns," we need to pick out an adjective for the first blank that means something like "twisting" or "turning" to describe it. Either "tortuous" ("full of twists and turns") or "winding" ("following a twisting or spiral course") could be potentially correct. For the second blank, we need to pick out an answer choice that means something like "search" to describe how Marty looked in his backpack for the map. Either "fumble" ("move clumsily in various directions using the hands to find one's way") or "fish" ("search, typically by groping or feeling for something concealed") could be potentially correct. Of the possible words that we've identified as potentially correct for each blank, only "tortuous" and "fumble" appear in the same answer choice, so the correct answer is "tortuous . . . fumble."

For the first blank, we can infer that we need to pick out an adjective with a negative connotation that means something like “bad” or “illegal” because the politician is described as “corrupt.” Either “nefarious” (“criminal”) or “unlawful” (“not conforming to by law or rules”) could be potentially correct. For the second blank, we need to pick out a verb that means something like “formally accused;” either “indicted” (“formally accused of a crime”) or “charged” (“accused”) could be potentially correct. Of the possible words that we’ve identified as potentially correct for each blank, only “nefarious” and “indicted” appear in the same answer choice, so the correct answer is “nefarious . . . indicted.”