For the first blank, we know that the teacher gave "clearly explained directions," so we need to pick out an adjective that means something like "clearly explained." Either "explicit" ("stated clearly and in detail, leaving no room for confusion or doubt") or "straightforward" ("uncomplicated and easy to do or understand") could be correct. For the second blank, we need to pick out a word that means "get" or "sustain," because we know that the students who did not follow the teacher's instructions would "lose a few points off of their quiz" - in other words, sustain a small penalty. Either "incur" ("become subject to something unwelcome or unpleasant as a result of one's own behavior or actions") or "receive" could be potentially correct. Of the possible words that we've identified as potentially correct for each blank, only "explicit" and "incur" appear in the same answer choice, so the correct answer is "explicit . . . incur."

The clear contrast in this sentence is between an energetic disposition and one that is not. The best option for the second blank is “sedate” which means quiet or still (sometimes having the negative sense of “dull”). Since the word is modified (and hence qualified) by “rather,” it is fair to choose something like this, which generally fits, if not perfectly. To be sedate is related to the Latin for “to sit.” A “sedative” is a drug or medication that makes one calm or as though they were sitting still. Since Joseph became sedate, the low blood sugar condition must have drained him of his energy, that is, to have sapped him of his energy.

The second blank would be easier to fill in first, so we need to find a word that means difficult to understand. This could be either dense or complicated (because lucid means clear, morose means gloomy, and creative speech isn't always difficult). Next we'll fill in the first blank that shows that his students did not understand, or were confused. Enlighten would not work because the teacher would want to enlighten them with knowledge, so our answer is "disconcert . . . dense."

If a witness makes false or spurious statements about a crime, they keep justice from occurring; therefore, they impede justice.

The key expression is “approximated subgroups” to which the many elements are contrasted in the first half of the sentence. “Disparate” items are those that are differing to a degree that comparison becomes difficult (if not wholly impossible). It comes from Latin roots meaning “unequal,” reflected in the English word “disparity.” When something is gathered together, it is “aggregated,” a word related to words such as “segregated” (gathered into separate groups) and “congregation.” These are derived from the Latin for flock (“gregis”).

Something is said to be “endemic” if it is native to, or at least, regularly found in something. This negative usage is hinted at by the second sentence’s hint: “this most unfortunate reality.” The word ultimately comes from Greek roots meaning people (demos), a root found in English words like “democratic” and “demagogue.” The word mitigate means to lessen or to make milder. Its Latin root is mitis, which means mild.

The key here is to note the relationship between the food, the lungs, and the repercussions. The easiest “key” to this relationship is “pulmonary,” which is derived from the Latin word for "lung" and has related English words such as “pulmonologist,” which is a doctor specializing in lungs. From here, it is obvious that “aspirated” fits the bill, for it means “inhaled. It comes from the Latin spirare, which means to breathe or blow. Related words are like “inspire” (literally to breathe into, as though by (e.g.) a spiritual flow), “expire” (to breathe out), and even “perspire” (to breathe through, broadly applied to the pores and sweat).

Since the young man hopes little for success, the best word is “despondent,” which means depressed because of loss of hope. To be "buoyed" means to be cheered—as in to be lifted upward (like a buoy in the sea water).

The organization “spread abroad” the tax records, an action that could be likened to the sowing of seed.  Dissemination literally means “to spread seed abroad.”  It comes from the prefix “dis-”, which here means “abroad” and a derivative of the Latin “semen,” meaning “seed.”  The later word is clearly used not only in the word “semen,” which is like a “seed for generating children” but likewise in “insemination” as well as “seminar” (a training or “seeding” session for ideas).  Regarding the second word, “questionable” fits well, as there are no implications that the transactions were wicked, greedy, or illegal.  Being “questionable” does not necessarily imply any of those descriptors.

For this sentence, the best way to consider the options is to consider the answer words in combination. While all of the pairs other than “overwrought, cajole” might seem acceptable, “demoralized, rouse” really works best, both in meaning and in grammatical form in the sentence. The general sense of the sentence is that the team lacks enthusiasm and that they cannot bring themselves to start the season. To this end, the couplet “demoralized, rouse” captures the meaning best. Although very old usages of “demoralize” indicate corruption of one’s morals, it now is generally used to indicate a lack of hope.