The contrast expressed in this sentence is between the apple and the coffee shop, which is apparently behind the apple (as implied by “portrayed behind it [the apple]”). When something sits “in front” of other things so as to be very visible, it is said to be in the “foreground,” literally the “front ground” of the image, view, or painting.

The key phrase in this sentence is “once again plenteously available.” It indicates that for a time (i.e. the past ten years), oil was not available in great quantities. When a resource (or any other thing) is “scarce” it is in very limited supply. “Scarcity” is the state of something being “scarce.”

When people try to “dissuade” someone from doing something, they attempt to convince that person not to undertake the given task. Since Timothy was never dissuaded by the arguments of others, he could be said to be “resolute,” that is, firm in purpose. The word determination best expresses this. When someone “determines” something, he or she finds the exact meaning or plan for that thing. A determined person has decided on his or her plan and does not give up in pursuit of it.

The subordinate clause beginning with “subtly” is the key to getting this sentence correct. The implication of this clause is that Peter changed the meaning of a word in the middle of making an argument. Perhaps he changed “payment” from its general sense to a specific use of payment that had legal repercussions. Without noticing, he would thus have shifted the argument from a question of “payment” to “paying in a specific legal circumstance.” Equivocation is generally used to describe this kind of loose use of language. In ancient and medieval logic, a “purely equivocal term” would be a word like “bank,” which describes both the edge of a river and the institution into which you put money. With such a word, you certainly could equivocate—change meanings—though it would not be very subtle!

The parallel in this sentence is between the man things that the officer has and the “far fewer employees and supplies” available to the other groups. Note also that the sentence implies that he is impatient because the other groups are not as efficient as his group, which apparently is better endowed. Resources are those materials and people available for someone to accomplish a given task. This is the best option for this sentence, as all the other options are too specific.           

The two key words in this sentence are “praise” and “resounding.” The sentence implies that the crowd greatly praised the speaker. When someone gives an “ovation,” he or she does just that. Often this signifies that the praise is in the way of applause. We often speak of “standing ovations” when a crowd stands up at the end of a show in order to applaud. Do not be tricked by “ovulation,” which has nothing to do with this sentence. That word has to do with the release of an egg in the female reproductive system.

We can infer that because the rainfall left the rowboat "glistening" and that the noun that will go in the blank will be described by the adjectives "slight" and "reflective," we need to pick out a word that has something to do with shininess, and in particular, slight shininess. While "color" may look like a potentially correct answer, it wouldn't make sense in the blank, because the sentence isn't talking about "color," but shininess. "Sheen," however, is a noun that means "a soft luster on a surface," and because "sheen" best describes the slight shininess that the rowboat acquires after being rained on, "sheen" is the correct answer.

The choice that makes the most sense is abeyance: a temporary state of suspended action.

The choice that makes the most sense is anarchy: a state of disorder due to the absence of a governing body.

The choice that makes the most sense is plasticity: ability to be easily shaped or molded.