The key phrase in this sentence is “they were in fact carefully planned . . .” The contrast implied here is that the forest fires were not random blazes but instead were being carefully devised by the rangers. The introductory clause implies that they may have appeared to be unplanned. To this end, the word “sporadic” is the best option. While it might not be the best option in the abstract (meaning that we could likely find a better word if we had more than five to choose from), among our proposed answers, it alone signifies the sense of irregularity.

Since we know that the farmers did not plant anything on the land last year, we know that we're looking for an adjective that can refer to land and means something like "unused" or "unplanted." While "abstemious" sounds like a potential answer because it has to do with restraint, it refers to people and means "marked by restraint, especially in the consumption of food and alcohol," and is not an applicable word given the sentence's context - we need a word that refers to land. Alternatively, "fallow" specifically refers to land and means "plowed and left unseeded for a season or more; uncultivated," so it is the best answer choice.

Since we know that Carol began working extremely long days and losing sleep over her job, we can infer that one might describe her job as growing more "demanding," so we should pick out a word that means something like "demanding." While "grandiloquent" might sound like a potentially right answer because "grand" means "large or ambitious in scope or scale," "grandiloquent" actually means "pompous or extravagant in language, style, or manner, esp. in a way that is intended to impress," so it can't be the correct answer because it doesn't mean "demanding." "Exigent," however, means "pressing; demanding," so it is the correct answer.

Since we know from the sentence's context that Chelsea's sister talks a lot, we're looking for an adjective that has to do with speech, and specifically means "talkative." While "garbled" has to do with speech and messages, it means distorted and refers to speech itself, not the people who speak. Since "garrulous" means talkative, it is the correct answer.

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.”