Because we know that the king's advisors constantly praised and flattered him in the interest of gaining "more powerful or lucrative position[s] at court," we need to pick out an adjective for the blank that means something like "flattered." While "begged" may look like a potentially correct answer, the advisors are not overtly begging for better positions, and one does not "beg over" someone—that's not grammatically correct. "Fawned," on the other hand, when used as a verb describing a person's actions, means "gave a servile display of exaggerated flattery or affection, typically in order to gain favor or advantage." Because "fawned" best fits the context of the sentence, it is the correct answer.

The trap word among the answers is “questioned,” but do not be fooled by it. The young electrician is totally turning to the master for advice. When someone admits his or her own lack of ability and the need to have someone else provide for it, that person is said to “defer” to the other. Someone who is respectful of superiors is often said to have a “deferential” personality. The word “defer” has another meaning, namely, “to put off to a later time,” but that is not appropriate here.

The important thing to note in this sentence is that the security forces are trying to prevent civilians from entering the area. They are not expulsing them from the area; therefore, the best option is “cordoned,” which means “to prevent access,” generally by means of guards or some kind of security personnel. The word is related to “cord,” so you can remember it by thinking of a cord being placed around the perimeter of an area to prevent entry.

The sense of this sentence is that it was necessary for all six people to work together on this project (in order to bring all of their talents to bear on its various aspects). When people work together on something, they are said to “collaborate,” which literally means “to work together.” The “col-” prefix is really the “cum-” or “con-” prefix meaning “together” or “with,” as is found in “cumulative” and “congregation;” however, here, it alters to fit with the “l” of “-laborated.” In this regard, think or “collect.” The second part of the word is derived from the Latin for “to work” and is found in English words like “labor” and “laborious.”

Since John is considering the academics of the school not merely as an observer but as one judging their compliance with standards, it is best to say that he is evaluating the school. The word is derived from the familiar prefix “e-”, meaning “out of,” and the base that is related to the word “value.” An “evaluation,” is a drawing out (in the sense of making explicit and noted) the value of some thing, often against some standard of comparison.

The only hint that we have in this sentence is that Lucille was given funds to go to the store. The best option will be one that at least implies that she is going to the store to buy the food. The word “procure” fits this need, meaning to get something with discernment or care. This at least implies the purchase of the goods, though you should note that it has the added notion of care. The word comes from the Latin “curare,” meaning “to see to” or “to attend to.” It is thus related to words like “curator.” A “pro-curer” attends to matters on behalf of someone else.

Since Ethel planned to look at “every line” of “every receipt,” one could fairly say that she planned a thorough investigation of the matter. Although one could somewhat weakly say that she decided to review these details, the best option is “scrutinize,” which indicates that she will look carefully and deeply at each and every detail in question. When something is subjected to scrutiny, it is given very careful review.

The word “adamantine” means “unbreakable.”   It is related to the word “adamant,” which is derived from the name of a type of hard stone in legendary tales, and means “not changing one’s mind.” Since John’s will was not as unbreakable as he claimed it to be, it could be said that it was overcome by temptation on numerous occasions. To “succumb to” something is to fail to withstand it. In this sentence, the implication is that John failed to withstand temptation when it arose.

We can infer that because the mayor "[paid] for [the senator's] expensive meal," he was attempting to gain favor with the senator. So, we need to pick out an answer choice that means something like "gain" and can refer to favor. "Lose," then, cannot be the correct answer because "lose" means the opposite of the word we're looking for, and the mayor clearly wasn't trying to lose the senator's favor by paying for his meal. "Curry," however, when used as a verb in the phrase "curry favor," means "ingratiate oneself with someone through obsequious behavior," and because it best describes the mayor's behavior, "curry" is the correct answer.

"Venerate" means to revere, respect, or give praise to. "Engender" means to cause something to happen. "Mitigate" means to lessen or diminish. "Rarefy" means to thin or make weaker. "Occlude" means to block or prevent.