The key thing to note is that the food is being contrasted with being “tasteless”; therefore, the best option will be one that explicitly describes being tasteful. The word “sapid” means “having a strong and pleasing flavor.” It is the opposite of the related word “insipid,” which means “having little flavor.”

All that can be said about the works in question is that they copied the originals and that they fell short to some degree; however, one must be careful not to infer anything further than that; therefore, “derivative” is the best options, a word meaning that something is an imitation of another work (or works). While it does often have a negative sense, that negativity can merely imply that the derived work falls short. The word comes from roots that literally mean “down stream from something.”  The "-riv-" portion is related to words like "rivulet" and "river."

Since the decision in question was to become important, it would best be called “momentous,” meaning that it would be of great influence or significance in the future. Sometimes, you will see this same sense communicated in expressions like “decision of moment.”

The key word to note here is “inflexibly,” a clue word that indicates that the word needed is not one of the potential options dealing with continuous opposition. Instead, “adamantly” best fits the situation, meaning “refusing to alter one’s opinion or position.” The word comes originally from the Greek for “invincible” (or also “diamond”). It is related to the English “adamantine,” meaning unbreakable.

Since Blaise was unyielding, it could be said that his determination was unbreakable. The word “adamantine” fits that need best. The trap answers “devoted” and “dedicated” do not capture such strong determination, as indicated by the key phrase “utterly refusing . . .” The word comes from Greek roots meaning “invincible” (or also “diamond”). It is related to the English “adamant,” meaning “refusing to alter one’s opinion or position.”

In this sentence, it is necessary to choose the option most directly appropriate based on the information given. Although artistic pleasures might be intellectual or educated pleasures, they are most certainly “aesthetic” or “aesthetical” pleasures. Something “aesthetic” is concerned with beauty and its appreciation. The word is derived from Greek words dealing with sense perception, a root found in “anesthesia,” which is the treatment that puts a patient “out of his or her senses” before an operation.

The opposition here is between accomplished or exemplary work and work that would be considered “run of the mill” or average. When something is “mediocre,” it is not necessarily poor in quality (though we often think of the term in that manner). Most properly speaking, it is merely of “middling” or average quality—the “middle” sense being easily seen in the “medi-” with which the word begins. Think here of related words like “mediate” and “medieval.”

The only thing that we know about the two nations here is that they were seemingly at peace with pacts of agreement before things broke down into a state of war; therefore, at that time, they would have been “allies,” meaning that they cooperated with each other. The word is related to the English “alloy,” meaning a metal made by combination of multiple metals.

The key expression here is “in hopes of avoiding detection.” The best description for an action that is aimed at such a hope would be one that is “sneaky” or “secretive.” When someone is “furtive,” he or she is attempting to avoid being noticed, particularly when breaking a rule. The word comes form Latin roots related to “theft” and “thief,” though the English meaning takes on the more general sense of sneakiness (though, as noted, often with the implication that the secrecy is due to the breaking of some rule).

From the context of this question you know that the men being described are soldiers and that they are being paid to fight in a war. This would most likely lead you towards the answer choice mercenary, which is correct. Mercenary refers to a professional soldier paid to fight for a country other than his own or, more broadly, someone only interested in profit. Sardonic means sarcastic; implausible means a highly unlikely outcome.