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.

We know that the dog tried to eat the plastic fruit and couldn't eat it, so we're looking for an adjective that means "not able to be eaten." "Inedible," which means "not able to be eaten,"  is the best answer choice. You can figure out its meaning by considering its component parts: the prefix "in-" means "not", and "edible" means "able to be eaten." While "indelible" sounds similar, it refers to ink or pens and means "making marks that cannot be erased or removed." Its prefix and root follow the same pattern though: "in" still means "not," and "delible" by itself refers to marks and means "able to be deleted."

From the context of the sentence you know that whatever quality of the king’s speaking abilities is being described it must contribute to his difficulties with public speaking. Decisive and opportune would both positively contribute to his speaking abilities. Instantaneous (which means something done instantly) and negligible (which means neglectful) do not fit comfortably. Only halting, which means containing frequent stops or pauses, fits neatly into the sentence.

Someone who is intrepid is fearless. The statement says that although Heather was too scared to walk across the swinging rope bridge, she is normally quite adventurous. Thus, the word that is the best fit in the sentence is intrepid.

Eminent means prominent or distinguished. The townspeople are putting effort into welcoming the politician because of this quality. While emergent is also plausible, if the politician is new to the political scene, it does not fit the "grand welcome" as well as eminent. The other answers are all negative, and the blank fits with a positive adjective.

The word narcissistic comes from the Greek myth about a boy named Narcissus who falls in love with his own reflection. It means self-absorbed and vain. If you did not know this you would have to try and eliminate answer choices. Steadfast means resolute, substance means of value, and preternatural means unnatural or supernatural. None of the previously mentioned words make much sense in the context of the sentence. Comely could perhaps be considered an adequate answer, but comely means just cute, not beautiful. Narcissistic is the best option.

From the information revealed in the sentence you know that the blank word must be close in meaning to “wealth” and “luxury.” Also, the notion that the Kings were showing off suggests that some people found it not just rich, but also showy. This should lead you to the correct answer ostentatious. Ostentatious means marked by a vulgar or showy display of wealth. Insular means inwardly focused; halting means speech characterized by frequent pauses; steadfast means resolute; equitable means fair and agreeable.

The second clause in the sentence describes how people come from all over to witness the “excessive luxury” of Versailles. This should indicate to you that the first blank must describe the luxurious nature of the palace. The correct answer is therefore extravagant which means fancy or excessive. Whimsical means quirky or silly; reserved means contained; indoctrinated means to have been caused to believe something; laconic means brief.

The first clause reveals that the teacher faulted the essay for lacking focus; therefore the blank at the end of the sentence must mean unfocused or vague. This means the correct answer is ambiguous. Terse means brief; supercilious means arrogant or condescending; prosperous means wealthy.

The sentence tells you that the Hawaiian nationalist movement ended in complete capitulation (surrender) which means the struggle must have been unsuccessful/insignificant. Of the five possible answer choices futile best matches this definition. Futile means pointless or useless; jubilant means very happy; monotonous means boring.