The sense of this sentence is a bit difficult, for you must choose the least bad answer. Since the teacher had to promise never to make such a remark again, it is more likely that she was asked to “take back” the remark than merely to “commentate” or “clarify.” The word “recant” means “to take back” or “to declare that one does not believe what one has held or proclaimed in the past.” The word comes from the combination of “re-”, here used as meaning “going back” (as in “return”), and “-cant,” which comes from the Latin for “to sing” (as found in English words like “chant” and “cantor”). The English word reflects the Latin development of these two parts taken together, for in latter language, the word “recantare” meant “to revoke”—a meaning quite close to ours.

Since the sentence states that Edward reprimanded his daughter sternly, it can be implied that he was angered by the news of her cheating. The best option is “incensed,” which means “having been made very angry.” It is derived from Latin words concerned with fire and is related to English words like “incense” and “incendiary.”

We can infer that because the construction company "left a completely empty lot where the older building had once stood," they completely tore down the old building before putting up the new one. So, we need to pick out an answer choice that means something like "completely tear down." "Restored" cannot be the correct answer choice because it means the opposite of the word we are looking for, and while "grounded" may look like a potentially correct answer choice because the construction company left only bare ground after they were done tearing down the old building, "razed" is the best answer because it is a verb that means "completely destroy a building, town, or other site."

The only thing that the sentence says about Vincent’s action is that he decided to simplify the room. Therefore, do not imply anything else in your answer, such as “spurning” or the like. The best option, though very simple, is “eliminating.” Interestingly, the word “eliminate” literally means “to place outside of the threshold (of some area, whether physical or figurative).” The “threshold” portion of the meaning is signified by the “-liminate” portion of the word, and it is related to words like “limitation” and “delimit.”

The key phrase in this sentence is “critically necessary.” Since the director needs to fill such an important part in the orchestra, it is likely that he will not merely ask for help in a reserved manner. Instead, it is more likely that he will ask for such help in an earnest manner. The word is derived from the Latin roots that mean not merely to ask or request but to do so often with the implication of tearfully doing so.   It is related to the English “deplorable,” which indicates conditions that are extremely lamentable—very worthy of disapproval.

The sense of the sentence is that Sebastian would “call upon” the powers of God for help. When one “invokes” someone or something, he or she does just that. From its roots in Latin, the word literally means “to call on.” The prefix “in-” can at times mean “on” because of the use of “in” in Latin, which also can me “on” in the sense of “on top of.” The “-voke” portion of the word comes from the Latin for “to call or name.” It is found in words like “vocation” and “advocate.”

The key word is in the second half of the sentence, namely “convince.” The implication is that the family was trying to convince Carol not to drink heavily. It was not attempting to force her to stop. The word literally means “to convince away from.” The “dis-” prefix can mean “away from” or some other form of reversal of an action. It is thus used in words like “disease” and “dismay.” The “-suade” portion of the word comes from the Latin for “to urge or recommend.” Related English words are “persuade” and “persuasive.”

Since it was not very cold, the two blankets presumably were sufficient for warming Raul that evening. That is, they “did the job” well enough, given the circumstances. When something “suffices,” it meets the needs of a given situation. Given that the sentence stresses the fact that it was not extremely cold, this is the best option, as it conveys the sense implied in remarks comparing the number of blankets to the moderate weather.

The key phrase in this sentence is “into a single list.” The idea conveyed by this is the act of gathering; therefore, the notions of publishing or announcing are not correct. When things are “garnered,” they are gathered together. The word is distantly derived from the Latin for “grain.” To memorize the word, one can think of “garnering” things into a “granary.”

When you first read the sentence without looking at the options, the sense of the blank is that the argument is “based” on one shaky assumption. The sense of “shaky” is unreliable—a secondary but legitimate use of the word. It would be a stretch to refer to the assumption as being “unstable” on that assumption. The best option is that which conveys the sense of “founding” or “basing.” The word “premised” is the verb form of the noun “premise.” A “premise” to an argument is a statement upon which later parts of the argument are based. One can say that when an argument is “based” on a given assumption, it is “premised” upon it.