Do not assume any specificity unless you need to do so. For this question, a number of the options for the first blank specify more than you might be able to imply from the few details given in the sentence (e.g. “bombings”, “shelling,” and “explosions”). The case of “ravage” captures the general sense of destruction that would appropriately pair with the claim that Sebastian had an increased “fortitude” for dealing with hardships. The latter term is derived from the Latin for strong and is related to words like “fortify,” “force,” and “forte.”

Here, the contrast is between the production of something related to being male and some potential female characteristics. The word “androgen” means “male hormone.” The first portion, “andro-” is related to the English “polyandry,” meaning “having many husbands” and is also related more generally to words having “anthro-” in them, such as “anthropology” and “misanthrope.” Note, that these latter terms do not necessarily imply being male. The “-gen” portion means “producing” as in words like “genesis” and “genetic.”

From the use of the words “infamous” and “could not bear” you know that the blanks being described are probably negative. You also know that the blanks must be similar or identical in meaning because there is no clause or conjunction indicating a change in meaning. The correct answer is therefore arrogance and smugness; this is the only answer choice in which the meanings of the two answers are similar. Delegation means to allocate tasks; mollycoddling means to pamper and spoil someone; apathy means not caring; gregariousness refers to sociability; degradation describes the squalor of something.

The sentence states that Scott has a capacity for work, so this fact should specify the chosen words most directly. One is considered “industrious” if he or she is hard working; therefore, “tireless industry” would well match a “capacity for work”—at least better than the other options. One is called “indefatigable” if he or she is “untiring.” The “-fatigable” portion of the word is related to the English “fatigue,” though the “in-” prefix negates this base’s meaning.

We can infer that for the first blank, we're looking for a noun that describes something used to transport water across land. Either "aqueducts" (man-made, above-ground channels for transporting water) or "pipelines" could work. For the second blank, we can tell that we need a noun that means something like "achievement"; either "feat" (accomplishment) or "accomplishment" (something achieved) could work. Of the potentially correct answers we've identified, only "aqueducts" and "accomplishment" appear in a single answer choice, so "aqueducts . . . accomplishment" is the correct answer.

"Infidelity" means unfaithfulness, often to a sexual partner, while a "peccadillo" is a small sin or fault. Johnson does not seem to esteem fidelity very highly because he rates unfaithfulness to his spouse as only a minor fault.

The two words we are looking for should be synonymous with deceitful and charm, respectively. "Chicanery" most closely means trickery or deceitfulness, while a person who is charming is "flattering."

"Despot" means one who has total power and rules brutally, while "nonchalance" means a lack of concern or indifference. Understandably, a brutal ruler who killed without concern would incite his own downfall.

The correct answer refers to the depravity that the knight could commit ("turpitude") and still retain his position, something that earned the ire of his peers ("umbrage"). Incorrect answers either fail to identify the knight's actions as being emphatically negative ("righteousness" and "virtuousness") or that his peers' thoughts of him were not all contemptuous ("commiseration" and "satisfaction").

The sense desired by this sentence is that reality is more powerful and lively than that found in still life. To have "dynamism" means to have activity and vigor. It is derived from Greek roots meaning “power”, and we can see the same base in words like “dynamite” and “dynamic.”

To be in flux means to be flowing—something that would be true of a dynamic, changing reality. It is derived from Latin roots that give us other such words connoting “flowing”—such as “confluence,” “influx”, and “fluent.”