If something is “balmy,” it has the qualities of balm, so it is soothing. It can also be used to mean crazy or foolish. To clarify, “reflexive” means directed or turned back on itself; "cowardly” means not brave; “fascinating” means interesting; “harsh” means unpleasant or unfair.

If something is “venerable,” it is respected or valued because of age. It is most similar in meaning to “respected.” To clarify the other terms, “collude” means to secretly conspire or interact with others, often to do something illegal or dishonest; “rotund” means round or fat; “dire” means terrible or perilous.

Someone who is "bourgeois" is of the middle-class.

"Efficient" means effective without being wasteful, so "effective" is the closest synonym.

“Eerie” is an adjective that means weird and scary. That means that “tranquil” cannot be the correct answer, because “tranquil” means calm, a meaning very distant from that of “eerie.” “Uncanny,” however, is an adjective that means perplexing and odd and because “uncanny” is the answer choice closest in meaning to “eerie,” “uncanny” is the correct answer.

"Blatant" means flagrant or performed openly, so "flagrant" is the correct answer. "Shrouded" is an antonym of "blatant" and "flagrant"; it means concealed or hidden from open view. "Gloomy" means sad or depresssed. "Ecstatic" means extremely happy. "Urban" means having to do with a city environment in contrast to a rural environment.

"Desperate" means "hopeless." "Studious"  means studying hard and working hard in academic pursuits. "Healthy" means in good health and free from illnesses. "Courageous" means brave. "Reliable" means dependable and responsible.

Dismal means miserable.

"Illicit" is an adjective that means "forbidden by law, rules, or custom," so we need to pick out another word that means "forbidden." While "condoned" might sound like a potentially correct answer, "condoned" means "accepted and allowed to continue" and used of things that are morally wrong or offensive, "condoned" does not mean the same thing as "illicit," so it cannot be the correct answer. Since "illegal" means "contrary to or forbidden by law, especially criminal law," "illegal" is the answer choice closest in meaning to "illicit" and the correct answer.

"Lucrative" means profitable or able to make a lot of money, so "profitable" is the correct answer. None of the other answer choices are close in meaning to "lucrative": "devoted" means loyal or dedicated; "widespread" means occurring in many different places; "current" means up-to-date or happening in the present; and "urban" means having to do with cities instead of the countryside.