1.Correct Answer: B

　　Explanation:

　　Clue: He never thought the business would prosper (do well). Therefore, the success came as a surprise and contradicted (belied) his expectations.

　　(nullified = canceled; ratified = gave approval to)

　　2.Correct Answer: A

　　Explanation:

　　Clue: ‘Strife continued’ tells us that there was no ‘peace’ or ‘amity’. Of these two choices we can choose peace since it is coupled with internecine, which means ‘mutually destructive’.

　　(intermittent = not continuous; malevolence = evil intentions; amity = friendliness; contrived = fabricated; feudal = belonging to a system in which all land belongs to an aristocratic landowner)

　　3.Correct Answer: D

　　Explanation:

　　Clue: If the journalist claimed that the drug squad had caused the problem or made it worse, he would attack and not praise them. Hence, we can choose to say that he deprecated (criticized) the efforts and said that they exacerbated the problem (made it worse).

　　[Note that the sentence could have been positive, with the journalist praising the efforts if the squad cured the problem. But, no such pair of positives is among the choices.]

　　4.Correct Answer: C

　　Explanation:

　　Clue: ‘Since’ indicates a consequence. Since they failed to ‘conquer’, ‘pacify’ or subjugate the tribes, they built a wall to keep out, or exclude the tribes.

　　(alienate = estrange, separate; intimidate = daunt; barricade = build a barrier)

　　5.Correct Answer: E

　　Explanation:

　　Clue: The required word is signaled by the phrase ‘ flying into a rage’. Someone who is easily angered is described as irascible.

　　(taciturn = silent; voluble = talking a lot; subdued = quiet; contrite = sorry)

　　6.Correct Answer: E

　　Explanation:

　　Clue: ‘Although’ indicates the need for opposites or contrasts. In contrast to the large number of animals near vents, the rest of the deep sea must have small numbers. Hence, the word sparse is appropriate, since it means thinly populated or meager.

　　(verdant = green and fertile = lush; pallid = pale)

　　7.Correct Answer: B

　　Explanation:

　　Clue: You need to know that ‘bantering’ means ‘playful’. So, although the talk seemed playful, it actually masked bad feeling. Here we have a ‘good word’ followed by ‘bad word’ situation. Hence we choose amicable for the good word, and antagonism for the bad.

　　(antipathy = hatred = antagonism; amicable = friendly; jovial = jolly; exasperating = frustrating; geniality = friendliness)

　　8.Correct Answer: B

　　Explanation:

　　Clue: The chemists preferred to go back to the older, shorter names. So, the new nomenclature (naming system) must have been ‘bad’. Of the negative words available, cumbersome is best because it fits with the idea of the new system involving longer names.

　　(Cumbersome = bulky or unwieldy; succinct = short and to the point; facile = oversimplified)

　　9.Correct Answer: D

　　Explanation:

　　Clue: ‘Although’ indicates the need for opposites. This suggests that although he was cleared of the crime, his reputation was damaged by the allegations. For the second blank ‘tarnished’, ‘blemished’, or ‘ruined’ would fit. But we choose tarnished because it fits with exonerated, which means proved not guilty or cleared of the crime.

　　(vindicated = proved right; enhanced = improved; indicted = charged with a crime; blemished = damaged or marked; tarnished = rusted or spoiled; condoned = silently approved)

　　10.Correct Answer: D

　　Explanation:

　　Clue: The word for the blank is explained after the semicolon. If they force their viewpoint on the viewer, then, of the choices given, they must be didactic, which means intending to preach or instruct.

　　(conciliatory = bringing disputing sides together; prolific = productive; iconoclastic = opposing orthodoxy; contumacious = stubborn)

　　11.Correct Answer: A

　　Explanation:

　　Clue: The sense of the sentence tells us that since she is viewing fragmentary remains, there is nothing much left of the ancient city. The archaeologist is likely to reflect on the fact that human constructions do not last long. Hence, impermanence of human endeavor fits well.

　　(impermanence = short lived = transience; endeavor = effort; dearth = shortage; aspirations = hopes; futility = waste, uselessness; durability = able to last)

　　12.Correct Answer: C

　　Explanation:

　　Clue: ‘But’ indicates a need for opposites. In the embarrassing situation he did the opposite of what he would do normally. Hence, he was normally forthright (truthful), but was compelled to prevaricate (lie, or avoid the truth).

　　(equable = even tempered; mendacious = telling lies; equivocate = speak ambiguously; amenable = flexible, docile; capitulate = give in to)