1.Correct Answer: A

　　Explanation:

　　Clue: The bear stopped the explorer getting to the stream, so the explorer could not quench (assuage) his thirst. [Just turn the sentence around until you see what it is trying to say.]

　　(parch = dry up; savor = enjoy; attenuate = weaken)

　　2.Correct Answer: D

　　Explanation:

　　Clue: ‘However’ indicates the need for an opposite. So we could say that the deficiency is common in the mountains but no longer common in the lowlands. Effectively this means we are looking for similar words since the ‘no longer’ makes the second blank negative.

　　Therefore, we choose to say that the deficiency is endemic (commonly found) in the mountains; however, it is no longer prevalent (common) in the lowlands.

　　(sporadic = not continuous; eradicated = wiped out)

　　3.Correct Answer: B

　　Explanation:

　　Clue: After the blank we have a phrase intended to explain or amplify the word in the blank. So we need to choose a word that means ‘things that make each person different from the general’. Therefore, we choose idiosyncrasies, which are ‘quirks’, ‘oddities’ or ‘things peculiar to one person’.

　　(stereotypes = generalized views)

　　4.Correct Answer: E

　　Explanation:

　　Clue: The word ‘orator’ tells us that Johnson was a fine speaker. It is likely that people were dazzled by his speaking powers or rhetoric.

　　(persona = character; guile = cunning; rhetoric = the art of persuasive speaking)

　　5.Correct Answer: A

　　Explanation:

　　Clue: ‘Whereas’ indicates opposite ideas. So we need a word in contrast to ‘nocturnal’ (active at night). The word is diurnal (active in daytime).

　　(quotidian = daily; ephemeral = short lived)

　　6.Correct Answer: C

　　Explanation:

　　Clue: The word ‘restraints’ makes it likely that the woman was ‘limited’ by these restraints. This would suggest that ‘hampered’, fettered’, or ‘ensnared’ might be right. Further, the word ‘and’ usually indicates that similar things are joined; this indicates that a word like ‘restraints’ and ‘obligations’ is needed for the second blank.

　　Therefore, we choose to say fettered by responsibilities.

　　(hampered = hindered, held back = fettered; ensnared = trapped; emancipated = set free; aspirations = hopes; stricture = limitations)

　　7.Correct Answer: D

　　Explanation:

　　Clue: The words ‘even after’ indicate that the relation has not been made clear although the investigation has been going on a long time. Also it would appear that a word like thorough would be best for the first blank. Therefore, extensive investigation seems correct when coupled with the relation remaining enigmatic (puzzling).

　　(meticulous = thorough = sedulous; cursory = superficial; pertinent = relevant)

　　8.Correct Answer: C

　　Explanation:

　　Clue: The word ‘unevenness’ indicated that there are ups and downs in his plays. Therefore we need a ‘good word - bad word’ pair. Insight is a very positive word, while banality is negative; this is the best pair available.

　　(lucidity = clarity; frivolity = non seriousness; triteness = banality = dullness and unoriginality; ambivalence = ambiguity; profundity = depth)

　　9.Correct Answer: C

　　Explanation:

　　Clue: Since it is not logic that determines our actions it must be its opposite. Hence, we can say we act because of our feelings not our reason.

　　(convictions = beliefs)

　　10.Correct Answer: A

　　Explanation:

　　Clue: The word ‘this’ in the second half is a great help. It tells us that we are referring to something already mentioned. We have been talking about conditions raging in the cosmos, and it would appear that we need two violent words to go with ‘raged’. Tumult and cataclysm fit.

　　(tumult = uproar, confusion; cataclysm = disaster, catastrophe; tranquility = peace; turbulence = disturbance; conglomeration = accumulation; chaos = confusion, disorder; inertia = resistance to movement or change)

　　11.Correct Answer: B

　　Explanation:

　　Clue: Turn the sentence around, and fit a word of your own in the blank. The demonstration of the potential threat challenged the assumption that the CFCs would be ‘harmless’ because they were inert. Innocuous is the best word because it means harmless.

　　(deleterious = harmful = noxious; durable = persistent = lasting)

　　12.Correct Answer: E

　　Explanation:

　　Clue: The ‘as’ followed by ‘as’ structure indicates similar words are required. Convergence and confluence both imply a coming together.

　　(disparity = difference; conjunction = joining; dichotomy = branching into two; juxtaposition = placing two things next to each other; diaspora = spreading out, migration)