61. Torpid, saturnine. The employees who get the work are — based on the clue alacrity — cheerful and ready for
more. Thus, they must be getting assigned work left undone by employees who are, by contrast, either lazy or slow.
Both torpid and saturnine work (saturnine can also mean "gloomy," but here it is being used to mean "sluggish").
Note that sedulous and solicitous are the exact opposite of what you want here.
62. Shrewd, penetrating. You are looking for an antonym for inkling, which means "only a hint of something."
Instead, you want something that would make Camus's understanding complete or thorough, which is what shrewd or
penetrating would mean when combined with understanding. Elementary and inchoate are on the same side as
inkling in this context and are the opposite of what you want.
63. Full-bore, wholly. Since private funding is hard to get (the expression "right and left" means "everywhere, all
around"), the researcher was happy that he or she no longer had to pursue this private funding — suddenly, the
research is being paid for — subsidized — by the government! Full-bore and wholly both mean "entirely." Trap
answer impeccably (perfectly, spotlessly) is positive but inappropriate to describe the government's paying for
something.
64. Contrite, penitential. Criminal defendants want to look good in front of the judge by showing that not all moral
sympathy is lost on them. This implies that the defendants are not necessarily innocent, so vindicated doesn't work.
What you want are words meaning "remorseful, apologetic." Only contrite and penitential work.
65. Flag, ebb. Given the clues "hours of tedious test taking" and "exhausted," you can surmise that the student's
acuity (mental sharpness) would decrease — that is, flag or ebb.
66. Skeptical, leery. The word Despite at the beginning of the sentence means that the blank must oppose the
encouragement of a "con artist" (someone who tricks people out of money) — something like doubtful. (A mark is
someone who is a target of a criminal or con artist). Skeptical and leery work, although leery is more negative.
67. Tractable, amenable. The correct choices must match "agreeable" and oppose "implacable unwillingness." While
naïve and innocent relate to the clue "ingénue," they do not take into account the clues in the sentence, about seeming
"supine" but actually being stubborn.
68. Apocryphal, spurious. The clue is rumor mongers and the correct pair both mean "false, doubtful, or
unsubstantiated." You have no way to know if the reports were sentimental, saccharine, or scandalous. Trap answer
apocalyptic ignores the clues in the sentence, and is inappropriate for an event involving only one person, even if the
outcome were tragic.
69. Contemptible, scurvy. The correct answers, given the pivot word while, must oppose the clue virtuous. While
agitprop theater may be faddish, sophisticated, or scintillating, no clues in the sentence indicate any of these. Glib is
negative but means "superficially fluent" and is inappropriate here (a person or remark can be glib).
70. Lax, slack. The answers must parallel slouching posture and cavalier attitude. Note that cavalier is used here to
mean "offhand or disdainful." Thus, aristocratic is a bit of a trap answer, as are murderous and barbarous, which
don't match the clues — while this person's actions caused horrific loss of life, it doesn't sound as though that was his
intention. The clues indicate he's just a slacker.
71. Quack, shyster. A quack is a "fraudulent doctor" and a shyster is a "con man" (in medicine or any field), so both
work here. Sap and dupe are synonyms (suckers, people who have been tricked) that describe the people who fell for
the doctor's potion, not the doctor and his reputation.
72. Dally, tarry. Given the clue that they were already late, delay would be a good focus. The incorrect pair, lurk and
skulk, have a negative, furtive connotation — they are related to hanging around for some bad reason. Did the couple
embrace? You don't know. Avoid choices that make literal sense but cannot be justified by the clues.
73. Appellations, sobriquets. The spin of this sentence is positive — "staunch admirers" — and you learn that the
player's given name was all but forgotten (the expression "all but" means something like "99%"). So, you need two
words like nickname. Misnomers and aliases are types of names, but false ones. Neologism is off because it
emphasizes "new," as in a "brand new word," rather than a "nickname."
74. Indigenous, native. The answers must describe the American Indian population discussed in the sentence. Native
may be obvious; indigenous means the same thing. Note that smallpox could be a pandemic, but that word does not
belong in the blank.
75. Extemporaneous, impromptu. "Badly miscalculated" indicates that there are two opposing parts of the sentence:
the candidate's "prepared speeches" are good, but some other type of answers are bad. You need two words that mean
"improvised" or "off-the-cuff." Note that lubricious and disingenuous form a pair relating to dishonesty that is
unrelated to the clues and might be a trap (if you insert your own, negative ideas about politicians). Premeditated is
the opposite of what you want
.
76. Equivocate, vacillate. Given the pivot phrase "even though," the answers must oppose "act immediately" and the
Farragut quote. Divagate is a trap — it means "to wander or digress," especially in speech, and so doesn't quite work
here. Weep and wail are a pair, but are not justified by the clues in the sentence.
77. Abjured, forwent. Since the hedge fund founder is doing something to avoid a long prison term, and because of
the clue "former role," you know that she "gave up" that role. Abjured and forwent both work here. Be precise —
reneged means "to break a promise." A leader can be deposed, but you don't depose a role. The hedge fund founder
may be being censured (probably worse), but it doesn't make sense for her to censure (disapprove of, reprimand) her
role.
78. Slight, gibe. The words even if signal a change in the meaning of the sentence, so you need a word for the blank
that is the opposite of anodyne, which can mean "alleviating pain," but here means "not likely to provoke offense."
Compliment and panegyric both have positive connotations, so they can't work here. Only slight and gibe have the
required negativity.
79. Perfidy, treachery. The most important word in this sentence is the word friend, implying that Ana Cump na
betrayed Dillinger. Nosiness and meddling are a reasonable pair, but they don't fit with the fact that Ana Cump na
was Dillinger's friend. Only perfidy and treachery correctly fit the sentence.
80. Ubiquity, omnipresence. This is a tough sentence, because it seems to be about money. But while cost could
work if it had a pair word, expenditure means only "an amount of money spent," so it can't work here. You need
something else for the blank that would lead you to think the company would make a lot of money. If it can't be the
cost of each unit, it has to be the number of units sold. Ubiquity and omnipresence fit this meaning. Construction and
aesthetics are not enough of a pair, and they don't inherently explain why the company would be raking in cash.
81. Tacit, implicit. The word though always sets up a contrast, so you need something for the blank that means the
opposite of "physically described in rulebooks." Both tacit and implicit mean "implied, but not plainly expressed."
Unambiguous and blatant have the opposite charge.
82. Extraneous, peripheral. You have the word whereas in this sentence, which implies a change in direction. So if
the critically-acclaimed directors see characterization and emotional development as "critical," Michael Bay should
find them unimportant (at least according to the reviewer). Important and intrinsic are the opposite of what you want.
Extraneous and peripheral both fit the meaning you need.
83. Confounded, flummoxed. Because you know that the puzzle in question is one of the more difficult puzzles, you
would expect Sandra to be, well, "puzzled" by it. Enraged and incensed are an intriguing pair, but you have no reason
to believe Sandra was made angry by the puzzles. Smitten can't work here because the correct idiom is "smitten with."
Impressed could work, but it doesn't have a pair to match with. Confounded and flummoxed are the best choices.
84. Specious, meretricious. This is a complex sentence, and the meaning of the first part is dependent on what
comes after the semicolon. There you see that if you only looked shallowly at the two parties, you'd see dishonesty on
both sides, but if you looked more deeply, you'd see that one side is worse. Both specious and meretricious mean
"apparently attractive, but having in reality no value," which fits perfectly. Sophomoric means "juvenile or immature,"
which is not indicated by the sentence.
85. Approbation, plaudits. You learn in the second half of this sentence that the documentarian received "money"
and "acclaim," while the subject of the documentary did not. Either one could go in the blank, but because you know
it's coming "from the critics," it needs to match up with "acclaim" (critics don't give "money"). Both approbation and
plaudits fit this meaning. Opprobrium and fulmination are the opposite of what you want, and wealth and capital
don't fit the meaning of the sentence.
86. Exculpate, vindicate. This sentence tells you that Morris's film proves that its subject did not commit the crime
in question. This implies that the film proved his innocence. Both exculpate and vindicate mean to "clear someone of
blame or suspicion." Liberate and manumit are close, but both have the idea of freedom without freeing from blame
(and manumit is technically only used for when someone is freed from slavery). Excuse means "to lessen the blame"
or "forgive someone for a fault," but not to prove they were not at fault in the first place.
87. Beguiled by, enamored with. For the schemes to "prey" on people, those people would need to want what is
being advertised. Beguiled by and enamored with mean "lured by or infatuated with." Obsessed by and possessed by
go too far. Aggrieved by and vexed by are negative (if you were vexed by quick riches and fancy trips, you wouldn't
be easy prey, and also you'd be really weird).
88. Equanimity, sangfroid. You need something for the blank that a "great soul" would do in the face of turmoil and
tribulation. Since in the face of indicates opposite direction, the meaning is something like "remain calm." Conviction
(a firmly held belief) might work, but it has no partner. Self-esteem and pride are a pair, but they don't make much
sense in the sentence. Equanimity and sangfroid both imply an inner tranquility.
89. An incipient, a nascent. While the environmental movement is said to have been around awhile, the second half
of the sentence says that it "only recently" become "a serious organization." This means that the answer choices
disorganized and nebulous don't quite work. The other pair, inconsequential and immaterial, is needlessly negative.
Incipient and nascent capture the idea that, while the movement has been around for a while, it is only just now
becoming a serious and relevant organization.
90. Bolstered, buttressed. It is critical to work out here whether the physicists mentioned at the end of the sentence
were for or against Einstein's theory. You know that the idea went from "purely experiential" to "theoretically"
something. There's a contrast here, and the contrast is not between right and wrong. It is between something that has
been shown by experiment and something that has been understood theoretically. This means the later scientists are
providing support for Einstein. Undermined and sabotaged are negative, while condoned and pardoned don't make
much sense. Only bolstered and buttressed correctly express the idea of support.
91. Clamor, din. You can assume that there would be a lot of "noise" at the edge of a stage, which would explain why
someone couldn't be heard. Clamor and din both fit the sentence. Rabble and host both mean "crowd," which is
something you might not be able to hear over, but they don't make nearly as good a choice. Music is a little too
specific; don't add new ideas to the sentence.
92. Artless, ingenuous. The first half of this sentence tells you that you're going to focus primarily on the painter's
personality. You then need something that contrasts with either "pretentious" or "pontificating." Artless and
ingenuous, meaning "without effort or pretentiousness," are perfect. Shrewd, adroit, and artful are all positive
words, but they don't contrast with "pretentious" or "pontificating."
93. Trite, hackneyed. The beginning of the sentence says the movie "wasn't exactly bad," implying that you're going
to get a word that isn't the opposite of bad, but that qualifies it in some way. Later in the sentence, you get a more
specific addition: they were all jokes you'd heard before. You need words that match with that definition. Both trite
and hackneyed fit that meaning. Atrocious and egregious mean the same thing as "bad," so they don't work. And while
amusing and witty make a pair, they're the opposite of what you want.
94. Underpins, undergirds. The second half of this sentence describes how aesthetics are a major part of the work
of the company, so you need a word for the blank that means something like "permeates." Saturates is close, but it has
no partner (irradiate means either "to expose to radiation" or "to illuminate"). Underpins and undergirds fit the
meaning of the sentence perfectly.
95. Thwarted, undermined. The end of this sentence makes it clear that the teachers in question are not happy about
having to stick to a prescribed curriculum. Crushed, confounded, walloped, and tormented are all negative, but all of
them miss the meaning of the sentence (and no two of them make a good pair). Crushed means "emotionally
devastated" and tends to apply to things that happen all at once — a breakup, not getting a promotion, etc.
96. Palliating, assuaging,. The first half of the sentence explains that lowering interest rates can create financial
stability, so this would allow the Fed to make a crisis "better." Exacerbating and compounding are the opposite of
what you want, and annihilating goes too far. Only palliating and assuaging correctly fit the meaning here.
97. Laconic, curt. The words even though set up a contrast, so you need something that contrasts with roles that
involved a lot of lines. A character without a lot of lines would be quiet. Melancholy and dejected imply sadness, but
not necessarily a refusal to speak (Hamlet is pretty depressed, and he talks all the time). Mute goes too far. Laconic
and curt both match with the meaning you're seeking. Note that curt has the sense of being rudely short with people,
whereas laconic is not necessarily negative.
98. Limpidity, lucidity. The word whereas sets up a contrast with dense and abstruse (the latter of which means
"difficult to understand"), so you need a word that means something like "clarity." Sagacity and prowess both imply
skill, but you need something that also implies a kind of simplicity. Limpidity and lucidity fit the bill perfectly.
99. Placated, mollified. For this sentence, you need to infer how the beauty queen's mother likely felt about her
daughter being disqualified—namely, badly. The conjunction "and" signals that the second half is going to match the
tone of the first half (as opposed to something like "but"), so the blank needs to be something showing that the mother
is still not happy. Placated and mollified both fit the meaning. Ameliorated is close, but only a problem can be
ameliorated, not a person.
100. Melancholy, morose. The key to this sentence comes at the very end, when you learn that Hamlet is not
"paralyzed with depression." We've already read in the middle part of the sentence that he is not paralyzed, so the
depression part must come from the blank. Indecisive and monologic both fit the famous character of Hamlet, but
they don't fit the sentence (nor do they make a pair). Similarly, violent and barbaric would be accurate in describing
Hamlet, but they don't fit the sentence. Only melancholy and morose match the meaning you want.
more. Thus, they must be getting assigned work left undone by employees who are, by contrast, either lazy or slow.
Both torpid and saturnine work (saturnine can also mean "gloomy," but here it is being used to mean "sluggish").
Note that sedulous and solicitous are the exact opposite of what you want here.
62. Shrewd, penetrating. You are looking for an antonym for inkling, which means "only a hint of something."
Instead, you want something that would make Camus's understanding complete or thorough, which is what shrewd or
penetrating would mean when combined with understanding. Elementary and inchoate are on the same side as
inkling in this context and are the opposite of what you want.
63. Full-bore, wholly. Since private funding is hard to get (the expression "right and left" means "everywhere, all
around"), the researcher was happy that he or she no longer had to pursue this private funding — suddenly, the
research is being paid for — subsidized — by the government! Full-bore and wholly both mean "entirely." Trap
answer impeccably (perfectly, spotlessly) is positive but inappropriate to describe the government's paying for
something.
64. Contrite, penitential. Criminal defendants want to look good in front of the judge by showing that not all moral
sympathy is lost on them. This implies that the defendants are not necessarily innocent, so vindicated doesn't work.
What you want are words meaning "remorseful, apologetic." Only contrite and penitential work.
65. Flag, ebb. Given the clues "hours of tedious test taking" and "exhausted," you can surmise that the student's
acuity (mental sharpness) would decrease — that is, flag or ebb.
66. Skeptical, leery. The word Despite at the beginning of the sentence means that the blank must oppose the
encouragement of a "con artist" (someone who tricks people out of money) — something like doubtful. (A mark is
someone who is a target of a criminal or con artist). Skeptical and leery work, although leery is more negative.
67. Tractable, amenable. The correct choices must match "agreeable" and oppose "implacable unwillingness." While
naïve and innocent relate to the clue "ingénue," they do not take into account the clues in the sentence, about seeming
"supine" but actually being stubborn.
68. Apocryphal, spurious. The clue is rumor mongers and the correct pair both mean "false, doubtful, or
unsubstantiated." You have no way to know if the reports were sentimental, saccharine, or scandalous. Trap answer
apocalyptic ignores the clues in the sentence, and is inappropriate for an event involving only one person, even if the
outcome were tragic.
69. Contemptible, scurvy. The correct answers, given the pivot word while, must oppose the clue virtuous. While
agitprop theater may be faddish, sophisticated, or scintillating, no clues in the sentence indicate any of these. Glib is
negative but means "superficially fluent" and is inappropriate here (a person or remark can be glib).
70. Lax, slack. The answers must parallel slouching posture and cavalier attitude. Note that cavalier is used here to
mean "offhand or disdainful." Thus, aristocratic is a bit of a trap answer, as are murderous and barbarous, which
don't match the clues — while this person's actions caused horrific loss of life, it doesn't sound as though that was his
intention. The clues indicate he's just a slacker.
71. Quack, shyster. A quack is a "fraudulent doctor" and a shyster is a "con man" (in medicine or any field), so both
work here. Sap and dupe are synonyms (suckers, people who have been tricked) that describe the people who fell for
the doctor's potion, not the doctor and his reputation.
72. Dally, tarry. Given the clue that they were already late, delay would be a good focus. The incorrect pair, lurk and
skulk, have a negative, furtive connotation — they are related to hanging around for some bad reason. Did the couple
embrace? You don't know. Avoid choices that make literal sense but cannot be justified by the clues.
73. Appellations, sobriquets. The spin of this sentence is positive — "staunch admirers" — and you learn that the
player's given name was all but forgotten (the expression "all but" means something like "99%"). So, you need two
words like nickname. Misnomers and aliases are types of names, but false ones. Neologism is off because it
emphasizes "new," as in a "brand new word," rather than a "nickname."
74. Indigenous, native. The answers must describe the American Indian population discussed in the sentence. Native
may be obvious; indigenous means the same thing. Note that smallpox could be a pandemic, but that word does not
belong in the blank.
75. Extemporaneous, impromptu. "Badly miscalculated" indicates that there are two opposing parts of the sentence:
the candidate's "prepared speeches" are good, but some other type of answers are bad. You need two words that mean
"improvised" or "off-the-cuff." Note that lubricious and disingenuous form a pair relating to dishonesty that is
unrelated to the clues and might be a trap (if you insert your own, negative ideas about politicians). Premeditated is
the opposite of what you want
.
76. Equivocate, vacillate. Given the pivot phrase "even though," the answers must oppose "act immediately" and the
Farragut quote. Divagate is a trap — it means "to wander or digress," especially in speech, and so doesn't quite work
here. Weep and wail are a pair, but are not justified by the clues in the sentence.
77. Abjured, forwent. Since the hedge fund founder is doing something to avoid a long prison term, and because of
the clue "former role," you know that she "gave up" that role. Abjured and forwent both work here. Be precise —
reneged means "to break a promise." A leader can be deposed, but you don't depose a role. The hedge fund founder
may be being censured (probably worse), but it doesn't make sense for her to censure (disapprove of, reprimand) her
role.
78. Slight, gibe. The words even if signal a change in the meaning of the sentence, so you need a word for the blank
that is the opposite of anodyne, which can mean "alleviating pain," but here means "not likely to provoke offense."
Compliment and panegyric both have positive connotations, so they can't work here. Only slight and gibe have the
required negativity.
79. Perfidy, treachery. The most important word in this sentence is the word friend, implying that Ana Cump na
betrayed Dillinger. Nosiness and meddling are a reasonable pair, but they don't fit with the fact that Ana Cump na
was Dillinger's friend. Only perfidy and treachery correctly fit the sentence.
80. Ubiquity, omnipresence. This is a tough sentence, because it seems to be about money. But while cost could
work if it had a pair word, expenditure means only "an amount of money spent," so it can't work here. You need
something else for the blank that would lead you to think the company would make a lot of money. If it can't be the
cost of each unit, it has to be the number of units sold. Ubiquity and omnipresence fit this meaning. Construction and
aesthetics are not enough of a pair, and they don't inherently explain why the company would be raking in cash.
81. Tacit, implicit. The word though always sets up a contrast, so you need something for the blank that means the
opposite of "physically described in rulebooks." Both tacit and implicit mean "implied, but not plainly expressed."
Unambiguous and blatant have the opposite charge.
82. Extraneous, peripheral. You have the word whereas in this sentence, which implies a change in direction. So if
the critically-acclaimed directors see characterization and emotional development as "critical," Michael Bay should
find them unimportant (at least according to the reviewer). Important and intrinsic are the opposite of what you want.
Extraneous and peripheral both fit the meaning you need.
83. Confounded, flummoxed. Because you know that the puzzle in question is one of the more difficult puzzles, you
would expect Sandra to be, well, "puzzled" by it. Enraged and incensed are an intriguing pair, but you have no reason
to believe Sandra was made angry by the puzzles. Smitten can't work here because the correct idiom is "smitten with."
Impressed could work, but it doesn't have a pair to match with. Confounded and flummoxed are the best choices.
84. Specious, meretricious. This is a complex sentence, and the meaning of the first part is dependent on what
comes after the semicolon. There you see that if you only looked shallowly at the two parties, you'd see dishonesty on
both sides, but if you looked more deeply, you'd see that one side is worse. Both specious and meretricious mean
"apparently attractive, but having in reality no value," which fits perfectly. Sophomoric means "juvenile or immature,"
which is not indicated by the sentence.
85. Approbation, plaudits. You learn in the second half of this sentence that the documentarian received "money"
and "acclaim," while the subject of the documentary did not. Either one could go in the blank, but because you know
it's coming "from the critics," it needs to match up with "acclaim" (critics don't give "money"). Both approbation and
plaudits fit this meaning. Opprobrium and fulmination are the opposite of what you want, and wealth and capital
don't fit the meaning of the sentence.
86. Exculpate, vindicate. This sentence tells you that Morris's film proves that its subject did not commit the crime
in question. This implies that the film proved his innocence. Both exculpate and vindicate mean to "clear someone of
blame or suspicion." Liberate and manumit are close, but both have the idea of freedom without freeing from blame
(and manumit is technically only used for when someone is freed from slavery). Excuse means "to lessen the blame"
or "forgive someone for a fault," but not to prove they were not at fault in the first place.
87. Beguiled by, enamored with. For the schemes to "prey" on people, those people would need to want what is
being advertised. Beguiled by and enamored with mean "lured by or infatuated with." Obsessed by and possessed by
go too far. Aggrieved by and vexed by are negative (if you were vexed by quick riches and fancy trips, you wouldn't
be easy prey, and also you'd be really weird).
88. Equanimity, sangfroid. You need something for the blank that a "great soul" would do in the face of turmoil and
tribulation. Since in the face of indicates opposite direction, the meaning is something like "remain calm." Conviction
(a firmly held belief) might work, but it has no partner. Self-esteem and pride are a pair, but they don't make much
sense in the sentence. Equanimity and sangfroid both imply an inner tranquility.
89. An incipient, a nascent. While the environmental movement is said to have been around awhile, the second half
of the sentence says that it "only recently" become "a serious organization." This means that the answer choices
disorganized and nebulous don't quite work. The other pair, inconsequential and immaterial, is needlessly negative.
Incipient and nascent capture the idea that, while the movement has been around for a while, it is only just now
becoming a serious and relevant organization.
90. Bolstered, buttressed. It is critical to work out here whether the physicists mentioned at the end of the sentence
were for or against Einstein's theory. You know that the idea went from "purely experiential" to "theoretically"
something. There's a contrast here, and the contrast is not between right and wrong. It is between something that has
been shown by experiment and something that has been understood theoretically. This means the later scientists are
providing support for Einstein. Undermined and sabotaged are negative, while condoned and pardoned don't make
much sense. Only bolstered and buttressed correctly express the idea of support.
91. Clamor, din. You can assume that there would be a lot of "noise" at the edge of a stage, which would explain why
someone couldn't be heard. Clamor and din both fit the sentence. Rabble and host both mean "crowd," which is
something you might not be able to hear over, but they don't make nearly as good a choice. Music is a little too
specific; don't add new ideas to the sentence.
92. Artless, ingenuous. The first half of this sentence tells you that you're going to focus primarily on the painter's
personality. You then need something that contrasts with either "pretentious" or "pontificating." Artless and
ingenuous, meaning "without effort or pretentiousness," are perfect. Shrewd, adroit, and artful are all positive
words, but they don't contrast with "pretentious" or "pontificating."
93. Trite, hackneyed. The beginning of the sentence says the movie "wasn't exactly bad," implying that you're going
to get a word that isn't the opposite of bad, but that qualifies it in some way. Later in the sentence, you get a more
specific addition: they were all jokes you'd heard before. You need words that match with that definition. Both trite
and hackneyed fit that meaning. Atrocious and egregious mean the same thing as "bad," so they don't work. And while
amusing and witty make a pair, they're the opposite of what you want.
94. Underpins, undergirds. The second half of this sentence describes how aesthetics are a major part of the work
of the company, so you need a word for the blank that means something like "permeates." Saturates is close, but it has
no partner (irradiate means either "to expose to radiation" or "to illuminate"). Underpins and undergirds fit the
meaning of the sentence perfectly.
95. Thwarted, undermined. The end of this sentence makes it clear that the teachers in question are not happy about
having to stick to a prescribed curriculum. Crushed, confounded, walloped, and tormented are all negative, but all of
them miss the meaning of the sentence (and no two of them make a good pair). Crushed means "emotionally
devastated" and tends to apply to things that happen all at once — a breakup, not getting a promotion, etc.
96. Palliating, assuaging,. The first half of the sentence explains that lowering interest rates can create financial
stability, so this would allow the Fed to make a crisis "better." Exacerbating and compounding are the opposite of
what you want, and annihilating goes too far. Only palliating and assuaging correctly fit the meaning here.
97. Laconic, curt. The words even though set up a contrast, so you need something that contrasts with roles that
involved a lot of lines. A character without a lot of lines would be quiet. Melancholy and dejected imply sadness, but
not necessarily a refusal to speak (Hamlet is pretty depressed, and he talks all the time). Mute goes too far. Laconic
and curt both match with the meaning you're seeking. Note that curt has the sense of being rudely short with people,
whereas laconic is not necessarily negative.
98. Limpidity, lucidity. The word whereas sets up a contrast with dense and abstruse (the latter of which means
"difficult to understand"), so you need a word that means something like "clarity." Sagacity and prowess both imply
skill, but you need something that also implies a kind of simplicity. Limpidity and lucidity fit the bill perfectly.
99. Placated, mollified. For this sentence, you need to infer how the beauty queen's mother likely felt about her
daughter being disqualified—namely, badly. The conjunction "and" signals that the second half is going to match the
tone of the first half (as opposed to something like "but"), so the blank needs to be something showing that the mother
is still not happy. Placated and mollified both fit the meaning. Ameliorated is close, but only a problem can be
ameliorated, not a person.
100. Melancholy, morose. The key to this sentence comes at the very end, when you learn that Hamlet is not
"paralyzed with depression." We've already read in the middle part of the sentence that he is not paralyzed, so the
depression part must come from the blank. Indecisive and monologic both fit the famous character of Hamlet, but
they don't fit the sentence (nor do they make a pair). Similarly, violent and barbaric would be accurate in describing
Hamlet, but they don't fit the sentence. Only melancholy and morose match the meaning you want.
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