Correct Answer: A,E

Explanation:

Clue: The key words are ‘fooled’ and ‘belies’. Belies means contradicts, and hence her superficial simplicity or ‘naiveté’ belies her worldliness. If she is only superficially simple, her manner is a pretence of simplicity, and hence we should not be fooled by her ‘unsophisticated’ manner.
(proficiency = expertise; gregarious = sociable; off-hand = casual)

Correct Answer: incompatible

Explanation:

Clue: A set of words linked with ‘and’ usually indicates things of similar weight. To go with ‘absurd’ and ‘unnatural’ we can choose ‘incompatible’ with common sense.
(consanguineous = related by blood; discernible = visible; decipherable = can be decoded; incompatible = not matching)

Correct Answer: C, F

Explanation:

If the market research firm has an excellent (‘impeccable’) reputation, Harding would be unable to reject the findings even if they were unexpected. Hence we choose ‘discount’ (ignore), and ‘impeccable’ (faultless). It would not make sense to say that the firm had a poor (mediocre, unenviable) reputation, because then surprising findings might not have been entirely unexpected.

Correct Answer: lamenting

Explanation:

Clue: The sentence states that the early death of Persius prevented him from properly finishing his work, hence it is likely that the author of the preface would regret (lament) that fact. [Note that the tone of the sentence is important; positive words would not fit the sense. Also ‘commenting’ or ‘mentioning’ might fit if it were not for the word ‘should’ – you cannot say that you ‘comment that something should prevent someone’.] (lament = express regret)

Correct Answer: C,F

Explanation:

Clue: Ask yourself what kind of action would be inadvisable if we have not accumulated expertise. Since ‘precipitate’ means hurried or rash, it seems the best choice. Also without expertise only a ‘cautious’ or wary approach would be suitable. As always, it is not enough to know that you need a pair of opposites: the logic must also be clear.
(vacillating = wavering, hesitating; circuitous = indirect)

Correct Answer: A,D

Explanation:

Clue: The two halves of the sentence indicate that there is a difference between the treatment of male and female sculptors. If sculpture has been considered the ‘prerogative’ of men, then it fits that women sculptors would have met with opposition. Now we have to understand that the construction of the end of the sentence means that the second blank has to be stronger in meaning than the first. The only negative word for the second blank is ‘ridicule’ and so we need something rather milder, but still negative, for the first. Hence, we choose ‘discouragement’.
(vilification = strong denouncement; approbation = approval; prerogative = special right, privilege)

Correct Answer: transmogrified, discernible, grotesque

Explanation:

Clue: The words ‘no longer’ indicate a change of state. The original layout would therefore be no longer visible or apparent. If the layout is no longer ‘discernible’, the buildings must have been changed (‘transmogrified’). The word ‘but’ indicates that a negative word will follow for the last blank. Also the word ‘transmogrified’ has a negative connotation, suggesting that the changes were ‘grotesque’.
(decimated = destroyed; enshrouded = covered; discernible = visible;extant = still in existence; adept = skilful)

Correct Answer: pique

Explanation:

Clue: She threw out a valuable statue just because it belonged to her ex-husband. Therefore, she must have been acting out of spite or ill will. Hence we choose ‘pique’ which means ‘resentment’. [Note that ‘pique’ used as a verb means to stimulate curiosity.
(contrition = regret or sorrow; pedantry = insistence on narrow points of learning; prudence = caution)

Correct Answer: bloodthirsty man, countermanded, hostilities

Explanation:

The sense of the second sentence tells us that he would have been relieved to end the fighting and cancel his order to attack when he saw the white flag (signal to surrender). Therefore, we choose to say that he ‘countermanded’ his order, and brought an end to the ‘hostilities’. The first sentence tells us that he acted ‘contrary to his reputation’. Since he stopped the fighting he was NOT bloodthirsty.
(pedant = person overly concerned with narrow points of learning; reiterated = repeated; countermanded = cancelled; commandeered = took possession of; truce = peace agreement; hiatus = interruption)

Correct Answer: mayhem, hurling invectives at, come to order

Explanation:

Here we need to get an overview of the whole sentence. You can always try putting words of your own into the blanks to get a feel for the sentence before looking at the options. The words ‘degenerating’ and ‘refusing’ set the negative tone for the sentence. We might read the sentence thus: the session degenerated into ‘something bad’ with politicians ‘doing something bad’ to each other and refusing to ‘do something good’. Now the selection of ‘mayhem’ becomes easy, followed by the very negative ‘hurling invectives at’ and the positive ‘come to order’.
(mayhem =confusion and disorder; banter = playful talk; invectives = insults)