1.Correct Answer: D

　　Explanation:

　　Clue: He was cast out. An outcast is a pariah.

　　(ascetic = one who lives a severe existence without indulgences; prodigy = genius, or very talented; prodigal = wasteful person; tyro = novice, beginner)

　　2.Correct Answer: B

　　Explanation:

　　Clue: ‘because’ gives a reason for the word that is needed. If the essay is so similar it looks as though it is copied. To copy without giving acknowledgement is plagiarism.

　　(procrastination = putting off, delaying; celerity = speed; decorum = good and correct behavior)

　　3.Correct Answer: E

　　Explanation:

　　Clue: The part after the semicolon explains what kind of age we are talking about.

　　So, since we are told that maximizing pleasure is the point, the word we need is hedonistic (pleasure seeking).

　　(ubiquitous = found everywhere; propitious = favorable; sporadic = intermittent, not continuous)

　　4.Correct Answer: D

　　Explanation:

　　Clue: The part after the semicolon explains the first part of the sentence.

　　So, something that may not recur for some time would be in remission.sat

　　(sequestration = isolation; quarantine = isolation; remission = temporary improvement in a disease; oblivion = state of being unaware)

　　5.Correct Answer: A

　　Explanation:

　　Clue: Since the air is described as ‘pure’ we need a positive word. Also, since doctors recommend it, the air must be good for health.

　　Therefore, we choose invigorating which means energizing.

　　(soporific = sleep-inducing; debilitating = weakening; insalubrious = unhealthy; aromatic = pleasant-smelling)

　　6.Correct Answer: C

　　Explanation:

　　Clue: "though" indicates the need for opposites.

　　Therefore, we say that he was faultless (perfect) in his grammar, though his accent was awful. [This is the only pair of opposites.]

　　(erratic = unpredictable; eccentric = odd)

　　7.Correct Answer: A

　　Explanation:

　　Clue : ‘Though’ indicates the need for opposites in the two halves of the sentence. Also, ‘life-like’ indicates realistic is the word needed.

　　The sentence means that, though there are no life-like meanderings, the work is presented as realistic fiction. [Note that to get the meaning out of the sentence it sometimes helps to turn the parts around.]

　　8.Correct Answer: D

　　Explanation:

　　Clue: "and" usually joins things of similar meaning or weight. This suggests that since ethics are declining, moral standards are also declining (deteriorating). Almost any word except "optimism" would have fit the first blank.

　　(futile = useless, ineffective; escalating = increasing)

　　9.Correct Answer: D

　　Explanation:

　　Clue: The first blank requires something that conveys what man has done to the genetic code - the only two suitable words are ‘discoverer’ or ‘decipherer’. But since a microbe is not a rodent, we can eliminate that pair.

　　(rodent = animal like a rat or mouse; decipherer = someone who decodes; denizen = inhabitant)

　　10.Correct Answer: E

　　Explanation:

　　Clue: The sentence tells us that the thesis has been in obscurity (forgotten or neglected) but now it is being revived. We can say it is undergoing a renaissance (revival).

　　(remission = temporary cessation of a disease; decimation = destruction; longevity = length of life)

　　11.Correct Answer: A

　　Explanation:

　　Clue: ‘Far from’ indicates that an opposite point is being made. So, since there is a feeling of impending catastrophe the threat of war is far from getting less. This indicates that ‘receding’, diminishing’, or ‘subsiding’ might be suitable. We can eliminate these last two since their partner words ‘contentedly’ and ‘felicitously’ are inappropriate for a feeling of danger. So the villagers are only apparently (ostensibly) behaving normally.

　　(escalating = increasing ; felicitously = happily, suitably)

　　12.Correct Answer: C

　　Explanation:

　　Clue: ‘Nothing if not’ means ‘very’. So if the student is very reliable the professor would not doubt the ‘truth’ or ‘veracity’ of the results. Since the student is reliable we can eliminate the ‘error’ choice, and choose ‘implications’.

　　(folly = foolishness; impudence = cheekiness; veracity = truth; inferences = something we can deduce)