Something that is "brisk" is best summarized as quick or fast; for example, a "brisk" wind is one that is blustering. In terms of the other answer choices, "forlorn" means lonely; "steady" means constant; "leisurely" means laidback; and "fierce" means strong or aggressive.

To "encapsulate" something means to surround it or include it. Think of a capsule of medicine; the capsule surrounds or includes the medicine inside it. So, "include" is the correct answer.

Something that is "imperative" is crucial or essential, so "essential" is the correct answer choice. As for the other answer choices, "somber" means _sad and serious; "_abrupt" means sudden ; and "optional" means not necessary.

"Hiatus" is a noun that means "a pause or gap in a sequence, series, or process," so we need to pick out an answer choice that means something like "a pause or gap." "Continuation," then, cannot be the correct answer, because "continuation" means "the action of carrying something on over a period of time or the process of being carried on," making it an antonym of "hiatus." "Break," however, when used as a noun, can mean "a pause in work or during an activity or event," and because "break" is the answer choice that is closest in meaning to "hiatus," "break" is the correct answer.

"Hiatus" is a noun that means "a pause or gap in a sequence, series, or process," so we need to pick out an answer choice that means something like "a pause or gap." "Continuation," then, cannot be the correct answer, because "continuation" means "the action of carrying something on over a period of time or the process of being carried on," making it an antonym of "hiatus." "Break," however, when used as a noun, can mean "a pause in work or during an activity or event," and because "break" is the answer choice that is closest in meaning to "hiatus," "break" is the correct answer.

To be "bountiful" is to have plenty of something or have an "abundance" of it. "Restricted" is the antonym of abundance and indicates having a small amount. "Superb" means excellent in quality; "sufficient" means having enough; and "sparse" means having a small quantity.

Whenever something subsides, it lessens in its strength or force. The prefix "sub-" means "under." The "-side" portion of the word comes from the Latin root for "to sit." This same root is found in words like "sedentary" and "sedate." Something that "subsides" starts to "sit under"—not in a literal sense, of course! It just means that the thing in question lessens. The only option among those provided that expresses the idea of lessening is "slacken." When a rope slackens, it becomes less tight. The general idea of slackening is that of becoming less or looser. Hence, this is an acceptable synonym for "subside," at least among the options provided.

The word "fiend" comes originally from the word for a demon or a devil. We generally use it, however, to describe any kind of villain. It is in this sense that it is being used in this question. Such a villain need not be a wicked person in a story. We sometimes use the word also when we describe someone who abuses his or her fellow human beings, as when we say, "Thomas was nothing more than a fiend, given how he stole from all of the elderly in his neighborhood."

"Conventional" is an adjective meaning "used and accepted by most people: usual or traditional," "of a kind that has been around for a long time and is considered to be usual or typical," or "common and ordinary: not unusual." So, we need to pick out an adjective that means something like "usual" or "ordinary." "Novel" and "unusual" are antonyms of "conventional," so neither can be the correct answer, but "standard," when used as an adjective, means "used or accepted as normal or average." Because "standard" is the answer choice closest in meaning to "conventional," "standard" is the correct answer.

"Hypnotic" means to have the effect of fixating one's attention. "Mesmerizing" also means this, so "mesmerizing" is the correct answer.