It is important to note that the elders in question were able to serve as examples of virtue and success. This means that they not only succeeded in overcoming their difficulties but likely managed to do very well in life after that. Hence, the best pair for the second and third blanks are "overcome" and "flourishing." This, of course, indicates that they were well respected. To "venerate" someone is to hold him or her in high esteem. Often related words are used in the context of religion, as when someone "venerates" a statue.

For the first blank, we need a verb that means something like discouraged. Either "daunted," "deterred," or "dissuaded" could work. For the second blank, we need a verb that means something like hesitated; either "wavered" or "oscillated" could fit. For the last blank, we need a verb that conveys how Riley went back on his initial promise; between "reneged" and "adulterated," "reneged" is the better option, so the correct answer is "daunted . . . wavered . . . reneged."

The best clue in this sentence is the opening conjunction "although." This establishes a contrast between Thomas' energetic nature and what seems to be a less-than-energetic approach to gardening. The three options that remain based on this are "dither," "putter," and "wander." This must be synonymous with the thought expressed as part of the second blank (or at least relatively synonymous). The friends marvel at the fact that he cannot do something. Not being able to complete something would indicate that Thomas does not do much work. To "dither" is to avoid making any decisive choices. Thus, the pair of "dither" and "complete" is excellent, given that a dithering person might not complete anything. While "rouse" often describes the process of making someone wake up, it can mean more generally to bring to activity out of inactivity.

The clearest clue in this sentence is the description of the man as being known for procrastinating, meaning that he puts things off to the future. ("Procrastinate" comes from Latin roots meaning on behalf of / for ("pro-") tomorrow ("-cras").) When someone "defers" something, he or she puts it off for a later date. Clearly, the decision to be made is important (for it is related to a troublesome matter). The man's delay is likely annoying to his wife. To be "piqued" can mean either to be interested (e.g. "piqued his curiosity") or to be irritated. The latter is the case for this sentence. Finally, to overcome his wife's annoyance, it makes sense for the man to deal with the issue. Thus, he should "resolve" it, meaning that he should find a solution to the problem.

The end of the sentence implies that the air pressure outside of the plane is causing damage on the body of the craft. This means that the pressure is higher outside of the vehicle than inside of it. Something that applies a force to another thing is said to "exert" that force. If such force is being applied inwardly up on the plane, its body is likely collapsing. This is best described among our options by the word "implode," which means "to collapse inward." This could only happen, of course, if the plane had less pressure, not more. Thus, the pressure must be decreasing—or, a good option given here, diminishing.

The word "enigmatic" describes something that is mysterious or difficult to understand or interpret. The students were unable to decipher its meaning. To "unravel" something can also mean to explain that thing. (This meaning of the word is clearly a metaphorical extension of its more literal meaning.) To "decrypt" is quite akin to "decipher," for both words deal with translating something out of an encoded form. (To "encrypt" a message is to encode it.) Finally, insofar as they could not solve this problem, they were defeated (so to speak) in finding their answer. To "confound" someone can mean to frustrate him or her. It can also mean to defeat that person, preventing him or her from reaching a given objective.

Since Peter was unsuccessful, we cannot say that he succeeded in his initial plans. For this reason, the wrong answer that includes "planned . . . annihilate" is somewhat tempting, for "planned" does not indicate that he succeeded; however, it is most likely that Peter altered his plans after the lack of success. Therefore, the option containing "recalibrate" (meaning readjust) is the best. The first two words—"attempted . . . ambush"—likewise work well.

In two places, the accident is said to be rather terrible. This is indicated by the words "disastrous" and "the devastation." The bystander seems to have been able to help those who were still alive after the accident. Thus, the simplest answer for the last blank is "survived." Given that there were such horrible effects, it does not seem that he was able to completely overcome the disastrous effects; however, the sentence implies that he lessened them. The word "mitigate" means to diminish or to make milder. (The word comes from a Latin base meaning mild.) Finally, the sentence says that he was able to mitigate the disaster's effects; however, it seems that he could not entirely prevent the disaster itself. To "avert" something is to do just that.

The major problem with the people mentioned in this sentence is that they are unable to give a firm and fixed commitment to the tasks they need to undertake. To "consign" oneself to something is to do just that—as opposed to making a less firm declaration of commitment. To "vacillate" means precisely to waver between options in the manner described in the sentence, so it is by far the easiest blank of the three to fill in. Finally, although we use "evaporate" to describe a physical process involving liquids and gasses, the term can also have the extended meaning of to disappear from existence entirely. This latter meaning is what is indicated in this sentence.

The first blank of this sentence indicates that the doctors would like to slow the growth of the tumor, perhaps stopping it. The most tempting wrong answer here is "invert," for you might interpret it as "reverse" (as in, making it shrink); however, this is a bit of a stretch, and the sentence hints that they are looking merely to reduce the pain for the time being, which would begin by stopping this growth. The verb "to check" can be used in this way, though we do not often think of this meaning immediately. The option "provide" is quite acceptable and requires very little explanation. Clearly, the patient as been suffering. To be "afflicted" means to experience suffering, which is a good option for the final blank.