The key phrase is "although . . ." and the sense of the juxtaposition is completed by "they often end by creating wholly cynical citizens." The sense is that the regimes begin by making the citizens very engaged, but they end in destroying this civic involvement; therefore, we can immediately eliminate "increase . . . inviting", "coup . . . deceiving," "waxing . . . leading", and "waning . . . discouraging." The best fit is "decline . . . inciting" because it captures the sense of the loss of spirit as well as its initial inspiration (even if through incitement).

The fact that the employee is described as irascible suggests he is likely to act out in an angry manner. With this in mind, the first blank should be a word which closely means get angry with or yell at. There are a couple of options in the answer choices which come close, so we need to take a look at the second blank. The context of the sentence suggests that the employee's poor behavior at work is weighing against his chances of receiving a raise. Only the combination of "harangue"and "militate"fits both blanks, and it is therefore the correct answer.

The first blank hints at Nicholas's hope that he can "soften" or reduce his boss's concerns. Whenever we "mollify" something, we soften it or reduce its intensity. This word comes from Latin roots meaning soft. Substances that are called emollients help to soften things. Perhaps you have bought facial creams that do this. Often, such a cream will be labeled as being an emollient. The second blank is hinted at by the phrase "obsequious words." Whenever we are "obsequious," we are very servile. Often, such an attitude hides a kind of flattery. This is what is being hinted at here. Hence, we need something better than "convince" or "persuade." The word "cajole" is best, for it indicates a kind of persuading that includes the idea of flattery.

A group of lawmakers would be inclined to block the voting process if they didn’t believe the amendment fixed the real issue. Therefore, “marshaled” and “actuated” can both be eliminated. “Boycotted” means they combined in abstaining from voting. To “address” means to deal with something. “Boycotted . . . addressed” is the correct answer.

For this question, it is probably best to begin with the first blank, using a process of elimination. To "fulminate" is to protest against something. It doesn't make sense to say that the king should do this. To "relegate" something or someone is to put it (or him/her) at a lower level of dignity. This is really not what is being demanded of the king. It doesn't make sense that he would lower his sovereignty. Likewise, "delegation" of the sovereignty would be giving it to someone else. The sentence does not indicate this either. Instead, it seems that the people want the king to step down. Indeed, this is what is meant by "abdicate." Hence, it is the best option for the first blank. When the king did not step down, it would make sense that the people would try to take him out of office forcefully. Hence, the word "depose" works well.

The best clue for starting this question is "only the tiniest quantity of vapor." It seemed that the inlet for the pipe could allow in only a small quantity of gas. However, it seems that more had happened—for Heather was surprised at something. The general idea is that gas had spread throughout the house. Hence, "diffused" is an excellent first choice, and "emitting" well describes the general act of allowing a substance to "go forth" (as would happen with the gas coming out of the pipe). ("Emit" comes from Latin roots literally meaning to send forth. To "trans-mit" means to send ("-mit") across ("trans-").)

The answer choice with “eschew” might look reasonable. Given the context, however, it doesn’t quite fit that the martyrs were told shun their faith, the way you might avoid something morally wrong. “Exculpate” means to pardon, which could make sense if the martyrs had done something against church doctrine in the past. “Canonize” in this case means to declare a dead person to be a saint, and “abjure” means to swear off. These two form the correct answer.

There is a sentence shift in the first part of the sentence. We know that the first blank must have a definition very different from “applauded.” Due to “atrocious acts,” we can further deduce that the verb is along the lines of regarding with extreme aversion. Since these “atrocious acts” could in no way unify the two countries, “abhorred . . . estrange “ is the correct answer.

Sentence completion questions sometimes count on students studying roots, then throw in answers that seem like they could be the right answer based on the roots, but do not actually have the appropriate definition, as a way of separating the wheat from the chaff. This is one such question.

The best strategy for a compound sentence such as this, which doesn't have clear indications of meaning from conjunctions, is to use the text's logic to reach your answers. This means when you read along, it can be helpful to "fill in the blank," i.e. guess what kind of word would be in the blank before looking at the answer choices, so you can choose the best answer upon seeing it.

For the first blank, you need to look at the first half of this sentence. It relates da Vinci to the helicopter, which is a twentieth-century invention; thus, it would make sense for da Vinci to have "foreseen" the existence of modern inventions. "Forecasted" (predicted) makes sense in this context, but "precasted" (cast something in a different location than where it will be installed) does not.

For the second blank, the same trick works. Reading this half of the sentence again, the art, which is described by the word that will go in the second blank, is seen by thousands of people every year. Thus, it must be well-known or well-liked, which "esteemed" (admired) accurately conveys, while "estimated" (roughly judged the value or total of something) does not.

"Inundated" works as the answer because it refers to getting soaked by the rain; "sprinted" works as the noun because it suggests the action to take in response to the rain. The other answer choices don't refer to the rain, nor to an appropriate response to take in reaction to rain.