The word "delegate" actually can be a noun or a verb. Here, it is being used as a verb, but you can only tell this by looking at your options. When we "delegate" a task, we turn it over to someone else. (Hence, the word "assign" is the best option.) The person to whom certain tasks are delegated is himself or herself called a "delegate." This is why a delegate to a convention is called a "delegate." We give that person the authority to stand in our place at the convention, but the act of delegating is not the act of representing. The act of delegating is the actual giving over of the task. Delegation makes someone to become a representative. The difference is important! Likewise, delegates may vote or be involved in elections; however neither of these are synonymous meanings for the term.

"Gall" and "brashness" both mean nerve or brazeness. "Benevolence" means charity or compassion. "Timidity" means shyness or reserve. "Connoisseur" means aficionado or expert. "Egress" means exit or departure.

"Fathom" and "depth" are synonyms. "Fallow" means a cultivated area left unplanted. "Fidelity" means loyalty or trustworthiness. "Invocation" means a prayer or appeal. "Mettle" means boldness or strength of character.

The word "swamp" can be either a noun or a verb. As a noun, it indicates a boggy, marshy area of wet land. As a verb, it means to overwhelm or to drench. Thus, it could indicate being "swamped" with water, but it also can be used to describe someone who is overwhelmed with work. Thus, we could say, "After a week of vacation, Kimberly was swamped with work left in her office during her time away." None of the noun options are adequate synonyms. Only "overwhelm" works to match the verb meaning of the word "swamp."

Generally speaking, people use “garner” to mean “gather,” as when one says, “He garnered support for the petition, hoping to have a majority by the time of the vote.” To "accumulate" things is to gather them together, and this is adequately synonymous with “garner.” A number of the options are trying to make you confuse “garner” with “garnish,” meaning to decorate.

The word “sedate” comes from Latin roots that give us many, many English words dealing with sitting. For instance, think of “sedentary,” “sediment,” and even “residence.” The word “sedative” could be said to mean literally “something that puts someone in the condition of sitting still.” (This is, of course, not the exact English.) When we "tranquilize" someone, we likewise make him or her to be sedative. The word “sedate” can be used either as an adjective or a verb. As the latter, it finds a good synonym in “tranquilize.”

The word “quarter” has many uses, many related to the sense of being “one-fourth” of a larger whole. Among these options, the only matching word is “house.” At first, this might seem strange, but “house” can be used as a verb meaning “to provide living / storage space.” In the American Constitution, the third amendment places restrictions on the government’s ability to force citizens to house soldiers, whether in peace or in war. Observe how it uses ‘quarter’ in this sense: “No Soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the Owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.”

"Moderate" is a word that as an adjective means "average in amount, intensity, quality, or degree," and as a verb means "make or become less extreme, intense, rigorous, or violent," and as a noun means "one who is moderate." Since all of our answer choices are verbs, we need to pick out one that means something like "make or become less intense." While "enable" may look like a good answer choice, it actually means "give someone the means or authority to do something," so it is not the word we're looking for. "Allay," on the other hand, means "diminish or put at rest fear or suspicion; relieve or alleviate pain or hunger," and since it is the answer choice closest in meaning to "moderate," it is the correct answer.

Although we think of “temper” as having to do with someone’s disposition (or the state of being angry in particular), the word does have the additional use of to harden. The word is related to Latin roots meaning to mix. When one makes “tempered steel,” it is heated and cooled in order to change its hardness. While it is heated, other materials might be added to the steel to alter its condition. Among the options, the only one that matches this sense is “strengthen.” The other options appear to deal with “temperament,” but none of them are general enough even to fit that usage.

The word “quarter” has many uses, many related to the sense of being “one-fourth” of a larger whole. Among these options, do not be tempted by words like “money” or “finances,” which are merely superficial ploys to try to get you to choose something related to the American coin. Sometimes, the word “quarter” is used to describe a district or area in a larger geographical region. For instance, one sometimes speaks of the “Slovak quarter” of a city perhaps because many Slavs moved there, thus giving that section a certain character.