When someone overprotects their child (or someone else in general), such action is known as “coddling.” This word best matches the key phrase “such constant protection.” The second blank is best filled by the word “consequences” because the other options do not capture the sense of “importance” that often is associated with the word “consequence.” The only really tempting trap word is “effects,” which does carry the extra moral weight that “consequences” does.

As one ages (and becomes tired), they can be said to be in a state of “dotage,” meaning that they are old and weak. To step down from rule is to “abdicate” from it.

For the first blank, we know that the specified patients were "kept away from the others," so we need to pick out a verb that means something like "kept away from others." Either "quarantined" ("imposed isolation on (a person, animal, or place); put in quarantine") or "isolated" ("caused (a person or place) to be or remain alone or apart from others") could be correct. For the second blank, we need to pick out a noun that means something like "a contagious disease," because we know that "the doctors suspected that disease that they were all suffering from could . . . infect everyone in the surrounding area if proper precautions were not taken." Either "epidemic" ("a widespread occurrence of an infectious disease in a community at a particular time") or "outbreak" ("the sudden or violent start of something unwelcome, such as war or disease") could be correct. Of the possible words that we've identified as potentially correct for each blank, only "quarantined" and "epidemic" appear in the same answer choice, so the correct answer is "quarantined . . . epidemic."

Since the concern here is with removing something that seems to increase the time of an undertaking, such an intervening object is an “impediment,” which means an obstruction. To “expedite” something is to make it occur more quickly. Both words come from the Latin word for “foot” (This is reflected in the “-ped-” portion of the stem, not to be confused with the “ped” in words like “pediatric” and “pediatrician,” which have different roots). An “impediment” is something placed on (im+) the foot (so to speak), and to “expedite” is to remove something from the foot or away from its path (at least taken literally).

Each generation brings forth a next generation, leading to the mentioned repetition. The best option is therefore “beget . . . circuit.” To “beget” means to bring forth often with the connotation of procreation. A “circuit” is a closed loop, therefore well filling the need of the second blank in this sentence.

A "litigant" is someone involved in a lawsuit, while to "manifest" means, in this instance, to show plainly. Arguably, a sweating and presumably nervous litigant would reveal himself to be guilty.

We can infer that for the first blank, we need to pick out a noun that means something like "look," because it is described as "mischievous" and it "appear\[s\] in her eyes." Either "gleam" ("of an emotion or quality: appear or be expressed through the brightness of someone's eyes or expression") or "spark" ("a trace of a specified quality or intense feeling") could be potentially correct. For the second blank, we need to pick out a verb that means something like "stop," because while the male subject "knew that they were going to get into trouble," he could not stop "such an outcome." Either "prevent" (" keep (something) from happening or arising") or "preclude" ("prevent from happening; make impossible") could be correct. Of the possible words that we've identified as potentially correct for each blank, only "gleam" and "prevent" appear in the same answer choice in the correct order, so the correct answer is "gleam . . . prevent."

The second sentence indicates that the bishop wishes to stop the movement. It does not indicate any desire to persecute. The word “arrest” might seem, at first glance, to carry the same negative, “persecuting” sense as some of the other options, but the word likewise can mean “to stop” as in the usage “arrested development” to describe someone who is stunted with regard to some kind of growth. A “sect” is group differentiated by their beliefs, often with a negative connotation in regard to an accepted orthodoxy.

The merchants can be said to have gathered influence to themselves. For this reason, it might be tempting to choose “grasped;” however, the term “despotism” does not apply to this kind of political state of affairs. Perhaps you were tempted by “stolen” or even “wheedled,” but nothing in the sentence justifies these particular judgments. Also, their coupled words do not fit well grammatically. The word “garnered” means “to gather” and is therefore the best option. A “plutocracy” is a form of government run by the wealthy. The prefix “pluto-” comes from the Greek “plutos” for “wealth.”

Nearly all of the answers provide a decent option for the second word (with the exception of "berated," which does not fit, as it means criticized in a nasty way). The best way to approach this question is to notice that we are not really given any clues regarding exactly what Clint did. We only know that it was something that could be heard and that he had a positive disposition. Therefore, it is best to stay with the safe option, namely "optimism," which indicates that Clint always looked for the positive aspect of things. While "optimism" does indicate a general temperament (like angry describes a temperament), we can imagine that one can hear "optimism" insofar as one hears the optimistic remarks, jokes, opinions, and so forth that are made by an optimistic person.