15 . A Suttle believes that “A woman in this day and age cannot just marry the first
stagecoach driver that comes along” and that “A marriage requires, like all things, a
firm footing.” Therefore, Suttle cares about the rightness or appropriateness of
one’s actions, which matches (A).
16 . D There is no indication in the passage that the author dislikes the movie. If anything,
the descriptions sound fun and exciting. Therefore, the best match is (D), laudatory,
which means to express praise.
17 . C The critic is described in the first sentence as “ferocious” and “vicious,” which is in
line with (C), belittling.
18 . A The critic “stammers” (line 6) and is “shy” (line 4), so rule out (C) and (D). Choice
(B) is close, but not supported by the passage. The correct answer is (A), display.
19 . A Look back to the explanation for question 17. The answer to that question was
belittling, which is closest in meaning to disparaging, (A).
20 . B Pat yourself on the back if you recognized the root lum-. A luminary is a prominent
person, so (B) is correct. (Infamous refers to being famous for something bad.)