Unlike her brother, who narrated every play of the game, Devon stayed taciturn for the whole bus ride home. What does taciturn most likely mean here?

The storm did not abate until dawn; the wind kept tearing at the shutters and the rain never let up all night. What does abate mean here?

After hundreds of parents complained, the board voted to rescind the new curfew, and the rule was gone within a week. What does rescind mean in this sentence?

Most of the manual confused us, but one lucid paragraph explained the setup so plainly that even my younger cousin followed it. What does lucid most nearly mean?

The principal's calm announcement helped quell the rumors, and by lunch nobody in the hallway was repeating them. What does quell mean as it is used here?

Saving part of every paycheck was a prudent choice; when the car broke down, Marisol paid the repair bill without borrowing a cent. What does prudent mean here?

His Spanish was rudimentary: he could order food and ask for directions, but nothing more complicated than that. What does rudimentary most likely mean?

Every novice at the climbing gym starts on the easy wall, while climbers with years of practice head straight for the overhang. What does novice mean in this sentence?

Her tenacity impressed the coach: after three failed tryouts she came back a fourth time and finally made the team. What does tenacity most nearly mean?

Vending machines are ubiquitous in that airport; you cannot walk twenty feet down any hallway without passing one. What does ubiquitous mean as used here?

Planting trees along the riverbank will not stop the flooding, but it should mitigate the damage when the water rises. What does mitigate mean in this sentence?

Coach Ruiz gave a candid assessment at halftime: we were losing because we had stopped passing, and she said so without softening it. What does candid mean here?

The climb was arduous; by the time we reached the ridge our legs burned and we had drained both water bottles. What does arduous most likely mean?

The cameras in the storage closet are obsolete; nobody has sold film for them in years, and the school switched to tablets. What does obsolete mean here?

Bright lights in the parking lot deter theft, so the mall installed more of them after a string of break-ins. What does deter mean as it is used here?

Priya is meticulous about her lab notes; she records every measurement, dates each page, and never leaves out a step. What does meticulous mean in this sentence?

He squandered the whole afternoon scrolling on his phone, then complained that there had been no time to finish the project. What does squandered mean here?

There was ample seating at the assembly; even after every class filed in, whole rows in the back stayed empty. What does ample most nearly mean?

The bake sale ended with a surplus, so the club donated the extra forty dollars it had not needed for supplies. What does surplus mean in this sentence?

Dad was skeptical of the ad's promise that the mixer would last forever, and he asked what proof the company could offer. What does skeptical mean here?

Adding a second study to the report bolstered the writer's claim, giving readers one more reason to accept it. What does bolstered mean as used here?

Nobody could prove where the missing key had gone, but Teo offered a plausible explanation: it had slipped through the gap in the bench. What does plausible mean?

After two summers of lessons, Nadia is adept at sailing; she handles the tiller in rough wind without a second thought. What does adept most likely mean?

Bailing water with a paper cup proved futile; the boat kept filling faster than the two of us could scoop. What does futile mean in this sentence?

A little levity broke the tension in the waiting room; the nurse's joke made even my worried grandmother laugh. What does levity most nearly mean?

A second witness corroborated the driver's account, describing the same green truck at the same corner at the same hour. What does corroborated mean here?

The cabin was austere: four bare walls, a cot, a woodstove, and nothing on the shelves except a dented tin cup. What does austere mean in this sentence?

A judge must remain impartial, giving the neighbor she has known for years no edge over the stranger sitting across from her. What does impartial mean here?

The town's resilience showed after the flood: within a month the shops had reopened and the school was holding classes again. What does resilience most nearly mean?

The teacher asked for concise answers, so I cut my three rambling paragraphs down to four clear sentences. What does concise mean as it is used here?

Skipping breakfast proved detrimental to his focus; by third period he could not follow the lesson at all. What does detrimental mean in this sentence?

The new librarian is affable; she greets everyone by name and makes even nervous sixth graders comfortable asking questions. What does affable most likely mean?

If you procrastinate all week, you will spend Sunday night doing work that six earlier evenings could have covered comfortably. What does procrastinate mean here?

Lifeguards stay vigilant even when the pool looks calm, scanning the water constantly for anyone who might be struggling. What does vigilant mean in this sentence?

The two receipts showed a discrepancy: one listed the order at $18.40 and the other listed the same order at $81.40. What does discrepancy mean here?

Budget cuts curtailed the field-trip program; instead of the usual six trips, the eighth graders now take only two. What does curtailed mean as used here?

The station was inundated with calls after the alert, so many that its phone system crashed within minutes. What does inundated most nearly mean?

The editor scrutinized every paragraph, catching two misspellings and a date that did not match the rest of the article. What does scrutinized mean here?

Warm weather hastened the melt; the drifts that usually last into April were gone by the middle of March. What does hastened mean in this sentence?

An ominous quiet settled over the field before the sirens went off, and the coaches began hurrying everyone toward the gym. What does ominous most likely mean?