The subject is able "to talk his way past many barriers." This means the missing word will indicate his ability to speak. "Articulate," meaning well spoken and literate, is the best choice.

The school has "not bought new furniture," meaning that the school is either unwilling or unable to spend money. The correct answer should mean extremely economical or penny-pinching, the definition of "frugal."

A "Board President" leaving a company over values indicates a disagreement, and the correct answer must reflect this. "Inimical," meaning at odds with or hostile to, is the best choice.

The man's temperament causes "concrete plans" to be difficult. The correct answer needs to indicate what creates such a hardship. "Mercurial," meaning volatile and changeable, like the metal mercury, is the best choice.

The sentence contrasts the composer's "complicated orchestrations" to his later arrangements, which are described by the missing word. The correct answer should indicate that the later arrangements were uncomplicated. "Sparse," meaning bare or meager, is the best choice.

The sentence works well with one of the participial beginnings. Here, vocabulary probably helps best, though. Clearly, the point is that he keeps changing his terms; therefore, he is "equivocating." Equivocation comes from the Latin aequus for equal and voco. The first has many examples that are readily available. Voco is seen in words like "convocation," "vocal," "advocate," and so forth. The word is so derived because equivocation means that one treats two or more words as though they were the same (Thus, they are "equally called").  For instance, in English, we use the word "bank" to represent both the edge of a river as well as the financial institution.

The young woman is trying to avoid "chain stores" and what is sold there. As "chain stores" have many identical items, the woman will be looking for one of a kind furniture. "Artisanal," meaning crafted and handmade, is the correct answer choice.

The missing word is paired with the phrase "causing little long term harm." The correct answer must mean harmless or inoffensive, which is the definition of "innocuous."

The subject is trying to avoid calling out "specific people," and her style of lessons must follow this pattern. The correct answer will indicate she is avoiding mentioning identifying details. "Metaphorically," meaning symbolically or figuratively, is the best choice.

The key word in the sentence is "incredible," which parallels the missing word. The correct answer will be similar in meaning to "incredible." "Peerless," meaning unequaled or the very best, is the appropriate choice.