The idea of this sentence is that the speech was so long that the main points were totally "covered over" by the details. This means that the people needed a brief summary of these main points. A "summary" is a kind of review that gives the general idea without discussing all of the details.

In this sentence a group of people are turned from one feeling towards "dismay" by some bad news. If you know that "dismay" means great sadness and lack of hope, then you could reasonably infer that the previous mood was positive. The correct answer is therefore "glee" which means happiness, joy. Additionally, "despondency" means hopelessness, dismay; "frankness" means honesty; "boredom" means the quality of being bored; "sorrow" means sadness. 

The important thing to notice is that the students are learning the numerous steps involved in the making of the desks. This means that they went to the plant to learn these various steps and how they bring about the finished product. The set of steps used to make something is called the "process" for making that thing.

The general idea of this sentence is that the apple prices were changing a good deal from day to day. Yes, they might increase from one day to the next. They also might decrease in the same manner. The only option that expresses this kind of changing is "fluctuated." When something fluctuates, it goes up and down, somewhat like a wave. The word actually comes from Latin roots meaning "to flow." Something that fluctuates is like a flowing body of water that rises and falls.

This sentence implies that the two siblings were always in some state of fighting. If not explicitly fighting, they were at least angry at each other. This means that there was no peace between them. When two people (or groups) are not in agreement, they are in a state of conflict. We tend to think of conflict as applying to war between two nations. While this is indeed true, conflict can also be a kind of general state of "being enemies."

The general idea in this sentence is to contrast large cities to small ones, particularly as regards their restaurants. Large cities have many choices, whereas there seem to be few choices in small towns. This means that there are not many choices and hence not a wide "variety" of options. When we say that there are "various" options, we mean to say that there are a number of different ones. This state of having a number of different options is called "variety."

The general idea of this sentence is that one and the same event can be "viewed" in different ways by different people. This does not merely mean that they physically see it in different manners. More importantly, it means that they interpret its meaning in different manners. Thus, it can have many different "interpretations."

Since the book was so long, it seems that Henry needed to get its general idea before trying to understand its complex and lengthy storyline. He could do this by reading a short version of it that would help him to understand the overall point of the book.  Now, a pamphlet is a small booklet, but that is not really "a short version." Instead, a "summary" is a short presentation of something that is much lengthier. It "sums up" the longer story. 

This sentence is saying that you should "look into" such matters when you don't know them. In particular, it is saying that you should ask about them. When you make an "inquiry," you do just this. A "query" is a question or a questioning.  An "inquiry" makes a query (asks a question) about some topic. It means that you "query into" the matter. This is the best option among those given, as it expresses the idea of "asking into" the matter.

In the second sentence, it is stated that Katherine did not even form ideas about things in the news. That means that she must not have had even an opinion about these things. Do not choose "joys" or even "interests." The most important thing indicated by the clues is that Katherine avoided thinking about them. This most directly means that she must not have had an opinion on these matters. Since this is one of the options, it should be chosen, as it is the best among those presented.