To “improve” something means to make it better, so an “improvement” is very similar to “progress.” To provide further help, “detriment” means harmful thing; “facade” means a fake display or an act meant to conceal the truth; “calamity” means disaster; “proposition” means proposal.

The word "aplomb" means self-assurance, calmness, or composure. "Confidence" is therefore the word that mostly closely matches the definition of "aplomb." "Anxiety" is incorrect because it is, in fact, an opposite of "aplomb": it means worry or nervousness. "Impotence," which means powerlessness, "violence," which means the act of physically injuring or killing someone or cause damage to something, and "probability," which means the statistical likelihood of an event happening, are unrelated to the definition of "aplomb."

The word "coincidence" is comprised of two parts: "co-incidence." An "incident" is something that happens in a given place. The prefix "co-" means with or together. "Coincidences" are things that happen together. Often, the word is used to describe things that happen together without any expectation. For instance, we both walk into the room and see each other, though we had not intended this meeting. Thus, we met by coincidence. To put it another way, we met by chance. Therefore, "chance" is the best option among the answer choices given.

You might associate the word "gluttony" with food. In Christian theology, "gluttony" is numbered as one the "seven deadly sins." It has a number of meanings, though many of them are associated with overeating food or liking food too much. This is why most people think that the word "gluttony" has only to do with food. However, "gluttony" often can mean greed in a more general sense. (It is, of course, most normally associated with greed for food.) Note that the only option that expresses this is the simple "greed." One can be starving or hungry without being gluttonous.

"Phobia" is a noun that means a strong fear of something particular, so we need to pick out an answer choice that is also a noun and means something like an extreme fear. While "displeasure" may look like a potentially correct answer because a phobia might give one displeasure, "displeasure" does not mean the same thing as "phobia," so it cannot be the correct answer. Because "fear" is the answer choice closest in meaning to "phobia," "fear" is the correct answer.

"Tempo" is a noun that means either pace, often specifically the pace of music. While "quick" and "slow" may describe different speeds, neither word means the same thing as "tempo," and while "music" may proceed at a certain tempo, "music" does not mean "tempo" either. "Pace," however, is a noun that means speed or rate, and because "pace" is the answer choice closest in meaning to "tempo," "pace" is the correct answer.

A “reprisal” is an attack made to avenge some previous attack. In this sense, it is most similar to the answer choice “retaliation,” which has the same meaning. To provide further help, “apathetic” describes the attitude of not caring; a “distraction” is something that causes a loss of focus; “competition” is a fight or rivalry; “corpulence” means obesity or beefiness. 

The prefix "mal-" means bad or wrong and “function” means to work, so something that has “malfunctioned” has stopped working or has failed to work. The closest answer choice is “fail.” To provide further help, “latent” means hidden or potential; “lamentable” means sad and causing sorrow; “obvious” means apparent; “succeed” means to do well, to achieve goals. 

The prefix "dict-" means relating to speaking or relating to words, so the word “diction” refers to the way you speak. The best answer choice is “pronunciation.” To provide further help, “deferential” means showing respect; a “narrative” is a story; an “orator” is someone who is talented at public speaking; “diffident” means shy and insecure. 

The prefix "par-" means equal, as in “par for the course” or “on par with.” The word “parity” is similar in meaning to "equality." To provide further help, “adjunct” means addition; “extol” means praise; “pompous” means arrogant and self-important; “congenial” means friendly, affable.