"Terse" means short, concise, and "succinct." None of the other answer choices are close in meaning to "terse": "trepidatious" means fearful and timid; "banal" means common and lacking in creativity; "persistent" means constant and unyielding; and "temporary" means not permanent, fleeting, or only lasting for a short while.

“Slovenly” means messy. To provide further help, a “creative” person is imaginative and often artistic; “serendipitous” means fortunate or owed entirely to chance; “unfortunate” means not lucky; “inauspicious” means an unlucky beginning that suggests an unfavorable conclusion.

The word "deferential" means showing respect to someone or something. The best choice is "respectful" as it is a part of the definition of "deferential." Considering the other choices, "fleeting" means not lasting, "effective" means able to accomplish a certain goal, "helpful" means providing assistance, and "profane" means secular when used as an adjective.

"Absentminded" is an adjective that describes a person or his or her behavior or manner and means "having or showing a habitually forgetful or inattentive disposition," so we need to pick out an answer choice that means something like "forgetful" or "inattentive." Neither "focused" nor "observant" can be the correct answer, then, because each of those words is an antonym of "absentminded." "Forgetful" is an answer choice, and because it is the answer choice closest in meaning to "absentminded," "forgetful" is the correct answer.

"Conceited" means too obsessed with oneself; being proud, vain, and arrogant. To provide further guidance, an "insomniac" is someone who has difficulty getting to sleep; "autonomous" and "independent" both describe someone or something that is in charge of itself, and the two words are synonyms of one another; "restrained" means held back, tied down.

"Peevish" is an adjective that means "easily irritated, especially by unimportant things," or "feeling or showing irritation." While someone who is peevish might also be loud, "loud" does not mean the same thing as "peevish," so it cannot be the correct answer. "Cranky," however, means "ill-tempered; irritable," so "cranky" is the correct answer because it is the answer choice closest in meaning to "peevish."

Someone who is "rambunctious" is very enthusiastic and lively, to the point of also being disorderly.

"Charismatic" is an adjective that means "exercising a compelling charm that inspires devotion in others." So, we need to pick out an answer choice that means something like "compelling." "Repellant," then, cannot be the correct answer, because "repellant" is an antonym of "compelling," not a synonym. "Captivating," however, is an adjective that means "capable of attracting and holding interest; charming," and because it is the answer choice closest in meaning to "charismatic," "captivating" is the correct answer.

"Terse" is an adjective that means "sparing in the use of words; abrupt," so we need to pick out an adjective that means something like "abrupt." So, "long-winded" cannot be the correct answer, because "long-winded" is an adjective used of speech or writing that means "continuing at length and in a tedious way," making the word an antonym, not a synonym, of "terse." "Brusque," however, means "abrupt or offhand in speech or manner," and because "brusque" is the answer choice closest in meaning to "terse," "brusque" is the correct answer.

"Stoic," when used as an adjective, means "enduring pain and hardship without showing one's feelings or complaining." So, we need to pick out an adjective that means something like "enduring hardship without complaining." So, that means that "peevish" cannot be the correct answer, because "peevish" means "easily irritated, especially by unimportant things," making "peevish" an antonym, not a synonym, of "stoic." "Uncomplaining," however, is an adjective that means "not complaining; resigned," and because "uncomplaining" is the answer choice closest in meaning to "stoic," "uncomplaining" is the correct answer.