“Sacrilegious” means disrespecting religious ideas, objects, or traditions, or in other words, "blasphemous." As for the other answer choices, “serene” means quiet and peaceful; “pious” means deeply religious; “gargantuan” means huge, gigantic, very large, or colossal; and "traditional" means adhering to established conventions without changing them.

Arresting means striking, eye-catching, or impactful.

"Symbiotic" and "synergistic" both mean cooperative or concerted. "Encumbering" means hindering or slowing. "Hindering" means encumbering or burdening. "Stringent" means stringent or tight. "Succinct" means short and to the point.

Instrinsic traits means they are innate or fundamental to a person; they are also described as inborn and natural.

Although polarize has a more literal, scientific meaning relating to ionization of atoms, it is also used to refer to an opposition of beliefs; therefore "divisive" is the best synonym.

"Onerous" and "arduous" both mean difficult or backbreaking. "Facile" means simple or easy. "Trivial" means unimportant or superficial. "Obsequious" means groveling or submissive. "Obdurate" means stubborn or adamant. 

The word “adverse” comes from the Latin meaning to turn toward or, more directly, to the Latin for to be against. The word “adverse” most often is used to describe conditions that are disadvantageous to some undertaking. For instance, a very standard usage is “adverse weather conditions,” meaning weather conditions that are not favorable to activities—either in specific or in general. It can also mean harmful, thus being used in a sentence like, “The adverse effects of the drug were known to cause cancer and heart damage within two years of beginning treatment.” The word “adversary,” meaning opponent, is clearly related to this word.

To hold something in esteem is not merely to enjoy it or relish it. It is to give it high respect. The word “admired” best fits for this reason. “Admire” actually comes from Latin roots related to wondering at something. Something that is “miraculous” is wonderful or wondrous. The “admirable” is likewise quite wonderful.

The word “indigent” means “poor” or “needy.” Among the options, the only option that means this is clearly “impoverished. One might see this word used in a sentence like, “The long period of economic recession greatly increased the indigent population of the country, requiring many more to turn to charity in order to have enough to live.” Note that the word is not the same as “indigenous,” which means “native to a given locale.”

For this word, the answer is perhaps less known that the word itself. Clearly, the word “impoverished” contains a relative of the word “poverty.” The word “destitute” most properly means “lacking the means even to provide for basic needs.” It can likewise mean, more generally, “lacking,” particularly when used in conjunction with the preposition “of” as in “the students were destitute of any intellectual interest.”