The key here is that John’s attitude is not merely “upbeat” but is even “overly” so—“overly optimistic.” The best word is therefore “Pollyanna,” which is derived from the name of a young character in an early-twentieth-century novel by the same name. Pollyanna made it her goal to give a positive interpretation to every situation. The term has taken on this connotation in an almost negative manner.

The question arising here is why all the senses are not based upon contact, which is the case with the sense of touch. The word “tactile” means “perceptible to touch.” It is derived from the Latin tangere, which has a form in which the “g” becomes a “t”—tactus; therefore, “tactile” is related not only to words like “contact” and “intact” but also “tangible” and “tangent.”

Since Mark was sentenced, we can presume that he was found guilty. A person who is guilty is “culpable” for an offense.

The word is derived from the Latin culpa, meaning “fault.” Related words are “culprit” and “exculpatory.” (The latter is a combination of ex—meaning, out / out of, as in “exit”—and the base from culpa. Exculpatory evidence is evidence that proves (at least in part) the innocence of a party in a court case. It “gets one out of (ex-) guilt (culpa).”

The man’s face is apparently “shining”, though in a metaphorical sense. Do not be tempted by “solar” (which really is a metaphorical stretch) or “enlightened,” which really is not appropriate. The best choice is “refulgent,” which is derived from the Latin fulgere, meaning to shine or flash.

Here, if we can find a word that matches the “humorous” response of the older members. The word that fulfills this need is “risible,” which means “able to provoke laugher” or—more broadly—“amusing.”

It is derived from the Latin ridere, which means “to laugh.” The “d” becomes an “s” in certain forms, thus giving us “ris-” in English; however, related English words likewise retain the “d,” such as “deride,” “ridicule,” and “ridiculous.”

A supporting role is an “ancillary” role. The word is derived from the Latin ancilla, which means “slave / servant woman.” Sometimes, one will find reference to the medieval notion that “philosophy is the hand-maiden of theology.” In such cases, philosophy would be called the ancilla of theology.

The key here is to note that the man was an accountant. This will aid in singling out “pecuniary,” which means “related to or consisting of money,” particularly given the hints in the sentence that the former accountant just cannot help returning to his old ways of paying heed to such financial matters.

The history of this word is rather interesting. It comes directly from the Latin pecunia (and related words), meaning property, riches, or wealth; however, more remotely, it comes from pecus, which means “cattle”—a distinct type of wealth in more agrarian societies.

None of the evaluative words are justified by the rest of the sentence, so do not read any implications into the words provided. Based on the given data, we are only justified in calling this law “church-related.” The word “ecclesiastical” fits this well, as it means that—of or related to a (Christian) church. It is directly taken from the Latin “ecclesia” (which is taken from nearly identical Greek roots), meaning assembly or (later) church.

A “trite” remark is one that has been repeated so often that it has lost its meaning. This is implied by “repeated until they have no substance.”

The key expressions to note here are “brazenly narcissistic” and the fact that the boyfriend does not seem to have moral considerations in any manner. (This latter point helps to give context to his narcissism. Although several other options (distasteful, disruptive) are vaguely related to the sense, “sociopathic” is by far the best. Someone who has a “pathology” is said to have a social or mental issue of some type. The root “path-” is derived from Greek roots related to the emotions or “suffering” (like having an emotion come over you). It is reflected in words like passion, pathetic, etc. If one is a socio+path, they are antisocial precisely because they cannot function morally in society.