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To “equivocate” is to use ambiguous or evasive language, often to mislead or avoid commitment. “Prevaricated” (B) is the closest synonym, meaning to speak or act in an evasive way, frequently bordering on deceit. The context—“when pressed on costs”—implies pressure that prompts non-answers rather than clarity. “Clarified” (A) reverses the meaning. “Exaggerated” (C) relates to overstatement, not ambiguity. “Confessed” (D) suggests admission of guilt or responsibility, which is inconsistent with evasion. Nelson–Denny items frequently rely on pragmatic cues in discourse: being “pressed” typically elicits either a concession or hedging; “equivocate” encodes the latter. A quick morphological check can mislead here; there’s no obvious prefix to negate meaning. Instead, rely on collocation knowledge—politicians, spokespeople, and defendants are described as “equivocating” when they avoid direct answers. Substituting “prevaricated” preserves the sentence’s rhetorical situation and tone, confirming the choice and supporting efficient elimination of distractors.

“Intransigent” describes a refusal to compromise or change one’s position. The context—“stalled progress for weeks”—implies rigidity, making “unyielding” (B) the best choice. “Conscientious” (A) refers to diligence or carefulness, which might aid progress rather than stall it. “Magnanimous” (C) indicates generosity or nobility in forgiving; magnanimity would more likely facilitate agreement. “Cautious” (D) means careful or risk-averse, which could slow talks but does not capture the obstinate refusal conveyed by “intransigent.” On Nelson–Denny–style vocabulary items, align the emotional and causal logic of the sentence with the answer. A rigid stance plausibly halts negotiations; therefore, search for a synonym encoding obstinacy (adamant, unbending, implacable). Morphology can help: the prefix “in-” often negates, while “transig-” relates to compromise (as in “transaction”). Thus “in-transigent” literally suggests “not compromising.” This blend of context, logic, and morphology is a reliable approach under time pressure.

“Exigent” signals urgency—pressing need that demands immediate attention. In crisis-management and legal writing, “exigent circumstances” justify rapid action without normal delays. A hospital facing blackouts requires backup power quickly; “urgent” (B) fits exactly. “Flexible” (A) concerns adaptability, not time pressure. “Trivial” (C) minimizes importance, clashing with an emergency context. “Latent” (D) means hidden or dormant, the opposite of an immediate need. Nelson–Denny vocabulary stems often employ scenario cues to triangulate meaning; here, “rolling blackout” and “additional generators” encode emergency logistics. Train yourself to map context to semantic fields: emergencies → urgent/exigent; preparation → proactive/anticipatory. Substituting “urgent” keeps both sense and register intact. Distinguish “exigent” from “existent” (merely being) and from “exacting” (demanding in difficulty); those look similar but convey different ideas—common traps on timed exams.

“Specious” refers to reasoning or appearances that seem plausible or attractive at first glance but are actually false or deceptive. The sentence itself paraphrases this idea (“slick on the surface but unsound underneath”), pointing directly to (B). “Sound” (A) is the opposite—valid and well-founded. “Incomplete” (C) suggests missing pieces but not necessarily deception; a partial argument could still be basically correct. “Unrelated” (D) indicates irrelevance rather than false plausibility. On Nelson–Denny items, look for built-in glosses: writers sometimes define a term indirectly through contrastive phrases that reveal the meaning. In argument analysis passages, “specious” flags red herrings, cherry-picked data, or false analogies that can trap unwary readers. Practice identifying structure (premises, warrants, conclusions) to see why an argument is specious: often, the warrant doesn’t actually connect the evidence to the claim. Substitution—“the logic was superficially plausible but wrong”—preserves the evaluative thrust and guides you away from distractors that describe different flaws.

The paragraph ties policy (price listing) to outcomes: compliance improved, complaints fell, and an OER pilot preserved exam performance. Together, these support A: transparency plus open options reduced surprise costs without evident academic harm. B overclaims; the passage reports parity (“no drop”), not superiority. C contradicts the data—there’s no mention of increased failure. D dismisses transparency’s role despite reported benefits. On Nelson–Denny best-supported items, integrate qualitative (complaint reduction) and quantitative (exam scores) indicators linked to specific interventions. The staged timeline—initial spotty compliance, later adoption—also suggests ongoing implementation matters. The student push to expand zero-cost sections implies perceived value, reinforcing the interpretation that transparency and OER can improve affordability while maintaining outcomes.