English

An aviary is a large enclosure for confining birds, allowing them space to fly. 'Columbary' is not a standard term for bird enclosures, and 'Volary' is a misspelling of 'volary,' which is less commonly used. 'All of the above' is incorrect since only 'Aviary' is correct.

The word 'mordant' means sharply critical or biting, similar in meaning to 'acerbic', 'caustic', and 'corrosive'. 'Pleasant' is the opposite in meaning, making it the correct antonym.

When converting direct speech to reported speech, the present tense 'have' changes to past tense 'had', and the time expression 'this evening' changes to 'that evening' to reflect the shift in time perspective.

The antonym of 'absolve' (which means to free from guilt or blame) is 'condemn' (which means to express strong disapproval or to declare someone guilty). 'Execute' is unrelated as an antonym, and 'exculpate' is a synonym, so option B is correct.

Option D correctly changes the direct speech into reported speech with proper pronoun and tense changes: 'I have lost' becomes 'she had lost' and 'my' becomes 'her'.

The phrase "Inter alia" is a Latin term meaning "among other things." It is commonly used in legal and formal English to indicate that the item or point mentioned is one among several others. While the exact phrase "among other things" is not one of the options, the closest meaning among the given options is "In between," which captures the sense of being among or between other things. Therefore, option A is the best available choice.

The word 'abate' means to lessen or diminish in intensity or amount. While 'halt' means to stop completely and 'decline' means to decrease gradually, 'diminish' is the closest synonym to 'abate'. Therefore, option A is correct.

The sentence requires the present perfect tense to indicate that by the time the letter is received, the tragic news will already have been received. "Have received" (option D) correctly fits this context. Option C is grammatically incorrect.

The word 'gregarious' means sociable or fond of company. Its antonym is 'lonesome,' which means solitary or preferring to be alone, making option B correct.

Felicity means happiness or great joy, so its antonym is sadness, which represents unhappiness or sorrow. The other options do not relate to the meaning of felicity.