Intellect, Eco and Social Status - 4

Browsing is the best option which means skimming through the whole and examining in detail the articles of interest. Scrutinizing means looking at with the purpose of inspection or appraisal.

Profligate means wasteful or spending money recklessly. In the context, the son wastes time and money on drinking and socializing. Spendthrift is similar but refers to someone who spends wastefully, while wasteful directly captures profligate's meaning of reckless extravagance.

Impecunious means penniless or having no money. The context shows artists who frequent a cheap cafe but order nothing expensive - indicating they lack funds. Needy and jobless are related but not the direct meaning of impecunious.

Covetous means envious or having a strong desire for someone else's possessions. The context directly shows wanting someone else's wealth. Mindful and aware are unrelated, while beneficiary is the opposite - someone who receives, not desires.

Peripatetic means wandering or traveling from place to place. The context of attending many different schools clearly indicates a family that moves frequently. Adventurous is a positive trait unrelated to movement, while conservative and penniless don't fit.

Putative means generally considered to be such, or supposed/assumed to be true. The context shows something believed to be a cure but proven ineffective - it was assumed to work. Superficial, advised, and patented don't capture this meaning of being generally reputed or supposed.

Surmise means to deduce, guess, or infer from incomplete evidence. In the context, she's trying to figure out his intentions. Suppress means to hold back, imitate means to copy, and transform means to change - none fit.

Esoteric means obscure, understood by few, or specialized knowledge. Growing ornamental onions is a niche topic, not widely known. Stupid is wrong, conscientious means diligent, and mysterious means unexplainable - none fit.

Frivolous means lacking seriousness, playful, or not worthy of serious attention. The father worked hard and couldn't tolerate silly, unimportant pursuits. Ill-behaved means bad manners, dizzy means confused, and beggarly means poor - none capture the lack of seriousness.

Callow means naive, inexperienced, or immature. Young workers being taken advantage of indicates they lack experience. Sophisticated is the opposite, enthusiastic means eager, and amateur means unskilled - none fit like naive does.

Savants means learned people or scholars, especially in science or literature. Translation work requires deep knowledge. Menials means servants, bookworms means excessive readers, and laureates means award winners - none fit like scholars.

Recondite means profound, deep, or difficult to understand. Astrophysics that questions fundamental concepts is clearly deep and complex. Sceptical and superficial are wrong, vast means big - none capture the depth and difficulty.

Felon means someone who has committed a serious crime (offender). Even after serving time, the person remains a criminal. Trickster is a deceiver, fearful means afraid, and highbred means aristocratic - none fit like offender.

Pariah refers to a person who is rejected or ostracized by society. In the context of leprosy sufferers facing social isolation despite being medically non-contagious, 'untouchables' best captures this meaning of social exclusion and avoidance. The other options don't convey the sense of being an outcast from society.

Plebeian historically refers to common people or the working class in society, as opposed to the aristocracy or elite. The King's dismissive tone - 'How did such... ever get in here?' - reveals his disdain for ordinary people entering his exclusive space. 'Commoners' is the perfect fit, while other options either miss the class distinction entirely or add negative connotations not present in the original.