Detailed Analysis

1. Analyze the Structure and Relationship:
- The overall structure is a contrast: Perkin's wit was surprisingly ______ (i) by the era's prudishness.
- The second part explains the consequence: The wit might not have been as _______ (ii) if he had lived in an era not prone to _____ (iii).
- This suggests the wit's current quality (ii) is a product of the prudishness and its resulting ________ (iii).

2. Analyze Blank (i): Wit vs. Prudishness
- Prudishness means excessive concern about modesty and propriety. This suggests a desire to suppress or restrain anything vulgar or risqué.
- The word surprisingly indicates that Perkin's wit did not conform to the suppression; it must have been allowed to thrive or remain unrestrained despite the prudishness.
- A. tempered (moderated; restrained) - Opposite meaning.
- B. overwhelmed (swamped; made powerless) - Opposite meaning.
- C. untrammeled (not restricted or deprived of freedom; unrestrained) - Correct. It means his wit was surprisingly not restrained by the prudish atmosphere.

Second blank:
"may not have been nearly as _______ had he lived in an era not so prone to..."
If his wit was tempered (restrained) by prudishness, then without prudishness, his wit would have been more something.

So in his actual time, his wit was less _______ than it would have been in a freer era.

We need a word for what his wit would have been more of without prudishness.
- Comical - possible, but not directly opposite of "tempered by prudishness."
- Restrained - no, that's what it was in reality (due to tempering), so in a freer era it would be less restrained.
- Racy = slightly risqué, sexually suggestive - yes, this fits perfectly: in a prudish era, wit is less racy; in a freer era, wit would be more racy.

So F. racy fits.

Third blank:
"an era not so prone to ______ "

Since the era he actually lived in was prudish, that means it was prone to blushing (metaphorically, easily shocked).
- Blushing $=$ easily shocked, prudish → fits perfectly.
- Vacillation = indecision - unrelated to prudishness.
- Expression - an era prone to expression would be the opposite of prudish.

So G. blushing fits.