Answer 1: EXECUTIVE
Trace EXECUTIVE through these nine cells: 1 at row 1, column 6; 2 at row 1, column 7; 3 at row 2, column 7; 4 at row 3, column 7; 5 at row 3, column 6; 6 at row 4, column 6; 7 at row 4, column 7; 8 at row 5, column 7; 9 at row 6, column 7.
Read along the route to get E → X → E → C → U → T → I → V → E. Move right, go down twice, turn left, go down, turn right, and finish by going down twice. The path changes direction five times across six straight segments, visits seven edge cells, and leaves 36 open cells for the remaining answers.