While some mummies, those of Egyptian pharaohs for example, were intentionally preserved with substances such as natron to dry out the bodies and prevent decomposition, others, such as the Tarim mummies found in present-day Xinjiang, China, were _______ naturally by the searing desert conditions.
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Solution
( E. exsiccated , F. anhydrated )
The topic of the text is mummification, which deals with drying out the body and preventing decomposition. There is a contrast, indicated by the while trigger, between the Egyptian pharaoh mummies and the Tarim mummies. The text tells you that the Egyptian mummies were intentionally preserved, so you can fill in the blank with something to indicate the Tarim mummies were naturally preserved. Choices (B) and (C) could be tempting, because the mummies were discovered, but that’s not what the missing word means. Choice (A) has nothing to do with the context of the sentence, and choice (D) is the opposite of what you’re looking for.
Many animals such as the poison dart frog, the tiger moth, and the black widow spider give predators advanced warning of their unpalatability or danger through aposematic warning signs, while other animals such as the harmless scarlet kingsnake simply mimic the bright colors of the _______ species to keep predators away.
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Solution
( A. pernicious , E. deleterious )
The sentence tells you that animals give predators advanced warning of their danger, so you know the bright colors are warning signs. The while trigger changes the direction of the second part of the sentence, which you can see with the mention of the harmless scarlet kingsnake, but then there’s another contrast with the simply mimic phrase. This brings you back to the animals that are unpalatable or dangerous. You can recycle dangerous for the blank.Eliminate choice (B) right away, because if the animals are dangerous, they definitely aren’t friendly. Choice (D) might initially look appealing, but it actually means beautiful. While the animals might be brightly- colored, you’re looking for something that means dangerous, so you can eliminate that answer. You’re left with two sets of synonyms, choices (A) and (E) and choices (C) and (F). The words in the second set, choices (C) and (F), mean edible. If you missed one of the contrast triggers, you might be tempted to go with that pair, but because you have the two different changes of direction, you can eliminate them. That leaves (A) and (E) as the best answers.
Truly understanding literary theory requires a greater academic investment than simply memorizing descriptions of aestheticism, deconstructionism, and post-modernism; one must also be willing to study philosophy, history, and society to develop an interdisciplinary _______ of how humans build meaning.
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Solution
(A. discernment , C. acumen )
The semicolon trigger indicates that the two parts of the sentence will agree, so recycle the clue understanding into the blank or use a simple word like knowledge. Both incognizance and nescience are the opposite of what you’re looking for, so eliminate choices (B) and (E). Neither somnolence, which means drowsiness, nor belletrism, which means engagement in the genre of literature known as belles-lettres, is supported by the sentence, so eliminate choices (D) and (F). Both discernment and acumen can mean understanding, so choices (A) and (C) give you appropriate, equivalent sentences.
Instead of saying “killed” when reporting on war situations, the military often uses more anodyne phrases such as “neutralizing the target” or “collateral damage;” these attempts to gloss reality with _______ do nothing to alleviate the impact of the news.
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Solution
( B. periphrasis , D. circumlocution )
The military is using anodyne phrases to gloss reality, so a word that means something like euphemisms or unclear statements. Both elucidation and dysphemisms are nearly the opposite of what you’re looking for, so eliminate choices (A) and (F). Neither prevarication, which means untruth, nor hyperbole, which means exaggeration, is supported by the sentence, so eliminate choices (C) and (E). Both periphrasis and circumlocutions can mean unclear statements, so choices (B) and (D) give you appropriate, equivalent sentences.
Boycotting companies that engage in unethical behavior, such as promoting wars or violating privacy rights, can be an effective way to pressure corporations to stop inherently unacceptable behaviors; nonetheless, such demonstrations of consumer _______ can also have negative consequences including inflation and increased unemployment.
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Solution
( C. censure , F. disapprobation )
The blank describes what consumers demonstrate when boycotting companies, so a word like disapproval would make sense in the blank. Both endorsement and ratification are nearly the opposite of what you’re looking for, so eliminate choices (A) and (B). Neither debilitation, which means weakening, nor machinations, which means schemes, is supported by the sentence, so eliminate choices (D) and (E). Both censure and disapprobation can mean disapproval, so choices (C) and (F) give you appropriate, equivalent sentences.
The decision to continue the investigation was not so much about doubting the veracity of the witness’s statement, which had been corroborated by other reliable interviews, as it was about a conviction that there was further evidence that could play a _______ role in the case.
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Solution
( A. paramount , C. salient )
The blank describes the role played by the kind of evidence that would justify a decision to continue the investigation, so a word that means something like important would make sense. Both negligible and marginal are nearly the opposite of what you’re looking for, so eliminate choices (B) and (F). Choices (D) and (E) give roughly synonymous meanings as well, but nothing in the sentence supports the description of the role as dishonest. Both paramount and salient can mean important, so choices (A) and (C) give you appropriate, equivalent sentences.
Not known to go out of his way to get along with people, the reclusive author nonetheless managed to surprise the interviewer with his _______ comments.
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Solution
( D. splenetic , F. churlish )
The blank describes comments were startling, despite the author’s reputation as anti-social, so something that means anti-social or unfriendly would make sense. Both simpatico and winsome are nearly the opposite of what you’re looking for, so eliminate choices (A) and (E).Choices (B) and (C) give synonymous meanings, but nothing in the sentence supports the idea that the author is hard to understand. Both splenetic and churlish can mean unfriendly, so choices (D) and (F) give you appropriate, equivalent sentences.
Because they were written to entertain both parents and children, Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies served an unexpectedly _______ purpose: vex, parry, and overture, for example, are among the advanced vocabulary that the young audience could learn in context from The Bugs Bunny Show.
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Solution
( A. didactic , C. edifying )
The colon indicates that the purpose will agree with the information in the second part of the sentence, where the young audience is learning advanced vocabulary; a word that means something like teaching would make sense. Both obfuscating and mystifying are nearly the opposite of what you’re looking for, so eliminate choices (B) and (F). Neither aggrandizing, which means making larger or more powerful, nor ephemeral, which means short-lived, is supported by the sentence, so eliminate choices (D) and (E). Both didactic and edifying can mean intended to instruct, so choices (A) and (C) give you appropriate, equivalent sentences.
Oblivious to the magnitude of his costly mistake, Whitman was unprepared to be _______ at so public a forum as the annual shareholder’s meeting.
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Solution
( A. censured , B. excoriated )
Having committed an expensive error, Whitman might reasonably expect to be criticized or blamed. Both lauded and extolled are nearly the opposite of what you’re looking for, so eliminate choices (D) and (F). Neither instigated, which means incited, nor repatriated, which means returned to one’s land of citizenship, is supported by the sentence, so eliminate choices (C) and (E). Both censured and excoriated can mean criticized, so choices (A) and (B) give you appropriate, equivalent sentences.
Some of Dr. Seuss’s most famous characters had _______ meanings that would be lost on his young readers until adulthood; the title character in Yertle the Turtle, for instance, was based on Hitler, and the imperiled Who people in Horton Hears a Who represented the citizens of post-World War II Japan.
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Solution
( C. oblique , E. allusive )
The blank describes the kind of meanings that don’t become clear for years, so you need something like hidden or unclear. Both manifest and lucid are nearly the opposite of what you’re looking for, so eliminate choices (B) and (F). Neither banal, which means trite and commonplace, nor nascent, which means newly formed, is supported by the sentence, so eliminate choices (A) and (D). Both oblique and allusive can mean unclear, so choices (C) and (E) give you appropriate, equivalent sentences.