Because political theorists often rely on jargon, their writing sometimes seems _______ to the general public, who cannot understand a word of it.
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Solution
( C. muddled , D. abstruse )
The word in the blank must be a characteristic of something written in jargon that makes the writing difficult to understand for the general public. Risible means laughably absurd, which is sometimes, but not always a characteristic of jargony writing. Vapid means boring, which might also sometimes be true of this type of writing, but this word has the connotation of lacking in substance, which political theory usually is not. Uncanny and occult mean strange.While an unfamiliar writing style might indeed seem strange to the general public, these words have a supernatural connotation, which would not be a good fit for a description of political theory. Muddled and abstruse both mean confusing, which would be characteristics that would describe jargony writing from the perspective of the general public.
In her recent book Palmeriste: A Biography, Sklar argues that Palmeriste was a connoisseur of many things, rather than a dilettante; Brand believes this is a _______ distinction, obscuring the more relevant question of where exactly he got all of his money.
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Solution
( C. nice , E. minute )
Brand believes that the distinction obscures a more relevant question, so the word in the blank must mean something consistent with not relevant. Baleful means dangerous, and feckless means incompetent or irresponsible, neither of which are close to not relevant. Critical and cardinal both mean important, so those words are the opposite of what you’re looking for.The correct answers here rely on secondary definitions of the words nice and minute. Both of these words can be used to mean so small as to be insignificant.
A good editor must be able to quickly ______ excellent submissions from a pile of dross, distinguishing the best offerings from the worst in an efficient manner.
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Solution
( E. winnow , F. sift )
A good editor is interested in distinguishing the best offerings from the worst in an efficient manner, so your word for the blank needs to mean the same thing as distinguish. Both consolidate and integrate are nearly the opposite of what you’re looking for, so eliminate choices (A) and (B). Neither finagle, which means to obtain by dishonest or indirect means, nor intimate, which—as a verb—means to insinuate, is supported by the sentence, so eliminate choices (C) and (D). Both winnow and sift can mean separate, so choices (E) and (F) give you appropriate, equivalent sentences.
Animated and _______ by the ideals of the Enlightenment, the political unrest that began the French Revolution eventually erupted into anarchy.
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Solution
( B. fomented , C. galvanized )
The word in the blank must agree with animated, so anything that means gave life to will work—feel free to recycle animated. Both obliterated and extirpated are nearly the opposite of what you’re looking for, so eliminate choices (A) and (F). Neither paralleled, which means was similar to, nor exemplified, which means were examples of, is supported by the sentence, so eliminate choices (D) and (E). Both fomented and galvanized can mean inspired, so choices (B) and (C) give you appropriate, equivalent sentences.
In Jay Gatsby, Fitzgerald has created a conundrum of a character: as he grows progressively more flagrant in his spending and his lifestyle, Gatsby also becomes progressively more charming such that readers are forced to simultaneously admire and abhor his _______.
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Solution
( B. dissipation , E. profligacy )
The clue is that Gatsby grows progressively more flagrant in his spending and his lifestyle, so the word in the blank must mean something like inclined to spend money unwisely. Ignominy means shame and volubility means talkativeness, but nothing in the sentence indicates that he feels shame or talks incessantly. Repute and stature mean fame; though Gatsby is a famous character, the blank does not refer to his fame. Dissipation and profligacy can both mean inclined to wastefulness, and produce equivalent, appropriate sentences.
Darryl argued that the poet’s latest volume was ultimately _______, containing no new ideas, indeed nothing but overt drivel.
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Solution
( A. platitudinous , C. jejune )
The missing word must be consistent with the clues no new ideas and containing nothing but overt drivel. Lax and amorphous both mean without precision or structure; they’re consistent with the end of the sentence, but not with this clue. Natty means neat and tidy, usually in reference to clothing, and does not reflect the clue. Labyrinthine means unnecessarily complicated, but the problem with the poetry is lack of freshness. Platitudinous and jejune both mean trite or uninteresting and produces equivalent, appropriate sentences.
Throughout the mid-2000s, many corporations viewed internet applications such as personal email and social media as detractors from productivity; however, most businesses have now embraced the power of these applications not only to _______ productivity, but also further their brands in the marketplace.
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Solution
( A. bolster , D. ameliorate )
Emily has a changing career, so she can’t guarantee a fixed paycheck. Therefore, her husband must accumulate overtime work from his supervisors. You’re looking for a word that means accumulate or ask for. Rebuke means to reprimand, so eliminate it. Eschew and relinquish are synonyms that mean give up, which is the opposite of accumulate. Disseminate means scatter, and does not mean accumulate. Amass and garner can both mean gather and accumulate, and produce equivalent, appropriate sentences.
Due to the transient nature of her career, Emily could not guarantee that she would get an immutable paycheck every two weeks, and therefore warned her husband that he would need to _______ overtime work from his supervisors.
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Solution
( B. amass , D. garner )
Emily has a changing career, so she can’t guarantee a fixed paycheck. Therefore, her husband must accumulate overtime work from his supervisors. You’re looking for a word that means accumulate or ask for. Rebuke means to reprimand, so eliminate it. Eschew and relinquish are synonyms that mean give up, which is the opposite of accumulate. Disseminate means scatter, and does not mean accumulate. Amass and garner can both mean gather and accumulate, and produce equivalent, appropriate sentences.
Despite his lack of education and somewhat obtuse demeanor, the night watchman was relied upon by many for his _______ advice on matters of love and romance.
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Solution
( A. insightful , F. perspicacious )
The trigger word despite tells you that the first part of the sentence contrasts the second part. So, the blank will have a word that means the opposite of the clues lack of education and obtuse, such as keenly smart. Perspicacious and insightful mean observant or perceptive; these are the best choices. Jejune means immature and vapid means dull, but neither is the opposite of obtuse. Pragmatic means practical and expedient means appropriate; both words could describe good advice, but don’t follow from the clue in this sentence.
Concerned about the noxious effects of pesticides on local rivers, Tess petitioned her local farmers to employ _______ amount of the repellent.
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Solution
( C. a nominal , E. a negligible )
Since Tess was worried about the pesticides’ noxious effects, a word like small or minimal would make sense in the blank. Both capacious and profuse are nearly the opposite of what you’re looking for, so eliminate choices (A) and (F). Choices (B) and (D) give equivalent meanings as well, but lasting effects are what Tess is trying to avoid. Both nominal and negligible can mean small, so choices (C) and (E) give you appropriate, equivalent sentences.