The organizer of the university’s series of public debates commented that it is difficult to find a suitable adjudicator for debates on certain controversial matters, as there exist topics in regards to which no one is _________.
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Solution
Disinterested.
You need a word that means unbiased (a good quality for a debate judge or moderator). Disinterested does not mean uninterested — rather, it means not having a “personal interest” in the topic, and therefore being unbiased.
Though the industry leader faces prosecution while the smaller company is legally shielded from consequences due to a crafty system of hiring outside firms to do its dirty work, the smaller firm is clearly (i) _________ with the larger one, (ii) _________ the larger firm’s plans to dominate the industry through illegal labor practices and offshore dumping.
| Blank (i) | Blank (ii) |
| at loggerheads | colluding |
| in cahoots | stymying |
| preoccupied | abetting |
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Solution
In cahoots, abetting.
The Though at the beginning of the sentence tells you that the second part of the sentence will oppose the idea of the big firm (the “industry leader”) being punished while the small firm gets away with something. Indeed, the small firm is working with the larger one to do wrong — it is in cahoots. In the second blank, you need a word that means “complicit in” or “helping (in a bad way).” Only abetting works. Watch out for the trap answer colluding. This word does mean to cooperate in order to commit a wrong, but doesn’t fit for grammatical reasons — you can’t collude plans. Rather, you collude with X to do Y (collude with a competitor to raise prices).
Although this historical figure had been (i) _________ politician and a brilliant inventor, the professor found himself unable to (ii) _________ the interest of his students in the career of a man with such anachronistic views.
| Blank (i) | Blank (ii) |
| a clandestine | whet |
| a deft | accrue |
| an effete | tout |
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Solution
A deft, whet.
Due to the “although,” you can infer that the first blank must be something positive — only deft works. In the second blank, whet means “stimulate.” Tout is a bit of a trap — the professor could tout the historical figure as a fun thing to learn about, but he can’t tout someone’s interest.
The club had been all male up until 1963, when it began to admit women, who now make up more than 65 percent of the membership; hence, the female club president was both annoyed and amused at an elderly male member’s (i) _________ suggestion that women be shuffled off to (ii) _________ organization where they could play bridge and drink tea without having to worry about serious issues.
| Blank (i) | Blank (ii) |
| regressive | an incendiary |
| rustic | an auxiliary |
| prudish | a hierarchical |
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Solution
Regressive, auxiliary.
Given the lengthy explanation of the club’s history, the elderly male member’s suggestion was “backwards,” or “hopelessly old-fashioned.” Only regressive matches. In the second blank, you want something that reflects the idea play bridge and drink tea without having to worry about serious issues. Auxiliary has this sense of “secondary” or “on the side.”
The biography, a (i) _________ account of a (ii) _________ life, was a gripping read, though hardly appropriate for young readers.
| Blank (i) | Blank (ii) |
| faux-naif | callow |
| no-holds-barred | stonewalled |
| dyed-in-the-wool | storied |
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Solution
No-holds-barred, storied.
You are told that the biography is gripping, but not appropriate for young people. So, it’s exciting — and probably full of sex, violence, or both. No-holds-barred and storied are the only choices that could even remotely match — surely the biography isn’t pretending to be naive (faux-naif) or unwilling to change (dyed-in-the-wool), and the “life” isn’t immature (callow) or stalled (stonewalled).
It was a fact that the region was both quiet and rural, but what the typically impoverished residents considered (i) _________ refuge was considered by the well-heeled visitors to be an intolerable (ii) _________, and its residents’ lifestyles unpleasantly (iii) _________.
| Blank (i) | Blank (ii) | Blank (iii) |
| a parochial | penumbra | tony |
| an arcadian | utopia | spartan |
| a squalid | hinterland | apollonian |
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Solution
An arcadian, hinterland, spartan.
A refuge is positive; you also have the clue “quiet and rural.” Arcadian conveys a positive view of rural life. In contrast, hinterland conveys the idea of a backwater or undesirable, far-out place. In the third blank, only spartan can be negative.
The plan, if it can be called that, has been more of a (i) _________ vision than a concrete proposal; like many similarly (ii) _________ ideas, it is unlikely to ever come to fruition.
| Blank (i) | Blank (ii) |
| Dionysian | quixotic |
| protean | pragmatic |
| martial | unorthodox |
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Solution
Protean, quixotic.
In the first blank, you need an idea that contrasts with “concrete proposal.” Protean matches nicely. For the second blank, you need a word that also represents the idea of not being concrete, as well as the idea of being unlikely to ever come to fruition. Quixotic matches perfectly. Note that pragmatic is the exact opposite; you have no idea whether the idea is unorthodox.
The children’s story—seemingly a simple tale of animals gathering for a picnic in the forest—took _________ turn at the end, admonishing readers to always be honest.
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Solution
a Didactic.
The children’s story ended with a moral — “always be honest.” The word didactic can mean “morally instructive” or just “instructive” — this book is a didactic work.
While some feel that the author’s (i) _________ late in his life (ii) _________ his reputation, others felt that his dissolution added a certain glamour to his biography and credibility to his libertinous tales.
| Blank (i) | Blank (ii) |
| vitiation | derogated from |
| debauchment | bedizened |
| deterioration | aggrandized |
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Solution
Debauchment, derogated from.
Our clue is the author’s “dissolution” — he may have turned to drugs, promiscuity, crime, or just letting his life fall apart. Libertinous has a similar meaning, as does the correct word debauchment. In the second blank, you want something negative (to contrast with the opinion of the “others” who felt that his dissolution added a certain glamour to his biography).
Though the negotiation was initially expected to proceed smoothly, it soon became apparent that any appearance of (i) _________ between the parties was disingenuous or, at best, a superficial adherence to certain (ii) _________.
| Blank (i) | Blank (ii) |
| duplicity | mores |
| amity | politics |
| solace | plaudits |
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Solution
Amity, mores.
The pivot word though tells you that the negotiation did not actually proceed smoothly. The first blank comes after “appearance of,” which indicates fake behavior. The word disingenuous backs up that meaning. You need something positive — the parties are showing false amity, or friendliness, out of a “superficial” adherence to customs or rules — mores.