An impasse, a stalemate.
If neither side of the debate is willing to give
an inch to the other, then it would be impossible for a solution to be found.
The debate is more or less frozen. Both “a confrontation” and “an
engagement” imply some kind of clash, but the sentence implies that any kind
of serious clashing is now over (no one had anything new to offer). “An
impasse” and “a stalemate” reflect the static nature of the conflict. “A pause”
and “a timeout” are not correct because there is no indication that the debate
will continue.
47.
Excruciating, torturous.
The sensation produced by kidney stones is
compared to “the agony of childbirth,” so the blank must be a word that
means extremely painful. “Painstaking” (done with great care) and “tortuous”
(full of twists and turns) are both traps. The correct answers, “excruciating”
and “torturous,” describe terrible pain. “Anodyne” and “inoffensive” are
similar to each other but mean the opposite of what the blank requires.
48.
Duplicitous, cloaked
. The sentence begins by suggesting that social
media has fast and far-reaching effects, so celebrities wanting to “conceal
their foibles” would need to do something that would resemble what a spy
ring would do: be unobserved or deceitful. The correct answers are
“duplicitous” and “cloaked,” both of which mean deceitful or concealed.
While a spy ring might act in a way that is “draconian” (excessively harsh) or
“arduous” (difficult or tiring), these words don’t fit with the sentence, nor do
they have matching words among the answer choices. Both “conspicuous”
(noticeable) and “fanciful” (overimaginative or unrealistic) describe practices
that are the opposite of what a spy ring would employ.
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