Tenaciously, doggedly.
The word “Although” indicates that the correct
pair must contrast “accommodating.” Both “tenaciously” and “doggedly”
convey the idea that Orwell refused to back down. The pair “obsequiously”
and “sycophantically,” which both mean fawning or in an excessively
deferential manner, are the opposite of what the blank requires.
“Inadvertently,” which means accidentally, and “idiosyncratically,” which
means individualistic, can’t be correct because they don’t have matches.
22.
A flabbergasting, a confounding.
The word “Although” indicates that
the blank will convey something that contrasts with the main clause of the
sentence, which says that “_________ number of painters lived” to an old
age. Since the sentence also says that paints contained poisons, you need two
words that mean something like surprising or surprisingly large. The correct
answers, “a flabbergasting” and “a confounding” both mean surprising. Trap
answers “incomprehensible” and “impossible” go too far—it’s interesting that
many painters had long lives, but it’s not beyond all comprehension.
“Dismaying” is incorrect because it isn’t upsetting that many painters lived
long lives. Although apparently contradictory information might be
“enlightening,” that word has no match and cannot be correct.
23.
Gauche, uncouth.
The two words must match the words “ostentatious”
and “showy.” Both “gauche” and “uncouth” convey the idea of showing off in
a vulgar way. Remember not to insert your own opinions—“eccentric” and
“idiosyncratic” are near-synonyms, but are a trap. “Prosperous” and
“affluent” also form a tempting trap, because they could both describe
someone who is “newly rich,” but they do not mean “showy.”
24.
Moderate, temper.
The sentence describes the blogger as “radical” and
says that “in order to appeal to the more middle-of-the-road sensibilities,” she
had to do something to “_________ the expression of her views”; in other
words, she had to alter them in some way. “Moderate” and “temper” are the
correct answers because both mean to make something less extreme.
“Undermine,” a synonym for sabotage, is tempting, but the usage is incorrect
here because one does not deliberately undermine one’s own views. To
“galvanize” is to shock or excite into action and to “amalgamate” is to
combine, so neither of these words fits with the idea of moderating. To
“abridge” is to shorten, but shortening the expression of one’s views does not
make them more moderate.
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