Text Completion – 6

1. Many 17th century buildings that are still in existence have been so (i) _____________ by
successive owners that the original layout is no longer (ii) _____________ beneath the
sometimes much-needed, but usually (iii) _____________ attempts to personalize or improve.
Blank (i) Blank (ii) Blank (iii)
preserved discernible adept
transmogrified extant grotesque
decimated enshrouded tasteful

2. Since ancient times sculpture has been considered the prerogative of men; women sculptors
have, until recently, consistently met with (i) ___________, or even (ii) ____________ .
Blank (i) Blank (ii)
discouragement ridicule
vilification approbation
concern tolerance

3. (i) _____________ at this time would be inadvisable; we have not yet accumulated sufficient
expertise to warrant anything other than a (ii) ______________ approach.
Blank (i) Blank (ii)
circuitous proceedings decisive
vacillation direct
precipitate action cautious

4. Our grandfather was an entertaining (i) ___________; he used to ____________ us with

marvellous anecdotes that we, in our childlike simplicity, (iii) ______________.
Blank (i) Blank (ii) Blank (iii)
raconteur intimidate accepted unquestioningly
rascal regale debated ferociously
curmudgeon bore debunked readily

5. When the (i) ____________ weather forced us to stay indoors, we resorted to (ii) ___________
board games to pass the time. Anything, however (iii)____________, was better in our present
troubled state of mind than sitting in silence.
Blank (i) Blank (ii) Blank (iii)
congenial inane time-consuming
restorative exhilarating vacuous
inclement challenging versatile

6. Edward was understandably upset that he had lost the position, but he was (i) ______________
by the conviction that he had done nothing to (ii) __________ the dismissal.
 Blank (i) Blank (ii)
saddened merit
miffed mar
consoled delay

7. We were not fooled by his (i) ___________ arguments; his plan was (ii) _____________. That
even he was (iii) _____________ by his own reasoning was apparent from his unenthusiastic
demeanor.
Blank (i) Blank (ii) Blank (iii)
specious obviously untenable duped
cogent clearly brilliant persuaded
labyrinthine cunningly contrived unconvinced

8. The model paraded in front of the celebrities with (i) ____________; it was impossible to tell
that this was her (ii) _______________.
Blank (i) Blank (ii)
trepidation first assignment
consternation normal gait
panache real persona

9. English words and expressions have come into being (i) ___________, and some common
expressions are decidedly illogical. The term lead pencil, for example, is a (ii) __________ ;
pencils are filled with graphite not lead.
Blank (i) Blank (ii)
haphazardly misdemeanour
rationally misnomer
ab initio euphemism

10. The parliamentary session degenerated into (i)____________ with politicians (ii) ____________
each other and refusing to (iii) ______________.
Blank (i) Blank (ii) Blank (iii)

mayhem trading banter with escalate the situation

obsolescence hurling invectives at challenge the opposition
authoritarianism staring pointedly at come to order

11. Contrary to his reputation, the admiral was not a (i)____________. He (ii) ___________ his
order to attack when he saw the white flag raised by the enemy sailors, and was actually
relieved that he could bring an end to the (iii)______________.
Blank (i) Blank (ii) Blank (iii)
bloodthirsty man countermanded truce
pacifist reiterated hiatus
pedant commandeered hostilities
 12. Do not be fooled by her (i)____________ manner; her superficial (ii) ____________ belies her
worldliness.
Blank (i) Blank (ii)
unsophisticated proficiency
gregarious naiveté
off-hand seriousness

13. Not unlike most regions of the earth, which undergo periodic shifts in weather and
temperature, but contrary to most people’s vision of a (i)_________ and invariable star, the sun
is not (ii)________ to seasonal changes affecting its winds and flares.
Blank (i) Blank (ii)
static immune
colossal susceptible
dynamic accustomed

14. As parents spend considerably more time and money on travel teams and high-end equipment,
many are beginning to ________________ the supposed innocence of youth sports.
appreciate
ameliorate
question
abhor
subsidize

15. Because of the author’s (i)__________, many readers consider his latest work (ii)__________ but, in
reality, as many knowledgeable critics point out, the piece(iii)__________.

Blank (i) Blank (ii) Blank (iii)

eloquence inaccessible lacks coherence and lucidity
prejudice poignant has no discernible conclusion
verbosity polarizing is the most succinct on the subject

16. (i)__________ within Capitol circles for her shrewd navigation of the political landscape, the
congresswoman is nonetheless (ii)____________ in her district’s local media coverage because
she (iii)__________.

Blank (i) Blank (ii) Blank (iii)

Revered overlooked affords the small community a large voice
Despised lionized has limited authority over foreign affairs
Known famous was accused of embezzling campaign funds
17. That the (i) _________ speaker had a penchant for rhetoric at the podium was understandable: he
grew up the son of a pastor and spent many Sundays as a young adult preaching the gospel himself.
But in his new career as an oncology lecturer he should also have adopted a more (ii)_________ use
of words to fit his new role. With subject matter requiring more concentration and attention to
detail, his (iii) ___________ had a tendency to leave his conference audiences confused and
exhausted.

Blank (i) Blank (ii) Blank (iii)

succinct ardent loquaciousness
garrulous diffident concision
monotonous economical derisiveness

18. In order to continue appealing to the whims of a changing electorate, some candidates realize that
they need to back away from strong beliefs in favor of those that are more ______________.
plastic
unorthodox
didactic
intransigent
illiberal

19. A newly published laudatory biography of George Bernard Shaw fail, like others before it to
capture the essence of his personality , the more he is __________ the more his true self
seemed to _______
Blank (i) Blank (ii)
discussed disappear
disparaged emerge
disregarded coalesce

20. If one could don magic spectacles with lenses that make the murky depths of the ocean become
transparent & look back several centuries to an age before widespread abuse of the ocean
began; even the most ___________ observer would quickly discover that fish are formerly much
more abundant. Likewise, many now depleted species of marine mammals would appear
_________ but without such special glasses, the difference between the past & present ocean
are indeed hard to ___________.
Blank (i) Blank (ii) Blank (iii)
casual threatened ignore
prescient plentiful discern
clearheaded unfamiliar dismay