Each sentence has one or two blanks, each blank indicating that something has been omitted. Beneath the sentence are five words. Choose the word or set of words for each blank that best fits the meaning of the sentence as a whole.
Question 1
Despite generous helpings of _____________________ from a group of ____________ critics, this iconoclastic poet’s three volumes have sold steadily.
A. zeal … hidebound
B. mockery … obscure
C. tedium … respected
D. abuse … ineffectual
E. vitriol … influential
Question 2
Friendship, no matter how ____________________, has its boundaries; _________ advice, when thrust insistently upon one, is rarely an act of friendship, regardless of the adviser’s intent.
A. cool … contradictory
B. enjoyable … obverse
C. intimate … unsolicited
D. distant … marital
E. special … desired
Question 3
Very little is known of the writer Theophilus; however, from his eclectic writings, we can _________ that he was well ______________.
A. Assume … educated
B. Understand … disciplined
C. Appreciate … respected
D. Expect … exposed
E. Acknowledge … received
Question 4
Because of his inherent ______________, Harry steered clear of any job that he suspected could turn out to be a travail.
A. Impudence
B. Insolence
C. Eminence
D. Indolence
E. integrity
Question 5
Greek philosophers tried to ___________ contemporary notions of change and stability by postulating the existence of the atom, ___________ particle from which all varieties of matter are formed.
A. Personify … a mutating
B. Reconcile … an indivisible
C. Simplify … a specific
D. Eliminate … an infinitesimal
E. Confirm … an interesting