The following sentence contains two blanks. Which words from the commonly confused pair 'tortuous' and 'torturous' correctly fill the blanks to maintain the proper meaning of the sentence?
Answer:The hikers spent hours winding along the 【tortuous】 trail that hugged the cliffside, a journey that became a 【torturous】 test of endurance in the blistering heat.
Answer
The first blank should be filled with 'tortuous' and the second blank should be filled with 'torturous'.
The word 'tortuous' means full of twists and turns, which correctly describes the physical path of the winding trail. The word 'torturous' means involving or causing severe pain or suffering, which fits the context of a grueling test of endurance in the blistering heat.
Step-by-Step Solution
Key Concept
Distinguishing between the homophones 'tortuous' (winding, crooked) and 'torturous' (painful, agonizing).