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Question

Difficulty: HardSentence Equivalence: Contextual Synonym Pair Selection

Far from being a mere passive spectator during cabinet debates, the minister of finance exercised a __________ influence over fiscal legislation, quietly redrafting statutory provisions behind closed doors. Which TWO of the following options, when inserted into the sentence, produce completed sentences that are equivalent in meaning?

  1. covertAnswer
  2. B
    flamboyant
  3. surreptitiousAnswer
  4. D
    ostentatious
  5. E
    dominant
  6. F
    judicious

Answer

The two words that complete the sentence with equivalent meaning are 'covert' and 'surreptitious'. Both words express secret or stealthy action, which perfectly matches the context of redrafting provisions 'quietly' and 'behind closed doors'.
The correct choices are the words meaning secret, stealthy, or hidden ('covert' and 'surreptitious'). The sentence contrast specifies that the minister was not passive, and the descriptive clause indicates that the work was done 'quietly' and 'behind closed doors'. Both selected words fit this context precisely and yield identical sentence meanings.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze structural signals and context clues in the stem.
The phrase 'Far from being a mere passive spectator' sets up a contrast, while 'quietly redrafting statutory provisions behind closed doors' provides a clear direction for the target tone: stealthy, hidden, or secret influence.
Identifying the target word valence and definition prevents selecting words that match the topic but violate the contextual tone.
2
Evaluate potential synonym pairs among the six choices.
Two distinct synonym pairs exist in the options: ('covert', 'surreptitious') meaning secret or clandestine, and ('flamboyant', 'ostentatious') meaning showy or notice-seeking. 'Dominant' and 'judicious' have no matching synonym pairs in the list.
Sentence Equivalence requires selecting two choices that create sentences with identical meanings.
3
Select the pair that fits the contextual clues.
The pair consisting of 'covert' and 'surreptitious' fits the requirement of operating secretly behind closed doors. The pair consisting of 'flamboyant' and 'ostentatious' presents the exact opposite meaning.
Only one synonym pair aligns with the specific contextual requirement established by the sentence.

Key Concept

Sentence Equivalence: Contextual Synonym Pair Selection
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Topics

Sentence Equivalence: Contextual Synonym Pair Selection

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