Examkin

Question

Difficulty: HardInterpreting Contrast and Concession Structural Signals

Notwithstanding the architectural critic’s claim that the new museum’s minimalist facade was strikingly innovative, several municipal planners argued that the design was in fact __________, offering little more than a derivative repetition of mid-century modernist tropes.

Which of the following options, when inserted into the sentence blank, produce sentences that are logically equivalent and complete the context coherently?

  1. hackneyedAnswer
  2. B
    groundbreaking
  3. triteAnswer
  4. D
    vanguard
  5. E
    austere
  6. F
    ostentatious

Answer

The correct options are 'hackneyed' and 'trite'. Both words convey that the architectural design lacks originality and overuses familiar ideas, matching the description of 'a derivative repetition of mid-century modernist tropes' and correctly responding to the contrast signaled by 'Notwithstanding'.
The sentence relies on the concession transition 'Notwithstanding' to set up a contrast between the architectural critic's appraisal ('strikingly innovative') and the municipal planners' judgment. The modifying phrase 'offering little more than a derivative repetition of mid-century modernist tropes' explicitly defines the blank as requiring words that denote unoriginality and overuse. The terms 'hackneyed' and 'trite' both precisely mean lacking originality through excessive repetition, thus independently producing coherent and logically equivalent sentences.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze sentence structure and identify transition signals
The sentence begins with the concession structural signal 'Notwithstanding', which introduces a contrast between the critic's view ('strikingly innovative') and the planners' view (the blank).
Concession signals invert the logical direction between clauses, indicating that the blank must express an idea opposite in tone to 'innovative'.
2
Extract contextual clues to determine the required target meaning
The clause following the blank describes the design as 'offering little more than a derivative repetition of mid-century modernist tropes'.
This elaboration defines the required word in the blank as meaning unoriginal, overused, or lacking in freshness.
3
Evaluate option pairs for semantic equivalence and contextual fit
'Hackneyed' and 'trite' both mean unoriginal and dull due to overuse. When inserted independently, they create logically equivalent sentences.
Selecting both words satisfies GRE Sentence Equivalence requirements by completing the sentence meaningfully with identical semantic valence.

Key Concept

Interpreting Contrast and Concession Structural Signals in Sentence Equivalence
Rate this question

Topics

Interpreting Contrast and Concession Structural Signals

More questions from this topic