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Difficulty: MediumSupport and Cause-Effect Clues

Complete the passage below by providing the appropriate word for the blank that best preserves the logical support and cause-effect relationships established in the text.

Answer:The economic historian noted that the discovery of seventeenth-century shipping manifests provided robust empirical evidence for the maritime trade hypothesis; consequently, this finding 【dispelled】 long-standing scholarly doubts regarding the extent of transoceanic commerce during that era.

Answer

dispelled (or allayed / quelled / dissipated / obviated)
The causal transition 'consequently' signals that the second clause describes the direct result of uncovering robust empirical evidence for the hypothesis. Presenting supportive proof naturally functions to eliminate or diminish skepticism, making words like 'dispelled', 'allayed', or 'quelled' logically coherent.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify structural transition signals in the sentence.
The semicolon followed by 'consequently' establishes a direct cause-and-effect relationship between the first and second clauses.
Recognizing causal transition markers reveals the required semantic direction of the missing word.
2
Analyze the premise provided in the initial clause.
The discovery 'provided robust empirical evidence' in favor of the maritime trade hypothesis.
Determining that the premise offers strong confirmation sets up what outcome follows logically.
3
Infer the target meaning for the blank to complete the causal chain.
Providing solid proof supporting a hypothesis logically causes pre-existing doubts to be removed or reduced.
The blank requires a verb meaning to eliminate, ease, or eliminate skepticism (e.g., 'dispelled' or 'allayed').

Key Concept

Support and Cause-Effect Clues in Text Completion
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Topics

Support and Cause-Effect Clues

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