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Difficulty: MediumInterpreting Contrast and Concession Structural Signals

Notwithstanding the manuscript curator’s assertion that the author’s primary journals were ________, subsequent ink analysis demonstrated that extensive modifications were introduced decades after their initial composition.

Which two of the following answer choices, when inserted into the blank, produce completed sentences that are logically equivalent and coherent in meaning?

  1. unalteredAnswer
  2. B
    revelatory
  3. uneditedAnswer
  4. D
    illuminating
  5. E
    spurious
  6. F
    impenetrable

Answer

The correct selections are 'unaltered' and 'unedited'.
The introductory preposition 'Notwithstanding' introduces a concession. The main clause reveals that ink analysis proved the journals underwent 'extensive modifications.' Thus, the curator's initial assertion must have been that the journals were free of modifications. The choices 'unaltered' and 'unedited' both accurately capture this meaning, yielding two sentences with equivalent logical meaning.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the structural transition signal in the sentence stem.
The word 'Notwithstanding' establishes a concession signal, indicating that the curator's assertion contrasts with the evidence revealed later in the sentence.
Concession signals set up an opposition between the concessive clause and the main clause.
2
Analyze the main clause context to determine the required polarity for the blank.
The main clause states that 'extensive modifications were introduced decades after their initial composition.' Therefore, the curator must have asserted the opposite: that the journals contained no changes or modifications.
The blank requires a word meaning unchanged, original, or unmodified.
3
Evaluate the choices to find a pair of near-synonyms that fit the required meaning.
'Unaltered' and 'unedited' both mean not changed or revised, producing logically equivalent sentences when inserted into the blank.
Sentence Equivalence requires two choices that independently yield coherent and semantically equivalent sentences.

Key Concept

Interpreting Contrast and Concession Structural Signals
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Topics

Interpreting Contrast and Concession Structural Signals

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