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Difficulty: EasySentence Equivalence: Contextual Synonym Pair Selection

Despite the lead investigator's reputation for extreme thoroughness, her final report on the project was surprisingly __________, containing several unverified assertions and careless omissions. Which two of the following options, when inserted into the blank, produce completed sentences that are equivalent in meaning?

  1. slipshodAnswer
  2. laxAnswer
  3. C
    meticulous
  4. D
    fastidious
  5. E
    exhaustive
  6. F
    pedantic

Answer

The options 'slipshod' and 'lax' both fit the blank to create sentences with equivalent meanings, conveying that the report was careless and lacked thoroughness.
The sentence relies on the contrast signal 'Despite' to shift from the investigator's usual 'thoroughness' to a report characterized by 'careless omissions'. Selecting 'slipshod' and 'lax' produces two sentences with identical meaning, indicating that the report was surprisingly careless and lacking in rigor.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze structural clues and sentence polarity
The pivot word 'Despite' establishes a contrast between the investigator's reputation for 'thoroughness' and the actual nature of the report, which contains 'unverified assertions and careless omissions'.
The target word must mean careless, negligent, or lacking in rigor.
2
Identify word pairs among the options
The choices yield two main synonym groupings: 'slipshod' / 'lax' (meaning careless/negligent) and 'meticulous' / 'fastidious' (meaning painstaking/thorough).
GRE Sentence Equivalence requires selecting two words that produce equivalent sentence meanings.
3
Select the contextual pair matching the sentence context
The words 'slipshod' and 'lax' fit the negative contrast required by the sentence.
Both words complete the sentence coherently while maintaining identical overall meaning.

Key Concept

Sentence Equivalence: Contextual Synonym Pair Selection
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Sentence Equivalence: Contextual Synonym Pair Selection

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