Complete the passage by filling in the blanks with words that precisely reflect the contextual tone, polarity, and connotation indicated by the structural clues.
Answer:In his reexamination of nineteenth-century botanical classification, historian Dr. Lucian Pryce refutes the assumption that early taxonomists were entirely objective in their cataloging of flora. Pryce demonstrates that behind the apparent neutrality of Latinate nomenclature lay a distinctly 【transactional】 impulse; naturalists frequently named newly documented species after wealthy patrons to secure research funding, thereby embedding commercial subservience within scientific prose. Consequently, Pryce characterizes the tone of these early botanical treatises not as disinterested academic discourse, but as fundamentally 【sycophantic】, calculated to flatter aristocratic benefactors while maintaining a facade of scholarly detachment.
Answer
The first blank is correctly filled by 'transactional' (or 'mercenary'), and the second blank is correctly filled by 'sycophantic' (or 'obsequious').
The passage contrasts an initial perception of scientific detachment with hidden self-interest. The first blank requires a word like 'transactional' or 'mercenary' to capture the commercial motivation behind naming flora after donors. The second blank requires a word like 'sycophantic' or 'obsequious' to reflect the tone of calculated flattery aimed at securing patronage.
Step-by-Step Solution
Key Concept
Identifying Contextual Tone, Polarity, and Connotation
Estimated Time:2m 0s