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Difficulty: HardSecondary Meanings and Polysemy

During the rigorous peer-review process for the archival journal, the chief editor maintained an unyielding stance on methodological precision; she would __________ no deviation from established statistical protocols, regardless of how prestigious the contributing author might be.

Which of the following words, if inserted into the blank, logically complete the sentence by expressing that the editor would not tolerate such deviations? Select all that apply.

  1. brookAnswer
  2. countenanceAnswer
  3. C
    stream
  4. D
    visage
  5. E
    champion

Answer

The correct words to fill the blank are 'brook' and 'countenance'. Both words act as verbs in this context meaning to tolerate, permit, or allow, creating identical and coherent sentence meanings.
The sentence describes an editor with an 'unyielding stance' who refuses to accept any departure from protocol. Both 'brook' and 'countenance' serve as verbs meaning to tolerate, endure, or permit. When combined with 'no deviation', both choices produce logically equivalent sentences expressing that the editor would not tolerate any deviation.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze structural clues and sentence tone
The semi-colon signals an elaboration of the editor's 'unyielding stance on methodological precision'. The phrase 'would __________ no deviation' requires a verb that means tolerate, permit, or sanction.
Establishing the precise semantic role of the blank prevents choosing words with incompatible valence or meaning.
2
Identify secondary definitions of polysemous words among choices
'Brook' is commonly a noun (a small stream), but its secondary verb definition means to tolerate or put up with. 'Countenance' is commonly a noun (facial expression), but its secondary verb definition means to permit, sanction, or approve.
GRE Text Completion questions targeting polysemy frequently use common nouns in their lesser-known verbal forms.
3
Eliminate distractors based on primary definition traps and connotation mismatches
'Stream' and 'visage' target the primary noun meanings of 'brook' and 'countenance' respectively. 'Champion' implies active advocacy, which contradicts the negative construction ('no deviation').
Eliminating false traps verifies that only 'brook' and 'countenance' satisfy the contextual requirements.

Key Concept

Polysemy and secondary meanings of common words in academic text completion
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Topics

Secondary Meanings and Polysemy

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