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Difficulty: MediumInterpreting Contrast and Concession Structural Signals

Select the two answer choices that, when inserted into the sentence, fit the meaning of the sentence as a whole and yield complete sentences that are similar in meaning.

Much as the lead archivist attempted to present the newly uncovered diplomatic correspondence as strictly _____, subtle stylistic inconsistencies and anachronistic phrasing suggest that the documents were fabricated.

  1. authenticAnswer
  2. B
    spurious
  3. genuineAnswer
  4. D
    apocryphal
  5. E
    ambiguous
  6. F
    illuminating

Answer

The correct choices are 'authentic' and 'genuine'. Both words convey that the archivist asserted the documents were real, creating the required contrast with the subsequent clause revealing that they were actually fabricated.
The opening transition 'Much as' creates a contrast between the archivist's defense of the correspondence and the evidence showing the documents were fabricated. Therefore, the blank requires words that mean real, legitimate, or true. The terms 'authentic' and 'genuine' both mean real and produce sentences with identical meaning.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify structural signals and overall sentence logic.
The opening concession signal 'Much as' establishes a contrast between what the archivist attempted to present and what the evidence ('stylistic inconsistencies and anachronistic phrasing') actually reveals ('the documents were fabricated').
Concession signals flip the expectation between the dependent concession clause and the main clause.
2
Determine the required target meaning for the blank.
Because the main clause indicates the documents were fake/fabricated, the concession clause must express the opposite idea—that the archivist claimed they were real or legitimate.
The archivist's claim must oppose the reality of fabrication to satisfy the concession shift.
3
Evaluate option pairs for semantic equivalence and contextual fit.
'authentic' and 'genuine' both mean legitimate/real and create equivalent, logically coherent sentences. The pair 'spurious' and 'apocryphal' represents the opposite polarity (fake), failing to account for the concession signal.
Only words meaning legitimate fulfill both the contrast requirement and the GRE Sentence Equivalence condition of identical sentence meaning.

Key Concept

Interpreting Concession Signals in Sentence Equivalence
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Topics

Interpreting Contrast and Concession Structural Signals

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