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Difficulty: MediumIdentifying Synonym and Near-Synonym Pairs

Despite the lead architect's insistence that the historic facade be preserved in its original state, the municipal council deemed the proposed structural additions __________, arguing that modern interventions would irreparably compromise the building's aesthetic integrity.

Which of the following two words, when inserted into the blank, produce sentences that are equivalent in meaning?

  1. incongruousAnswer
  2. B
    harmless
  3. discordantAnswer
  4. D
    innocuous
  5. E
    impracticable
  6. F
    ostentatious

Answer

The two words that produce equivalent sentences are 'incongruous' and 'discordant'.
Both 'incongruous' and 'discordant' accurately capture the idea that modern additions would conflict with or clash against the original historic facade, directly completing the sentence to express that the additions would compromise aesthetic integrity.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze structural clues and sentence polarity
The opening word 'Despite' establishes a contrast, while the phrase 'irreparably compromise the building's aesthetic integrity' indicates that the council viewed the additions negatively as clashing or out of harmony with the historic facade.
Determining the required tone ensures target words convey incompatibility or visual conflict.
2
Identify word pairs among the choices
Two distinct synonym pairs exist: 'incongruous' / 'discordant' (meaning out of place or incompatible) and 'innocuous' / 'harmless' (meaning benign or safe).
Sentence equivalence requires selecting two options that form a coherent near-synonym pair.
3
Evaluate contextual fit of the pairs
'Incongruous' and 'discordant' both describe additions that clash with the building's character. In contrast, 'innocuous' and 'harmless' contradict the council's belief that damage would occur.
Matching contextual fit eliminates valid dictionary synonym pairs that violate the logical polarity of the sentence.

Key Concept

Identifying Synonym and Near-Synonym Pairs
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Topics

Identifying Synonym and Near-Synonym Pairs

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