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Question

Difficulty: HardMulti-Blank Dependency Tracking

Read the passage below:

That the fossil record of early metazoans is notoriously (i)________ cannot be taken as proof of their structural simplicity; far from confirming that early animal lineages emerged in an explosive burst of sudden morphologic innovation, the soft-bodied microfossils suggest that anatomical diversification was entirely (ii)________, unfolding through modest, step-by-step modifications over tens of millions of years.

Which of the following pairs of words best completes the text in a logically coherent manner?

  1. (i) equivocal, (ii) incrementalAnswer
  2. B
    (i) exhaustive, (ii) incremental
  3. C
    (i) equivocal, (ii) precipitous
  4. D
    (i) definitive, (ii) spasmodic
  5. E
    (i) anomalous, (ii) protracted

Answer

The pair '(i) equivocal, (ii) incremental' correctly completes the text.
The correct choice pair, containing 'equivocal' and 'incremental', establishes complete semantic coherence across both clauses. 'Equivocal' captures the uncertain nature of the fossil record, while 'incremental' reflects the gradual, step-by-step diversification demanded by the contrast clue 'far from... explosive burst'.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the structural clues and pivots for the second blank first.
The phrase 'far from confirming that early animal lineages emerged in an explosive burst...' indicates that the second blank must describe a process opposite to an 'explosive burst'. Furthermore, the elaboration 'unfolding through modest, step-by-step modifications' specifies that the process was gradual.
Tracking inter-blank dependency requires finding the most constrained blank based on explicit textual clues.
2
Select the appropriate word for Blank (ii).
'incremental' (meaning proceeding by small degrees or step-by-step) precisely matches the clue 'step-by-step modifications'.
The word must complement the structural contrast with 'explosive burst'.
3
Evaluate Blank (i) using the context established by the entire sentence.
Because the fossil record does not show an explosive burst but rather a gradual evolution, its incomplete or ambiguous nature cannot be cited as definitive proof of structural simplicity. Therefore, Blank (i) requires a word meaning ambiguous or uncertain, which is 'equivocal'.
Blank (i) must reflect the problematic nature of the fossil record that prevents drawing firm conclusions.

Key Concept

Multi-blank sentence completions require tracking cross-clause dependencies and verifying that the valence of both choices aligns with structural pivots (such as 'far from') and elaboration clues.
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Topics

Multi-Blank Dependency Tracking

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