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Difficulty: MediumMulti-Blank Dependency Tracking

Far from viewing the early naturalist's preliminary logs as (i)________ speculations lacking empirical rigor, contemporary historians of science maintain that these tentative observations were (ii)________ to the ultimate formulation of her unified theory; without these initial records, the overarching paradigm could never have been consolidated.

Which of the following combinations of words best completes the passage in a logically coherent manner?

  1. (i) specious, (ii) integralAnswer
  2. B
    (i) specious, (ii) peripheral
  3. C
    (i) meticulous, (ii) peripheral
  4. D
    (i) meticulous, (ii) integral
  5. E
    (i) essential, (ii) detrimental

Answer

(i) specious, (ii) integral
The combination of '(i) specious' and '(ii) integral' creates logical coherence. The phrase 'Far from viewing... as (i) specious' indicates that historians do not consider the notes misleading or lacking foundation; instead, they view them as '(ii) integral' (essential), a stance supported by the concluding assertion that the theory could not have been consolidated without them.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze structural transition signals and inter-blank dependencies
The opening transition 'Far from viewing [X] as (i)____' sets up a contrast between a common misconception and the actual perspective of contemporary historians. The semicolon and concluding phrase 'without these initial records, the overarching paradigm could never have been consolidated' provide a firm clue for Blank (ii).
Tracking dependencies between clauses reveals that Blank (ii) must denote essentiality, which in turn clarifies the false view negated in Blank (i).
2
Evaluate Blank (ii) using the explicit cause-effect clue
Since the paradigm could not be consolidated without the logs, the logs were indispensable. 'Integral' accurately captures this required meaning.
The final clause directly defines the relationship between the preliminary logs and the final theory.
3
Evaluate Blank (i) based on the contrast with Blank (ii)
Because historians view the logs as vital ('integral'), the view being rejected ('Far from viewing... as') must have framed them as unsound or misleading ('specious').
The sentence structure requires Blank (i) to express a negative assessment of validity that stands in opposition to the positive value identified in Blank (ii).

Key Concept

Multi-Blank Dependency Tracking
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Topics

Multi-Blank Dependency Tracking

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