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Difficulty: MediumMulti-Blank Text Completion: Cross-Sentence Contextual Coherence

Read the passage below:

While early twentieth-century art conservators viewed the micro-cracking in Renaissance oil paintings as an alarming sign of (i)________, subsequent micro-analytical studies revealed that these fissures actually release internal structural tension. Far from presaging imminent structural failure, the phenomenon is largely (ii)________, serving to stabilize the paint layers against environmental fluctuations over centuries. Consequently, aggressive interventionist attempts to artificially seal these micro-cracks often prove not merely redundant but outright (iii)________, inducing synthetic stresses that accelerate physical flaking.

Which of the following combinations of words best completes the blanks in the passage to maintain logical and contextual coherence?

  1. (i) degradation, (ii) benign, (iii) deleteriousAnswer
  2. B
    (i) maturation, (ii) benign, (iii) advantageous
  3. C
    (i) degradation, (ii) catastrophic, (iii) ineffective
  4. D
    (i) renovation, (ii) indispensable, (iii) deleterious
  5. E
    (i) degradation, (ii) benign, (iii) restorative

Answer

(i) degradation, (ii) benign, (iii) deleterious
The combination of 'degradation', 'benign', and 'deleterious' satisfies all local syntax requirements and maintains overall thematic coherence across the three sentences. 'Degradation' fits the alarm of conservators, 'benign' reflects the harmless nature demonstrated by scientific analysis, and 'deleterious' matches the destructive consequences of intervention.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze Blank (i) using sentence clues.
Blank (i) describes what early conservators feared micro-cracking represented. The phrase 'alarming sign of' points to a negative physical process, making 'degradation' the logical choice.
The sentence sets up an initial misconception of damage before the second clause introduces micro-analytical evidence.
2
Analyze Blank (ii) using cross-sentence structural signals.
The phrase 'Far from presaging imminent structural failure' establishes a contrast. Since it is not indicative of failure and actually serves to 'stabilize', the phenomenon is 'benign'.
The contrast signal 'Far from...' requires a term that opposes 'imminent structural failure'.
3
Analyze Blank (iii) based on consequence and degree.
The sentence begins with 'Consequently' and uses the intensifying frame 'not merely redundant but outright...'. Because interventions 'induce synthetic stresses' and 'accelerate physical flaking', the outcome is harmful, fitting 'deleterious'.
The discourse marker 'not merely X but outright Y' requires Y to be a stronger, more severe escalation of negative impact than simple redundancy.

Key Concept

Cross-Sentence Contextual Coherence in Multi-Blank Text Completion
Estimated Time:1m 30s
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Topics

Multi-Blank Text Completion: Cross-Sentence Contextual Coherence

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