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Difficulty: MediumSentence Equivalence: Contextual Synonym Pair Selection

Far from being a __________ account of the maritime silk route, the historian's multi-volume treatise meticulously documents even the most minor transaction ledgers and localized cultural exchanges. Which TWO of the following answer choices, when inserted into the blank, produce sentences that are equivalent in meaning?

  1. cursoryAnswer
  2. B
    exhaustive
  3. perfunctoryAnswer
  4. D
    comprehensive
  5. E
    biased
  6. F
    unprecedented

Answer

The correct selections are 'cursory' and 'perfunctory'. Both words mean hasty, superficial, or brief, creating a logical contrast with the subsequent clause describing a treatise that 'meticulously documents even the most minor transaction ledgers.'
The sentence uses the contrast structural clue 'Far from being a __________ account', which signals that the word in the blank must be opposite in meaning to the description of the treatise later in the sentence ('meticulously documents even the most minor transaction ledgers'). The words 'cursory' and 'perfunctory' both mean superficial, hasty, or carried out with minimal effort. Inserting either word produces two sentences with identical, coherent meanings.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze structural clues and sentence polarity
The pivot phrase 'Far from being a [blank] account' establishes a direct contrast between the target word and the subsequent description of the treatise ('meticulously documents even the most minor transaction ledgers').
Understanding structural signals dictates whether the blank requires a positive, negative, or contrasting word relative to the main clause.
2
Determine the required target meaning
Since the treatise is meticulous and thorough, the blank must mean superficial, hasty, or brief.
The contrast established by 'Far from being' means the blank is the opposite of thorough and detailed.
3
Evaluate choices for synonym pairs and contextual fit
'Cursory' and 'perfunctory' both mean brief, superficial, or executed with minimal care, fitting the context precisely and creating equivalent sentences.
GRE Sentence Equivalence requires choosing two options that complete the blank with logically coherent and equivalent overall sentence meanings.

Key Concept

Identifying Contextual Synonym Pairs via Contrast Signals
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Topics

Sentence Equivalence: Contextual Synonym Pair Selection

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