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Difficulty: EasyParsing Complex Syntax, Reversals, and Double Negatives

Although the director was not unmindful of the board's misgivings, her insistence on expanding the program was hardly ________, as recent metrics demonstrated substantial growth. Which two of the following answer choices, when inserted into the sentence, produce completed sentences that are equivalent in meaning?

  1. unwarrantedAnswer
  2. unjustifiedAnswer
  3. C
    prudent
  4. D
    judicious
  5. E
    unpredictable
  6. F
    unforeseen

Answer

The two correct choices are 'unwarranted' and 'unjustified', both of which indicate that the director's actions were reasonable and supported by data.
The sentence setup indicates that despite awareness of concerns, the decision was supported by positive metrics. The phrase 'hardly ________' requires a word meaning groundless or baseless so that 'hardly groundless' means valid. Both 'unwarranted' and 'unjustified' fit this requirement precisely and produce sentences with equivalent meaning.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Parse the double negative and concessive syntax in the initial clause.
'Not unmindful' resolves to being mindful or aware of the board's concerns.
Understanding double negatives establishes the starting condition of the concession.
2
Analyze the main clause and causal transition to determine sentence polarity.
The phrase 'as recent metrics demonstrated substantial growth' provides evidence supporting the director's decision, implying her insistence was reasonable.
Causal clues indicate that the blank preceded by 'hardly' must result in a positive evaluation of her decision.
3
Evaluate the blank in conjunction with 'hardly'.
'Hardly' + [negative word] yields a positive overall meaning ('hardly unwarranted' = warranted/justified).
A negative word is required after 'hardly' to express that the decision was not lacking justification.
4
Select the synonym pair that produces equivalent, coherent meaning.
'unwarranted' and 'unjustified' both create completed sentences meaning the director's decision was well-founded.
Both words complete the sentence with identical semantic meaning.

Key Concept

Parsing Double Negatives and Reversals in Sentence Equivalence
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Topics

Parsing Complex Syntax, Reversals, and Double Negatives

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