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Question

Difficulty: HardSupport and Cause-Effect Clues

Complete the passage by filling in the blanks with the words that best maintain the cause-and-effect and supporting logical relationships.

Answer:Because the hyper-specialized mouthparts of the hawkmoth evolved in direct synchrony with the elongated floral tubes of the *Angraecum* orchid, any anthropogenic disruption to the moth's localized population will inevitably prove 【deleterious】 to the orchid's reproductive cycle; indeed, the plant's exclusive reliance on this solitary pollinator renders its long-term survival exceptionally 【precarious】.

Answer

Blank 1 should be completed with 'deleterious' (or a synonym such as 'disastrous' or 'detrimental'), and Blank 2 should be completed with 'precarious' (or a synonym such as 'perilous' or 'tenuous').
The passage uses 'Because' to set up a direct cause-and-effect structure: since the hawkmoth and orchid share an interdependent evolutionary bond, disrupting the pollinator must harm the plant's reproduction. Therefore, the first blank requires a term denoting harm, such as 'deleterious'. The semicolon paired with the continuation signal 'indeed' then intensifies this claim, explaining that the orchid's exclusive dependence places its survival in a risky or unstable state, which is precisely conveyed by 'precarious'.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the cause-and-effect relationship in the first clause.
The causal transition 'Because' establishes that the moth and orchid exist in mutual evolutionary dependence. Consequently, disrupting the moth's population causes a negative impact on the orchid's reproduction, requiring a word meaning harmful or destructive for the first blank.
The dependent clause links the reproductive success of the orchid directly to the persistence of the hawkmoth.
2
Analyze the support transition in the second clause.
The semicolon followed by the intensifier 'indeed' signals that the second clause reinforces and elaborates upon the severity of the first statement. Because the plant relies exclusively on a single pollinator, its survival is rendered unstable or highly endangered.
The signal 'indeed' indicates continuation and intensification of the negative outcome introduced in the preceding clause.
3
Select terms that align contextually in tone and intensity.
'Deleterious' accurately captures the damaging causal impact for the first blank, and 'precarious' captures the resulting state of vulnerability for the second blank.
Both terms satisfy the causal direction and supportive continuation without overstating or contradicting the passage's formal academic register.

Key Concept

Support and Cause-Effect Clues in Text Completion
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Topics

Support and Cause-Effect Clues

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