Examkin

Question

Difficulty: HardLeveraging Secondary and Obscure Word Definitions

Far from being rigid structures set permanently during early childhood, the neural pathways governing language acquisition remain remarkably ________ throughout adulthood, adapting continuously to novel linguistic inputs. Which TWO of the following words, when inserted into the blank, produce completed sentences that are coherent and equivalent in meaning?

  1. plasticAnswer
  2. malleableAnswer
  3. C
    synthetic
  4. D
    artificial
  5. E
    resilient
  6. F
    versatile

Answer

The two words that complete the sentence with equivalent meaning are 'plastic' and 'malleable'.
The sentence relies on a contrast pivot introduced by 'Far from being rigid structures set permanently'. The blank requires a word meaning flexible, adaptable, or capable of being reshaped. In technical and academic contexts, 'plastic' means capable of being molded or altered in structure (as in neuroplasticity). 'Malleable' is an exact synonym meaning easily influenced or shaped. Together, 'plastic' and 'malleable' produce two sentences with identical, coherent meanings.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze structural contrast signals in the sentence stem
The opening phrase 'Far from being rigid structures set permanently...' establishes a direct contrast pivot. The blank must describe neural pathways as non-rigid, flexible, and capable of being reshaped.
Contrast clues indicate that the target word must mean the opposite of 'rigid' and 'permanently set'.
2
Identify secondary word meanings and semantic equivalence
The word 'plastic' has a secondary definition meaning 'capable of being shaped or molded; impressionable or adaptable'. The word 'malleable' shares this exact definition.
In cognitive science and biology, 'plasticity' refers to the brain's capacity to modify its neural connections.
3
Eliminate distractors based on primary definition traps and non-equivalent context fits
'Synthetic' and 'artificial' form a distractor pair based on the primary, everyday definition of plastic (manufactured material), which is illogical here. 'Resilient' and 'versatile' convey positive qualities but lack the exact meaning of structural moldability.
GRE Sentence Equivalence items often present distractor pairs based on primary definitions that fail contextual logic.

Key Concept

Secondary definitions of high-frequency words in Sentence Equivalence context
Rate this question

Topics

Leveraging Secondary and Obscure Word Definitions

More questions from this topic