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Difficulty: HardCollocation and Idiomatic Fit

While the historian's proposed thesis is ostensibly ________ established archival evidence from the early modern period, detailed analysis reveals that her core arguments actually rely on speculative interpretations rather than verifiable documentation. Which of the following choices best completes the blank in the sentence?

  1. predicated onAnswer
  2. B
    contingent to
  3. C
    reliant with
  4. D
    dependent of
  5. E
    grounded toward

Answer

The phrase 'predicated on' correctly completes the sentence both semantically and idiomatically.
The phrase 'predicated on' is the only option that combines a suitable meaning ('founded or based upon') with the correct idiomatic preposition complement. In standard academic English, one says 'predicated on/upon'.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the sentence structure and semantic clues.
The sentence sets up a contrast between what the thesis is 'ostensibly' (seemingly) based on versus what detailed analysis reveals (speculative interpretations). The blank requires a phrase meaning 'based on' or 'founded upon'.
Understanding the structural contrast signal ('While... ostensibly') determines the required meaning of the missing phrase.
2
Evaluate the idiomatic prepositional complement for each choice.
Only 'predicated on' uses standard English prepositional complementation. The other choices couple valid adjectives with incorrect prepositions ('contingent on', 'reliant on', 'dependent on', 'grounded in').
Standard written English requires specific prepositional collocations for adjective complements.

Key Concept

Collocation and Idiomatic Prepositional Complementation
Estimated Time:1m 0s
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Topics

Collocation and Idiomatic Fit

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