Although early historians described the diplomatic envoy's memoirs as a purely dispassionate account of the peace negotiations, modern scholars contend that the text is distinctly ________, carefully crafted to exaggerate the ambassador's personal influence while minimizing the contributions of his allies.
Which of the following TWO options, when inserted into the sentence, best complete the sentence with logically coherent and equivalent meanings?
- self-servingAnswer
- Bdispassionate
- self-aggrandizingAnswer
- Dlaudatory
- Emeticulous
- Fdisingenuous
Answer
The two correct choices are 'self-serving' and 'self-aggrandizing'.
The introductory transition 'Although' establishes a contrast between the early view of the memoirs as 'dispassionate' and the modern view. The elaboration clause immediately following the blank specifies that the author sought to 'exaggerate the ambassador's personal influence while minimizing the contributions of his allies.' The correct options, 'self-serving' and 'self-aggrandizing,' both accurately convey this self-inflating, egoistic tone and create sentences with equivalent meanings.
Step-by-Step Solution
Key Concept
Analyzing Contextual Tone and Valence Clues in Sentence Equivalence