Examkin

Question

Difficulty: Very hardIdentifying Synonym and Near-Synonym Pairs

Notwithstanding the initial enthusiasm surrounding the discovery of the ancient codex, subsequent paleographic analysis revealed that the text was largely ________, serving merely as a mundane record of agricultural transactions rather than a profound theological treatise. Which two of the following answer choices, when inserted into the sentence, produce completed sentences that are similar in meaning?

  1. prosaicAnswer
  2. B
    recondite
  3. pedestrianAnswer
  4. D
    esoteric
  5. E
    derivative
  6. F
    spurious

Answer

The choices 'prosaic' and 'pedestrian' complete the sentence to produce sentences with equivalent meaning.
The sentence setup contrasts initial excitement with the reality that the manuscript was merely a mundane record. Both 'prosaic' and 'pedestrian' mean ordinary, dull, or uninspired, perfectly matching the context of a mundane record and creating two sentences that convey the exact same meaning.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze sentence syntax and contextual pivots
The opening transition 'Notwithstanding' signals a contrast with 'initial enthusiasm'. The phrase 'serving merely as a mundane record... rather than a profound theological treatise' indicates that the blank must take a word meaning ordinary, uninspired, or commonplace.
Establishing context and polarity determines the precise semantic requirements for the blank.
2
Evaluate candidate vocabulary for contextual fit and synonymy
The words 'prosaic' (commonplace or uninspired) and 'pedestrian' (dull or ordinary) both fit the context of an unexciting, mundane record, and they are functional near-synonyms in this context.
Sentence equivalence requires both contextual alignment and mutual semantic equivalence.
3
Eliminate distractors and false synonym pairs
'Recondite' and 'esoteric' form a synonym pair meaning abstruse/obscure, which contradicts the 'mundane' context. 'Derivative' lacks a matching synonym pair, and 'spurious' misinterprets the context while also lacking a synonym pair.
Eliminating false pairs and unpaired singletons verifies the uniqueness of the correct answer pair.

Key Concept

Identifying Synonym and Near-Synonym Pairs in Context
Rate this question

Topics

Identifying Synonym and Near-Synonym Pairs

More questions from this topic