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Question

Difficulty: MediumMulti-Blank Text Completion: Cross-Sentence Contextual Coherence

Read the passage below. Determine which terms best complete each corresponding blank to maintain cross-sentence contextual coherence.

Answer:For decades, ethnoarchaeologists believed that ancient low-temperature pottery firing was entirely 【unpredictable】, assuming that early potters lacked precise temperature control mechanisms. However, recent thermal analysis of ceramic vitrification reveals that these artisans utilized subtle draft adjustments to achieve astonishingly 【consistent】 internal temperatures across separate firings. Consequently, scholars have begun to 【reconsider】 earlier characterizations of prehistoric pyrotechnology as rudimentary.

Answer

Blank (i): unpredictable; Blank (ii): consistent; Blank (iii): reconsider
The initial sentence establishes an assumption of primitive, uncontrolled technology, making 'unpredictable' the appropriate choice for the first blank. The transition word 'However' introduces contradictory empirical evidence demonstrating precise thermal regulation, requiring 'consistent' for the second blank. Finally, 'Consequently' signals a logical shift in academic consensus resulting from this finding, necessitating 'reconsider' for the third blank.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the structural and semantic clues in the first sentence.
The clause 'assuming that early potters lacked precise temperature control mechanisms' establishes that scholars viewed the firing outcomes as erratic, supporting 'unpredictable'.
The blank must reflect an outcome resulting from a lack of control mechanisms.
2
Identify the contrast signal introducing the second sentence.
The discourse marker 'However' indicates a pivot away from the traditional view, showing that 'subtle draft adjustments' produced stable heat levels, requiring 'consistent'.
The finding refutes the assumption of unpredictability by demonstrating thermal control.
3
Evaluate the logical consequence indicated in the final sentence.
The transition 'Consequently' signals that the newly demonstrated technological skill forces researchers to reassess old beliefs, necessitating 'reconsider'.
Evidence of sophisticated craft control directly undermines earlier claims that the technology was rudimentary.

Key Concept

Cross-Sentence Contextual Coherence in Multi-Blank Text Completion
Estimated Time:1m 30s
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Multi-Blank Text Completion: Cross-Sentence Contextual Coherence

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