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Difficulty: HardContrast and Reversal Clues

Although contemporary reviewers dismissed the novelist’s final manuscript as an uninspired rehash of her earlier works, subsequent literary scholars have demonstrated that the text was hardly ________; on the contrary, it subtly undermined the very stylistic conventions it appeared to imitate.

Which of the following words best completes the sentence?

  1. derivativeAnswer
  2. B
    innovative
  3. C
    esoteric
  4. D
    anomalous
  5. E
    trenchant

Answer

The word 'derivative' best completes the sentence because it aligns with the reviewer criticism ('uninspired rehash') that the sentence logically negates via the contrast pivot 'hardly'.
The sentence relies on a contrast structure initiated by 'Although' and reinforced by 'hardly ________; on the contrary'. The opening clause states that reviewers dismissed the manuscript as an 'uninspired rehash'. The main clause counters this view, stating that the text was 'hardly' unoriginal. The word 'derivative' means imitative or lacking originality, so asserting the text was 'hardly derivative' logically sets up the elaboration that it actually subverted conventions.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify structural clues and contrast pivots
Found the concessive transition 'Although' at the beginning and the reversal modifier 'hardly ________; on the contrary' in the main clause.
Contrast pivots signal that the idea in the first clause (reviewers calling it an 'uninspired rehash') is being denied or negated in the main clause.
2
Determine the required target valence and meaning for the blank
The blank follows 'hardly', so the word itself must mean 'unoriginal' or 'imitative' so that 'hardly [unoriginal]' matches the assertion that it subverted conventions.
The phrase 'hardly ________' needs to negate the initial perception of being a rehash.
3
Evaluate choices against the target semantic profile
'Derivative' precisely means imitative and unoriginal, making 'hardly derivative' logically sound.
It completes the structural contrast established by the sentence syntax.

Key Concept

Identifying structural contrast signals and negative qualifiers to determine semantic reversal in Text Completion items.
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Topics

Contrast and Reversal Clues

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