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Difficulty: Very hardInterpreting Contrast and Concession Structural Signals

Even as the lead archivist acknowledged that the newly restored codex suffered from sporadic lacunae and scribal inaccuracies, she insisted that the manuscript's overarching historical value remained __________, noting that its core theological argument was preserved entirely intact. Which two of the following answer choices, when inserted into the blank, complete the sentence in a way that produces logically equivalent sentences?

  1. unassailableAnswer
  2. B
    dubious
  3. unimpeachableAnswer
  4. D
    inestimable
  5. E
    questionable
  6. F
    exhaustive

Answer

The sentence is completed logically and equivalently by 'unassailable' and 'unimpeachable'.
The clause beginning with 'Even as' concedes that the codex contains errors and gaps. The main clause insists that despite these defects, the text's historical value is preserved intact. Therefore, the blank requires words that mean impossible to doubt, invalidate, or criticize. Both 'unassailable' and 'unimpeachable' express this concept of invulnerability to doubt, completing the sentence with identical meaning.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze sentence syntax and structural signals
The sentence opens with the concessionary structural signal 'Even as...', establishing a contrast between a conceded point (acknowledging flaws like lacunae and inaccuracies) and the main assertion.
Concession signals set up a tension where the main clause maintains a positive quality in spite of admitted deficiencies.
2
Determine the required target word meaning and tone
The target word must describe the manuscript's historical value as remaining immune to doubt or criticism because its core argument is intact.
The blank requires words meaning 'impossible to question, attack, or discredit'.
3
Evaluate option pairs for semantic equivalence and contextual fit
'Unassailable' and 'unimpeachable' both mean immune to attack or doubt, fitting the context and creating equivalent sentences. 'Dubious' and 'questionable' form a pair of wrong-polarity distractors. 'Inestimable' and 'exhaustive' fail semantic or contextual fit.
Sentence Equivalence requires selecting two words that independently produce sentences with the same overall meaning.

Key Concept

Interpreting Concession Structural Signals in Sentence Equivalence
Estimated Time:1m 15s
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Topics

Interpreting Contrast and Concession Structural Signals

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