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Question

Difficulty: HardWords Commonly Confused and Homonyms

Read the sentence below and choose the option that correctly completes the blanks.

The ethics committee decided to ________ the director for his involvement in ________ business transactions that violated company policy.

Which pair of words best completes the sentence?

  1. A
    censor / illicit
  2. censure / illicitAnswer
  3. C
    censure / elicit
  4. D
    censor / elicit

Answer

censure / illicit
The correct option pair is 'censure / illicit'. The verb 'censure' means to express severe formal disapproval or officially reprimand someone, which fits the actions of an ethics committee addressing misconduct. The adjective 'illicit' means illegal, unauthorized, or improper, accurately describing business transactions that break company rules.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the context of the first blank following the infinitive marker 'to'.
The first blank requires a verb indicating an official disciplinary action taken by an ethics committee against an individual.
Differentiate between 'censure' (to express severe formal disapproval/reprimand) and 'censor' (to inspect and suppress objectionable material in text or media).
2
Analyze the context of the second blank preceding the noun phrase 'business transactions'.
The second blank requires an adjective describing transactions that violate company policy.
Differentiate between 'illicit' (adjective: illegal, forbidden, or improper) and 'elicit' (verb: to evoke or draw out a response).
3
Combine the correct choices for both blanks.
'censure' fits the first blank and 'illicit' fits the second blank.
The complete sentence correctly reads: 'The ethics committee decided to censure the director for his involvement in illicit business transactions that violated company policy.'

Key Concept

Distinguishing between commonly confused homophones and paronyms in formal vocabulary (censure vs. censor and illicit vs. elicit).
Estimated Time:1m 30s
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Topics

Words Commonly Confused and Homonyms

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