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Question

Difficulty: MediumWords Commonly Confused and Homonyms

Read the sentence below carefully. Which pair of words contextually and grammatically completes the blanks in the correct order?

'The lead auditor was commended for her ________ scheme to trace the misappropriated funds, but her ________ behavior toward the finance staff created unnecessary hostility.'

  1. ingenious / contemptuousAnswer
  2. B
    ingenuous / contemptible
  3. C
    ingenious / contemptible
  4. D
    ingenuous / contemptuous

Answer

The pair 'ingenious / contemptuous' correctly completes the sentence.
The word 'ingenious' means exceptionally clever or inventive, making it the appropriate choice to describe a successful scheme for tracing misappropriated funds. The word 'contemptuous' means showing or expressing disdain or scorn toward others, which fits the description of behavior that antagonized staff members.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the context of the first blank: 'her ________ scheme to trace the misappropriated funds'.
The sentence requires an adjective meaning clever, inventive, or brilliant.
Differentiate between 'ingenious' (clever/inventive) and 'ingenuous' (naive/innocent/candid).
2
Analyze the context of the second blank: 'her ________ behavior toward the finance staff created unnecessary hostility'.
The sentence requires an adjective meaning feeling or showing deep hatred/disdain (scornful).
Differentiate between 'contemptuous' (showing disdain to others) and 'contemptible' (deserving of disdain from others).
3
Combine the correct choices.
'Ingenious' fits the first blank and 'contemptuous' fits the second blank.
Selecting 'ingenious / contemptuous' satisfies both syntactic and semantic requirements of the sentence.

Key Concept

Distinction between paronyms and commonly confused word pairs (ingenious vs. ingenuous; contemptuous vs. contemptible)
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Topics

Words Commonly Confused and Homonyms

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