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Question

Difficulty: HardWords Commonly Confused and Homonyms

Complete the sentence below by selecting the contextually appropriate words to fill the blanks.

Answer:Although the legal scholar was widely praised for her 【perspicuous】 exposition of the constitutional amendment, critics argued that her 【complaisant】 demeanor toward the tribunal prevented her from offering an assertive critique.

Answer

The blanks are correctly filled by 'perspicuous' (meaning clearly expressed or lucid) and 'complaisant' (meaning overly agreeable or eager to please).
The context calls for an adjective describing lucid, clear writing or explanation ('perspicuous') in the first blank, and an adjective describing an excessively obliging, submissive, or pleasing attitude ('complaisant') in the second blank.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the context of the first blank describing 'exposition of the constitutional amendment'.
The word must mean clearly expressed, lucid, or easy to understand when applied to text or explanations, which is 'perspicuous'.
The paronym 'perspicacious' refers to an insightful person, whereas 'perspicuous' refers to clear expression.
2
Analyze the context of the second blank describing 'demeanor toward the tribunal'.
The word must describe a yielding, overly obliging, or submissive attitude, which is 'complaisant'.
The paronym 'complacent' means self-satisfied or smug, whereas 'complaisant' means eager to please others.

Key Concept

Distinguishing between easily confused paronyms: perspicuous vs. perspicacious and complaisant vs. complacent.
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Topics

Words Commonly Confused and Homonyms

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