SECTION 5 1
1.ANSWERS AND EXPLANATIONS Explanation for Correct Answer D : Choice (D) is correct. "Threatening" means dangerous, and “fascinating” means delightfully interesting. If one were to insert these terms into the text, the sentence would read "Soon after the first visitors arrived, increasing numbers of the residents of the remote island thought it possible that the outside world, instead of being threatening, could be fascinating and worth exploring." The words "instead of" signal that the meaning of the first term will contrast strongly with that of the second term. Not only does "fascinating" contrast with "threatening," but it also fits in well with "worth exploring"; something that is fascinating is usually considered well worth exploring. Explanation for Incorrect Answer A : Choice (A) is incorrect. "Insular" means like an island or isolated, and “unlimited” means having no restrictions. If one were to insert these terms into the text, the sentence would read "Soon after the first visitors arrived, increasing numbers of the residents of the remote island thought it possible that the outside world, instead of being insular, could be unlimited and worth exploring." It is unlikely that residents of a remote island would consider the outside world to be like an island; they would be much more likely to imagine the world that produced the visitors as very different from their island. Moreover, given that visitors from the outside world had already arrived on the island, residents would certainly not see the outside world as isolated. Explanation for Incorrect Answer B : Choice (B) is incorrect. "Friendly" means good-natured, and “wicked” means bad or evil. If one were to insert these terms into the text, the sentence would read "Soon after the first visitors arrived, increasing numbers of the residents of the remote island thought it possible that the outside world, instead of being friendly, could be wicked and worth exploring." Things that are wicked are rarely thought of as worth exploring. If the visitors were viewed as wicked, the island residents would most likely want to have as little as possible to do with the places from which the visitors came. Explanation for Incorrect Answer C : Choice (C) is incorrect. "Amiable" means acting in a kind way toward others, and “cooperative” means willing to work together. If one were to insert these terms into the text, the sentence would read "Soon after the first visitors arrived, increasing numbers of the residents of the remote island thought it possible that the outside world, instead of being amiable, could be cooperative and worth exploring." The words "amiable" and "cooperative" both describe positive qualities and do not provide a contrast in the way that the words "instead of" lead the reader to expect. Explanation for Incorrect Answer E : Choice (E) is incorrect. "Forbidding" means having a dangerous appearance, and “harmful” means likely to hurt. If one were to insert these terms into the text, the sentence would read "Soon after the first visitors arrived, increasing numbers of the residents of the remote island thought it possible that the outside world, instead of being forbidding, could be harmful and worth exploring." People in general do not tend to consider harmful things worth exploring, and residents of remote islands in particular would have even less motivation to leave their islands to learn more about things likely to hurt them. Moreover, "forbidding" and "harmful" do not contrast as the words "instead of" lead the reader to expect. 2
2.ANSWERS AND EXPLANATIONS Explanation for Correct Answer E : Choice (E) is correct. "Flattery" means excessive or insincere praise, and "sycophants" means people who seek favor by flattering those in power. If one were to insert these terms into the text, the sentence would read "Her dislike of flattery made her regard people who tried to win her approval through praise as sycophants." This sentence makes sense because "sycophants" are, by definition, people who try to win approval or other favors through "flattery," or insincere praise. Explanation for Incorrect Answer A : Choice (A) is incorrect. "Autocrats" means rulers who do not need to consult with others before making decisions, and "dictators" means rulers with absolute power and authority. If one were to insert these terms into the text, the sentence would read "Her dislike of autocrats made her regard people who tried to win her approval through praise as dictators." Neither "autocrats" nor "dictators" try to win the approval of others, so these two similar terms do not make much sense in the sentence. Explanation for Incorrect Answer B : Choice (B) is incorrect. "Defiance" means bold resistance to authority, and "toadies" means people who go out of their way to assist those in power. If one were to insert these terms into the text, the sentence would read "Her dislike of defiance made her regard people who tried to win her approval through praise as toadies." "Toadies" is a very negative word, and a leader who disliked "defiance," or resistance, would probably not use it to describe her supporters. Explanation for Incorrect Answer C : Choice (C) is incorrect. "Tyrants" means cruel rulers, and "connoisseurs" means experts. If one were to insert these terms into the text, the sentence would read "Her dislike of tyrants made her regard people who tried to win her approval through praise as connoisseurs." "Coinoisseurs" are not people who try to win approval through praise, and a person's dislike for "tyrants" has no bearing on the issue of praise. Explanation for Incorrect Answer D : Choice (D) is incorrect. "Adulation" means excessive admiration, and "superiors" means people of a higher rank. If one were to insert these terms into the text, the sentence would read "Her dislike of adulation made her regard people who tried to win her approval through praise as superiors." It would not be logical for a person who dislikes being admired excessively to think of people who praise them as higher in rank. Moreover, a person who is trying to win the approval of another person is rarely that person's "superior." 3
3.ANSWERS AND EXPLANATIONS Explanation for Correct Answer D : Choice (D) is correct. “Membranous” means covered by a “membrane,” a thin layer of tissue. If one were to insert this term into the text, the sentence would read, “Some scientists speculate that a small pterosaur of the Jurassic period known as Sordes pilosus had membranous wings that were thin, pliable, and somewhat transparent.” Membranes are often so thin as to be transparent, so it makes sense to describe “membranous” wings that are thin, pliable, and somewhat transparent. Explanation for Incorrect Answer A : Choice (A) is incorrect. “Callous” means hard. If one were to insert this term into the text, the sentence would read, “Some scientists speculate that a small pterosaur of the Jurassic period known as Sordes pilosus had callous wings that were thin, pliable, and somewhat transparent.” A part of an animal’s body that is “callous” would not also be thin and pliable. Explanation for Incorrect Answer B : Choice (B) is incorrect. “Arable” means suitable for plowing. If one were to insert this term into the text, the sentence would read, “Some scientists speculate that a small pterosaur of the Jurassic period known as Sordes pilosus had arable wings that were thin, pliable, and somewhat transparent.” Fields or other plots of land can be called “arable” if farmers can use them to grow crops, but an animal’s wings cannot be considered “arable.” Explanation for Incorrect Answer C : Choice (C) is incorrect. “Inflexible” means unbending. If one were to insert this term into the text, the sentence would read, “Some scientists speculate that a small pterosaur of the Jurassic period known as Sordes pilosus had inflexible wings that were thin, pliable, and somewhat transparent.” Something that is “inflexible” is by definition not pliable, or easily bent. Explanation for Incorrect Answer E : Choice (E) is incorrect. “Viscous” means sticky. If one were to insert this term into the text, the sentence would read, “Some scientists speculate that a small pterosaur of the Jurassic period known as Sordes pilosus had viscous wings that were thin, pliable, and somewhat transparent.” Animals’ wings tend not to be sticky because sticky substances accumulate debris that could make flight difficult or impossible. In addition, there is nothing in the latter part of the sentence to suggest that the missing term would be “viscous.” 4
4.ANSWERS AND EXPLANATIONS Explanation for Correct Answer E : Choice (E) is correct. "Heterogeneity" means formed of unlike parts. If one were to insert this term into the text, the sentence would read "To reflect the heterogeneity of that nation’s spoken languages, its writers often make use of a mixture of dialects." A mixture of dialects is a group of dialects that are not alike, and such a mixture is properly referred to as hetereogeneous, or reflecting "heterogeneity." Explanation for Incorrect Answer A : Choice (A) is incorrect. "Articulation" means the way speech sounds are formed. If one were to insert this term into the text, the sentence would read "To reflect the articulation of that nation’s spoken languages, its writers often make use of a mixture of dialects." The idea of articulation is much narrower than that of dialects. Dialects are characterized not only by differences in the production of speech sounds but also by distinctive words, phrases, and other features. Explanation for Incorrect Answer B : Choice (B) is incorrect. "Intonation" means the variations in pitch in a sample of speech. If one were to insert this term into the text, the sentence would read "To reflect the intonation of that nation’s spoken languages, its writers often make use of a mixture of dialects." The idea of intonation is much more restricted than that of dialects. "Intonation" is just one of the many features that help to define a dialect of a language. Explanation for Incorrect Answer C : Choice (C) is incorrect. "Spontaneity" means the tendency to act on natural feelings or impulses. If one were to insert this term into the text, the sentence would read "To reflect the spontaneity of that nation’s spoken languages, its writers often make use of a mixture of dialects." Using a mixture of dialects in written texts would hardly guarantee that the "spontaneity" of a nation's spoken languages would be reflected, and it is not clear that spoken languages can be properly referred to as spontaneous. Individuals sometimes speak as dictated by their feelings at a given moment, but "spontaneity" is rarely considered a characteristic of their dialect. Explanation for Incorrect Answer D : Choice (D) is incorrect. "Profundity" means depth. If one were to insert this term into the text, the sentence would read "To reflect the profundity of that nation’s spoken languages, its writers often make use of a mixture of dialects." Spoken languages are neither deep nor shallow. Sometimes certain thoughts that individuals express are said to be profound, but such "profundity" is not a characterisitic of their dialect. 5
5.ANSWERS AND EXPLANATIONS Explanation for Correct Answer B : Choice (B) is correct. "Palliative" means making a mistake seem less serious. If one were to insert this term into the text, the sentence would read “She apologized profusely, only to discover that her self-serving excuses failed to have a palliative effect.” The words "only to discover" indicate that the woman's apology did not have the effect she intended. But it makes sense that a person apologizing would hope for a "palliative" effect, or to make her mistake seem less serious than it appeared. Explanation for Incorrect Answer A : Choice (A) is incorrect. "Reprehensible" means deserving strong disapproval. If one were to insert this term into the text, the sentence would read “She apologized profusely, only to discover that her self-serving excuses failed to have a reprehensible effect.” The words "only to discover" indicate that the woman's apology did not have the effect she intended. It is illogical, however, for a person apologizing to desire an effect that would be looked at in such negative terms. Explanation for Incorrect Answer C : Choice (C) is incorrect. "Depreciatory" means shrinking in value. If one were to insert this term into the text, the sentence would read “She apologized profusely, only to discover that her self-serving excuses failed to have a depreciatory effect.” The words "only to discover" indicate that the woman's apology did not have the effect she intended. But the woman could not have expected her apology to have the effect of shrinking the value of something. Explanation for Incorrect Answer D : Choice (D) is incorrect. "Litigious" means having a tendency to bring a lawsuit. If one were to insert this term into the text, the sentence would read “She apologized profusely, only to discover that her self-serving excuses failed to have a litigious effect.” No one who apologizes expects that the apologies would have a tendency to bring a lawsuit. People who apologize for serious misdeeds hope that the apologies will make lawsuits less likely. Explanation for Incorrect Answer E : Choice (E) is incorrect. "Compendious" means leaving nothing out. If one were to insert this term into the text, the sentence would read “She apologized profusely, only to discover that her self-serving excuses failed to have a compendious effect.” The word "compendious" is used to refer to studies, articles, or books that are virtually complete. Excuses or apologies could possibly be considered compendious if they were lengthy and complete. However, the effect of such excuses | 
