Two blanks — Aptitude Question
Two blanks: Fill in the blanks: Although the novel was ___, critics found its ending strangely ___. Answer and worked solution on CodeKairo.
- Topic: Fill in the Blanks & Para Jumbles
- Section: Verbal Ability
- Difficulty: Medium
- Time target: 60 seconds
Question
Fill in the blanks:
Although the novel was ______, critics found its ending strangely ______.
Options
- dull … tedious
- acclaimed … disappointing
- acclaimed … satisfying
- brief … short
Show the answer and the worked solution
Correct answer: B. acclaimed … disappointing
Worked solution
- Although requires the two halves to clash.
- acclaimed … disappointing delivers it: a well-received novel with a weak ending.
- 'Dull … tedious' and 'acclaimed … satisfying' agree with themselves rather than contrast, and 'brief … short' repeats itself.
Answer: acclaimed … disappointing.
The idea
With two blanks, test pairs rather than single words. One wrong half is enough to eliminate the option.
Shortcut. 'dull … tedious' and 'acclaimed … satisfying' agree with themselves and 'brief … short' repeats itself, so all three go. Only 'acclaimed … disappointing' sets the praise against the critics' own verdict, the tension that 'Although' and 'strangely' point to.
Common trap. "acclaimed … satisfying" — acclaimed is the right first word, so the pair looks half-proved, but a satisfying ending agrees with the acclaim and leaves 'Although' nothing to contrast.
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