Text Completion

Because she was so --, Mary was uncomfortable speaking to large groups of people. reticent congenial brusque gregarious scurrilous

reticent

While the subject of numerous studies and self-help books, attaining happiness is often made more challenging by the fact that the concept of happiness itself is open to broad interpretation; psychologists are undecided whether happiness is merely -2- emotion that one can experience only momentarily, a fixed state of being that one achieves, or something in between. a coincidental an inherited a transient an incessant an intrinsic an ephemeral

a transient an ephemeral

St. Elmo's fire is a weather phenomenon that, -- it has been documented since ancient times, was not -- until recently. because (i) since (i) although (i) incinerated (ii) reported (ii) understood (ii)

although understood

-2- commercial arsenic usage has diminished, its ongoing presence in water and soil continues to be a major public health concern, given extremely high toxicity of the substance. after although inasmuch as considering while because

although while

She volunteered to work in a soup kitchen because of her -2- nature. selfish naive altruistic baneful candid benevolent

altruistic benevolent

The citizens met with their senator to express --, arguing that if tax rates -- any further, taxes would become --, allowing hard-working individuals to keep little of their well-earned income. euphoria (i) composure (i) apprehension (i) economized (ii) escalated (ii) elaborated (ii) congruent (iii) confiscatory (iii) consummate (iii)

apprehension escalated confiscatory

The patterns of the stock market seem -- to many beginners, but they can be decoded with dedication and patience. unwelcoming arcane harmonious shocking lucid

arcane

While the first speaker at the conference was confusing and unclear, the second speaker was -2-. articulate experienced melancholy ambiguous eloquent vociferous

articulate eloquent

Her last-minute vacation was -2- compared to her usual trips, which are planned down to the last detail. expensive spontaneous predictable satisfying impulsive atrocious

spontaneous impulsive

Elena liked Joe a great deal, but she soon tired of his friends, pseudointellectuals who propounded inane theories based in -2- interpretations of neo-Marxism and existentialism. spurious terse fallacious succinct bellicose blithe

spurious fallacious

As modern scholarship continues to dim the possibility that Homer was a single historic figure, the question of authorship of his works has been raised; although we might never know who wrote them, scholars still need some way to refer to the author or authors of the Iliad and Odyssey, so the term "Homeric tradition" has been -2- as a possible new terminology. selected established appropriated bestowed suggested proposed

suggested proposed

Despite the threat of sanctions from numerous other countries, the -- nation has repeatedly ordered its armies to -- the borders of the disputed territory. desultory (i) parsimonious (i) truculent (i) breach (ii) circumnavigate (ii) circumvent (ii)

truculent breach

The spice saffron is made from the stigma of the Crocus sativus plant; the -- number of blossoms required to produce saffron and the -- of the flower makes the spice the most expensive in the world. vast (i) meager (i) unique (i) color (ii) hardiness (ii) delicacy (ii)

vast delicacy

The lawyer's explosive, rude remarks convinced many that he was -- and of -- character, suddenly making his future as a politician seem --. indifferent (i) charming (i) volatile (i) courageous (ii) virtuous (ii) ignoble (ii) guaranteed (iii) precarious (iii) facetious (iii)

volatile ignoble precarious

G. K. Chesterton's sense of humor is exemplified in his often -2- responses to his friend and rival George Bernard Shaw. punctilious vociferous waggish vicious scathing witty

waggish witty

-- mushrooms are popular in many cuisines, it is -- to eat those found in the wild, as many frequently found mushrooms resemble edible mushrooms but are, in fact --. considering (i) while (i) because (i) imprudent (ii) cheaper (ii) ingenuous (ii) poisonous (iii) bland (iii) toothsome (iii)

while imprudent poisonous

All Jon cared about was getting an A, so because the team project did not count toward his grade in the course, he felt -- the work and did not do his share apathy toward zeal for loathing cheerful about antagonism

zeal for

The countless -- days left everyone -- for the sudden downpour; the deluge brought traffic to a halt as it is -- the roads. arid (i) calm (i) humid (i) waiting (ii) unprepared (ii) anxious (ii) inundated (iii) soaked (iii) sprayed (iii)

arid unprepared inundated

To her friends' --, because she had never expressed an interest in travel, Lovia decided to teach English in Thailand, -- in that country for a year. delight (i) astonishment (i) dismay (i) sojourning (ii) retiring (ii) preserving (ii)

astonishment sojourning

The yearly financial statement of a large corporation may seem -- at first, but the persistent reader soon finds its pages of facts and figures easy to decipher. bewildering surprising inviting misguided uncoordinated

bewildering

In spite of its popularity, The Merchant of Venice remains a -- play, with many critics -- the extent of Shakespeare's anti-Semitism. controversial (i) celebrated (i) histrionic (i) assuaging (ii) augmenting (ii) debating (ii)

controversial debating

The cotton gin played a -- role in advancing the textile industry, -- its negative effects can be seen in the rapid development of slavery as the economic base of the American South. negligible (i) crucial (i) trivial (i) although (ii) so (ii) plus (ii)

crucial although

Although he -- an image of anti-authoritarianism, Johnny Cash was a frequent visitor to the white house and friends with several presidents during his life. advocated cultivated patronized supported snubbed

cultivated

The band's new album was universally panned by critics, with many -- their change to a simpler sound. lauding ignorant of tolerating deriding apathetic to

deriding

Though -2- filled the streets, people seemed unconcerned with the appearance of their city. detritus refuge gaudiness bedlam refuse barrenness

detritus refuse

Veteran technical support staff members feel that their services are -- by the use of computer programs to do the same work; they claim that technical support can't be provided procedurally but rather is a case-by-case effort that requires a skill set built upon training and experience. devalued tarnish ridiculed vituperated impaired

devalued

Although well built and well kept, the little brick house seemed -- compared to the ornate, almost -- new house beside it. impressive (i) dilapidated (i) desirable (i) translucent (ii) diminutive (ii) ostentatious (ii)

dilapidated ostentatious

Our manager holds as a -2- that an employee with a messy desk is irredeemably lazy, and she therefore demands that all members of her staff keep their work areas meticulously organized. whim dogma hypothesis fancy tenet polity

dogma tenet

The -- nature of the monarch's reign, which was characterized by frequent shows of force and what were thought by many to be egregious violations of individual rights, was not negated by the ruler's -- acts of generosity. In time, he might well be remembered as a -- rather than a benevolent king. inscrutable (i) mercenary (i) draconian (i) intermittent (ii) insipid (ii) legitimate (ii) prolocutor (iii) despot (iii) figurehead (iii)

draconian intermittent despot

The giant squid's massive body, adapted for deep-sea life, breaks apart in the reduced pressures of shallower ocean depths, making the search for an intact specimen one of the most -- quests in all of marine biology. meaningful elusive popular expensive profitable

elusive

While the ethics committee ultimately -2- the executive, the taint of scandal followed her long after the investigation into her private business dealings had concluded. discharged repudiated dismissed exculpated lionized exonerated

exculpated exonerated

Although the initial cost of installing solar panels to produce electricity can be --, the financial benefits are realized for years to come in the form of reduced electric bills. encouraging minimal exciting misleading exorbitant

exorbitant

Considered one of his most -- works, Mozart's Requiem in D Minor has a certain -- in Western culture because of its incomplete status at the time of his death, and many -- stories have arisen surrounding it; unfortunately, the truth is lost to us. ignominious (i) inconspicuous (i) famous (i) obscurity (ii) indifference (ii) mystique (ii) fraudulent (iii) apocryphal (iii) verified (iii)

famous mystique apocryphal

Although Thomas Paine was most -- his political pamphlets, he was in fact -- writer on many different subjects. inimical to (i) condemned for (i) famous for (i) an abstruse (ii) a prolific (ii) a terrible (ii)

famous for a prolific

Everyone believed the team was favored with athletic talent and a seasoned, successful coaching staff; consequently, it was difficult to -- why the team was -- so badly against one of the worst teams in the division. fathom (i) interpolate (i) explore (i) elevating (ii) dominating (ii) floundering (ii)

fathom floundering

Although the lab assistant openly apologized for allowing the samples to spoil, her -2- did not appease the research head, and she was let go. insincerity frankness falsehoods candor inexperience hesitation

frankness candor

The young man always had to have the last word; he would rather be disliked than --. gainsaid selfish remembered praised different

gainsaid

It seemed there would be no resolving the matter since both sides felt they had reached an --; neither side would --, and the resulting -- would keep their relationship strained and fragile for years to come. apogee (i) epiphany (i) impasse (i) capitulate (ii) regress (ii) impugn (ii) acrimony (iii) cacophony (iii) sinecure (iii)

impasse capitulate acrimony

He was unable to move his arm after the stroke; in addition, the stroke -2- his ability to speak. appeased satisfied impeded helped hindered assisted

impeded hindered

Although the young woman initially refused to enter the heated debate, claiming to be -- its outcome, her calm demeanor quickly turned -- as she listened to one participant's argument, revealing herself to be actually rather opinionated about the -- issue. indifferent to (i) cognizant of (i) partial to (i) phlegmatic (ii) conciliatory (ii) cantankerous (ii) inscrutable (iii) trivial (iii) contentious (iii)

indifferent to cantankerous contentious

Because he was convinced of his own --, Adam never acknowledged his mistakes. genius acclamation shrewdness infallibility popularity

infallibility

No matter how hard Benjamin tried to coax the kitten off the tree branch, the tiny creature remained -2-, clinging to the bark with all its strength. intractable enervated obstinate diffident lackadaisical incapacitated

intractable obstinate

Despite the efforts made by the municipal government to increase public transportation usage, many people of the city continued to drive their own vehicles, complaining that the bus schedules were too -2- to be relied upon. irregular exacting circuitous rigid isolated erratic

irregular erratic

The field of cryptozoology is the search for animals unknown to science and those for which we have no scientific attestation; -- physical evidence, it relies upon -- sightings for proof of creatures such as the Loch Ness Monster. ignoring (i) lacking (i) needing (i) anecdotal (ii) imagined (ii) nominal (ii)

lacking anecdotal

The humor of Oscar Wilde remains a classic example of -- wit; his terse remarks and deadpan delivery belied an acerbic sarcasm and brilliant insight into the world around him. ostentatious pointed brazen orotund laconic

laconic

The stern teacher -- her students for their -- habits when she witnessed a number of them discard perfectly edible pieces of fruit into the trash can. lambasted (i) commended (i) disregarded (i) spartan (ii) prodigal (ii) estimable (ii)

lambasted prodigal

After staying up all night, she felt extremely -2-; however, she still ran three miles with her friends. apprehensive lethargic controversial sluggish vigorous energetic

lethargic sluggish

The neglect of the old theater was -- in the extreme -- of the building, which was no longer safe to enter. hinted at (i) suggested (i) manifest (i) dilapidation (ii) depilation (ii) radiance (ii)

manifest dilapidation

Known to all as having a silver tongue, the orator easily distracts audiences from the meaning of his words with his -2- speech. mellifluous concise stumbling laconic euphoric strident

mellifluous euphonic

Word painting is a musical technique in which the progression of the notes -2- the meaning of the lyrics; a famous example of this can be found in the Handel's Messiah, in which the notes rise with the mention of "mountains" and fall with the mention of "low." affects mimics contrasts reflects opposes renounces

mimics reflects

Afterward, the deceased man's wife could not stop crying; his daughter was similarly -2-. overjoyed morose abashed lucid nonplussed dolorous

morose dolorous

The protest march quickly turned into a riot, and in the response by police, several people on either side were killed and dozens more wounded; it would later be -- remembered by both sides as a tragic accident an no blame would be assigned. indignantly mournfully spitefully bitterly soberly melancholically

mournfully melancholically

Early sewing machines were poorly received by textile workers, who feared the technology would -2- the demand for their skills; despite their protests, the sewing machine became popular both in the factory and in the home. overwhelm diminish obviate mitigate eliminate belittle

obviate eliminate

The -- gave such an impassioned speech that even the most forlorn members of the crowd were briefly moved to --. orator (i) miscreant (i) interloper (i) despair (ii) duress (ii) ebullience (ii)

orator ebullience

In honor of his lost homeland, the exiled poet wrote a moving -2- that described the beauty of his native country's people, culture, and landscapes. elocution paean oratory panegyric diatribe harangue

paean panegyric

The Magna Carta was one of the most -2- political declarations of the Middle Ages because it declared the monarch's powers to be limited by the law; although its practical effects were not immediate, it is commonly seen as the genesis of constitutional law in England. remarkable immense pivotal recondite ancient momentous

pivotal momentous

The firefighter, desperate to save the children on the second floor of the fiery house, rushed into their bedroom; his colleagues, more wary of the -2- structure, remained outside. stalwart precarious stout irrefrangable tottering fecund

precarious tottering

After naturally occurring smallpox was eradicated, the World Health Organization chose to -2- the remaining samples of the virus in hopes that they might be later used in developing the means to combat other viruses. eliminate duplicate preserve retain extirpate cultivate

preserve retain

Despite the many pleasures of staying in a hotel, such as a hot shower and clean sheets, many people -2- such comforts in favor of cold water from a nearby stream and a sleeping bag in order to savor a revitalizing proximity to nature. extol deprecate renounce spurn discountenance eulogize

renounce spurn

Though the poet's work was praised highly by critics, sales of his anthologies were --; it is possible the poor sales were due to his language being too -- to be readily understood. scanty (i) robust (i) singular (i) lucid (ii) prosaic (ii) abstruse (ii)

scanty abstruse

When the underdogs so soundly beat the team favored to win, their victory -2- the entire sports world. horrified estranged shook bored alienated stunned

shook stunned

For the people of ancient cultures who resided in desert climates, laws of hospitality dictated that -- must be welcomed as friends in the homes of their hosts; this code of conduct, typically grounded in religious belief, was considered -- as it ensured basic survival for those who were traveling through the harsh, arid environment. adversaries (i) sojourners (i) occupants (i) discretionary (ii) sacrosanct (ii) injudicious (ii)

sojourners sacrosanct