FIB - 24th JULY

1

The Paris Commune was a government that ruled France for about two months in 1871; despite its (i) _________

reign, it was at the time (ii) _________ as a sign of the emergence of a powerful working class.

Blank (i) Blank (ii)

equivocal discounted

ephemeral recanted

omnipotent heralded

2

32. The property, hidden by overgrown plants, had not only fallen into (i) _________, but appeared positively (ii)

_________ by vermin.

Blank (i) Blank (ii)

misanthropy overrun

desuetude outdone

debauchment hampered

3

That the CEO's son was pleasant enough was not in doubt, but the (i) _________ young man was hardly (ii)

_________ enough to bargain on the company's behalf.

Blank (i) Blank (ii)

puissant egoistic

restive blithe

complaisant artful

4

He has such a pleasingly (i) _________ personality that it's hard to be bothered by the (ii) _________ in his past.

Blank (i) Blank (ii)

sanguine peccadilloes

high-handed incendiaries

salubrious achievements

5

The substitute French teacher accidentally walked into the wrong classroom, creating _________ situation when

she began speaking French to 15 mystified physics students.

an odious

a potable

a risible

a cursory

an arch

6

The (i) _________ young employee was soon (ii) _________ for making a serious mistake that cost the company

thousands of dollars.

Blank (i) Blank (ii)

banal enamored

ginger castigated

verdant deposed

7

The beauty pageant contestant told the judges she wanted world peace, but her suggestion to bring about world

peace was _________ —apparently, she naively thinks everyone could just be told to "love one another" and all

the world's disagreements would fade away.

convoluted

facile

impeccable

amicable

dulcet

8

Introverts prefer a quiet, reflective lifestyle, whereas extroverts are more _________.

doctrinaire

convivial

sanguinary

jejune

modish

10

The transformation of the NFL from a running-oriented game to a passing-oriented game demonstrates that, in any

profession, when the _________ proves more successful than the time-honored, industry leaders will embrace

the new with alacrity.

aerial

exciting

novel

conventional

controversial

****************

31. Ephemeral, heralded. Since the government lasted only about two months, it was ephemeral, or "short-lived."

Despite this, it was regarded, or celebrated, as the emergence of a powerful working class: only heralded matches.

32. Desuetude, overrun. Desuetude means "disuse," although the word is usually used in a legal context (a law that

has not been enforced in a very long time may fall into desuetude and in some legal codes be no longer valid).

Overrun matches the idea of having many vermin (rats and other undesirable animals). Don't fall for trap answer

hampered — the house couldn't be hampered because it wasn't trying to accomplish anything.

33. Complaisant, artful. You know from the sentence that the boss's son is "pleasant" but that he is not a good

person to bargain on behalf of the company. In the first blank, complaisant means "tractable, manageable" and in the

second, artful means "crafty, cunning, shrewd" — qualities important for bargaining.

34. Sanguine, peccadilloes. You know that the man's personality is pleasing — so pleasing that it's hard to be

bothered by something in his past. So, the first word should match pleasing and the second should be something

negative that others might overlook. Sanguine means "cheerful and optimistic." (Note that high-handed might sound

positive, but actually means "tactlessly overbearing.") Peccadilloes are minor faults or sins — small enough that they

might be overlooked if the person has other virtues.

35. A risible. The substitute teacher is speaking French in the wrong room and confusing everyone? Hilarious!

Risible means "laughable" and is the only choice that makes any sense here. Note that arch can mean "mischievous,

playful, roguish," but is not appropriate here because the French teacher did this "accidentally."

36. Verdant, castigated. You know that the employee is young and makes mistakes. Verdant means either "green and

lush" (like a forest), or "new and inexperienced" (the use of "green" as a metaphor, as in, "She's still green at her

job.") Since the mistake was so expensive, it makes sense that the employee would be castigated, or severely

criticized. (He wouldn't be deposed — that word is for kings, dictators, etc., forced out of power.)

37. Facile. The contestant's suggestion is rather childish; you also have the word naively as a clue. Facile matches

well, and has the sense of "superficial; so simple it's actually stupid." Note that convoluted often describes an

unconvincing argument, but a complicated one — this choice does not match the clue "naively."

38. Convivial. Extroverts are sociable, outgoing, etc. Only convivial matches.

39. Motley, even, sole. This question is an excellent lesson in the principle, "Don't add anything to your reading of

the sentence that wasn't there already." What were you told? Just that the first short story collection had many diverse

voices, and the second collection has "a ________ narrator" — in other words, just one speaker. Therefore, you don't

know that the stories or narrator are insightful, facetious, lonely, or disingenuous.

40. Novel. The correct answer must match the clue "new" and the structure that contrasts the blank with "timehonored."