11
The new administrator was -------; he considered new ideas worthy of consideration but ultimately ------- the old ways.
(A) an iconoclast . . undermined by
(B) an opportunist . . reminiscent of
(C) a sentimentalist . . preferable to
(D) a traditionalist . . inferior to
(E) an idealist . . instructive about
答案：D
解析：A “traditionalist” is someone who adheres to a time-honored set of practices or beliefs. “Inferior to” describes something that is of lesser quality or value than something else. An administrator certainly could be a traditionalist, or adhere to time-honored practices. If the new administrator prefers older, established ways of doing things, it makes sense to say that he might consider newer ideas but ultimately, or in the end, decide that they are inferior to, or lesser in value than, older ideas.
12
Members of the research team were initially so adversarial that ------- seemed impossible; the project's inauspicious start made its final success all the more ------- .
(A) concentration . . incidental
(B) disagreement . . incongruous
(C) collaboration . . predictable
(D) hostility . . dazzling
(E) cooperation . . remarkable
答案：E
解析：Choice (E) is the only pair of words that logically completes this sentence. The "adversarial" attitude of the team members would suggest that working together would be quite difficult, or that "cooperation" would be "impossible"; given the project's bad start, its ultimate success would be "remarkable" because nobody would have expected it.
13
Although the conference speakers disliked one another and might have been expected to ------- , it turned out that on several substantive issues they were in complete ------- and were able to avoid petty squabbling.
(A) argue . . disagreement
(B) bristle . . apathy
(C) debate . . dissonance
(D) concur . . denial
(E) bicker . . accord
答案：E
解析：Choice (E) is correct. Bickering is the kind of petulant or peevish arguing to which personal dislike might have lead the speakers, but their “accord,” or agreement, on substantive issues kept them from squabbling.
14
Laboratories have been warned that provisions for animal protection that in the past were merely ------- will now be mandatory;------- of this policy will lose their federal research grants.
(A) comprehensive . . adversaries
(B) nominal . . advocates
(C) disregarded . . proponents
(D) recommended . . violators
(E) compulsory . . resisters
答案：D
解析：The word “merely” indicates that the past provisions were not as strict as the “mandatory” provisions and “recommended” is the only first term that conveys a lesser degree of strictness. Only “violators” could logically be penalized by losing their federal research grants.
15
Tantra paintings from India are not only beautiful but also -------: in addition to their aesthetic value, they are used to facilitate meditation.
(A) garish
(B) valuable
(C) numerous
(D) ornate
(E) functional
答案：E
解析：Choice (E) is correct. Facilitating meditation is a function—something valuable about tantra paintings in addition to their beauty.
16
Ramona had never visited Niagara Falls, but she could appreciate their splendor ------- through the descriptions of others.
(A) vicariously
(B) heedlessly
(C) innocuously
(D) mystically
(E) voluminously
答案：A
解析：Ramona hadn’t visited Niagara Falls but "could appreciate their splendor," so the word that fills the blank must be an adverb whose definition has to do with appreciating something indirectly, "through the descriptions of others" (based on their experiences). Choice (A) is correct because to experience something "vicariously" is to experience it through imaginative participation in the actual experience of someone else.
17
According to Burgess, a novelist should not ------- , for sermonizing has no place in good fiction.
(A) invent
(B) offend
(C) inform
(D) preach
(E) distort
答案：D
解析：The correct answer is D. Burgess believes that preaching or sermonizing is not appropriate in good fiction.
18
The research is so ------- that it leaves no part of the issue unexamined.
(A) comprehensive
(B) rewarding
(C) sporadic
(D) economical
(E) problematical
答案：A
解析：Try filling in the blank without reading the answer choices. What kinds of words would fit? Words like complete, thorough, or extensive could all fit. Now look at the answer choices. “Comprehensive” is very similar to the words suggested, and none of the other choices fits at all.
19
Because he felt intimidated in his new position, he was ------- divulging his frank opinions of company proposals.
(A) scurrilous about
(B) candid in
(C) chary of
(D) fervid about
(E) precipitate in
答案：C
解析：Someone who is “intimidated” by his position would be “chary of,” or cautious about, expressing his honest opinion of company proposals.
20
So that she would not be considered ------- in her actions, the department head made sure that the members of the advisory committee ------- her plans before she started to implement them.
(A) capricious . . ridiculed
(B) deliberative . . ignored
(C) impulsive . . approved
(D) tardy . . designed
(E) provocative . . mislaid
答案：C
解析：“Impulsive” means acting suddenly, abruptly, or without premeditation. To approve something is to consent to or confirm it. The sentence suggests that the department head was concerned about how her actions would be viewed. If she were concerned about the possibility of being considered too abrupt or thoughtless in her plans, or about thinking them through insufficiently before acting on them, she certainly might have wanted to have her plans "approved" by others before she implemented them, or carried them out. It makes sense to say that the department head had the advisory committee members confirm or sanction her plans so that she would not be considered impulsive.