A recently released, praise-filled biography of George Bernard Shaw fails, much like its predecessors, to truly capture the essence of his personality: the more he is (i)_____, the more his true self seems to (ii)_____.
| Blank (i) | Blank (ii) |
|---|---|
| A. discussed | D. disappear |
| B. disparaged | E. emerge |
| C. disregarded | F. coalesce |
The sentence says the biography is laudatory (full of praise) yet still fails to capture Shaw’s essence. The two blanks set up a paradox.
Blank (i): The biography is about Shaw — it discusses him. The more he is discussed, the more elusive his true self becomes. “Disparaged” or “disregarded” would not logically follow from a laudatory biography that is earnestly trying to capture his personality.
Blank (ii): The sentence sets up a paradox — more discussion leads to less understanding. So the true self must disappear (become harder to find), not emerge or coalesce.
- “Emerge” would mean we understand him better — the opposite of the intended meaning.
- “Coalesce” means to come together — also contradicts the idea of failing to capture his essence.
Correct Answers: Blank (i) = A (discussed), Blank (ii) = D (disappear).
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