help!!

[gauri]

The Astronomer and feminist Maria Mitchell's own prodigious activity and the vigor of the association for the advancement of women during the 1870's _____ any assertion that feminism was_____in that period.
a) exclude...thriving
b) contradict.....prospering
c) pervade....remote
d) buttress....dormant
e) belie....quiescent

While some see in practical jokes a wish for mastery in miniature over a world that seems very_____others believe that the jokes purposed to disrupt by reducing all transactions to______.
a) dubious...confusion
b) disorderly...symmetry
c) harmonious..dissonance
d) unruly...chaos
e) turbulent....uniformity
Pl. explain ur ans.

[rumen]

Hallo gauri, for the first sentence, I am quite sure that the answer should be "E", for the second one, not so sure, also "E". If the answers are correct I will give you some clues.

[gauri]

Hi rumen,
ur quite correct with the first one its e...but ans to second one is d. kindly explain

[ranjani]

hallo,
in the 2nd one,is the word 'disrupt' a cue for 2nd blank to be 'dissonance'?? and thereby first blank 'harmonious'...

[rumen]

for the first sentence the key words are "prodigious" and "the vogour ofthe association..." reveal that in first blank the word should be something like disprove, so you may limit your options to "B" and "E" for the second blank you need a word which is opposite to the above quotations and the answer is "E"
for the second one , I can not understand the sense of the sentence, but I think that "masatery" is the key word...hope that helps..

[doodlee]

Let me take a shot at the second question.
I picked D because:
By reducing all transactions to ________ would mean that they ruined the transactions in some way and hence you need a negative word. that narrows the choices to A, C and D
mastery in miniature over a world that seems very______ would need a word that would have negative connotations and indicate that the world cannot be managed as it is. that eliminated choice C which has harmonious. To choose between A and D, I thought unruly indicated something that cannot be controlled / ruled better than dubious.

HTH

[aveno]

The Astronomer and feminist Maria Mitchell's own prodigious activity and the vigor of the association for the advancement of women during the 1870's _____ any assertion that feminism was _____in that period.
a) exclude...thriving
b) contradict.....prospering
c) pervade....remote
d) buttress....dormant
e) belie....quiescent

Since there is some prodigous(extraordinary) activity by Maria towards feminism in 1870, it is lucid that there is some progress towards women which contradicts that feminism is dormant during that time.

While some see in practical jokes a wish for mastery in miniature over a world that seems very _____others believe that the jokes purposed todisrupt by reducing all transactions to______.
a) dubious...confusion
b) disorderly...symmetry
c) harmonious .. dissonance
d) unruly...chaos
e) turbulent....uniformity

"world that seems" hints it must be a harsh word and "disrupt by reducing all transactions" indicate that the the second blank is also a harsh word. The only choice that suits is d.