Let me tease you with some BB SCs - with explanations

[miketakena]

7. Far from undermining the impression of permanent decline, the ___ statue seemed emblematic of its ____ surroundings
(A) indecorous .. opulent
(B) grandiose .. ramshackle
(C) pretentious ... simple
(D) ungainly .. elegant
(E) tawdry ... blighted

This is a convoluted SC from PPrep. ETS wants you to figure out the 1st clause .."far from undermining the impression of permanent decline" - so .. if the decline is permanent ... and you try to undermine it means the result should be actually good ... that it looks prosperous... but the words "Far from" switched the meaning back... so that statue is supposed to make the place look as if it is in permanent decline...

Thus tawdry and blighted will fit the case.

6. AT several points in his discussion, Graves, in effect ___ evidence when it does not support his argument, tailoring it to his needs.

(A) Address (B) Creates (C) Alters (D) Suppresses (E) Substitutes

Its easy to see that (C) goes with the word tailoring. But if the word "Tailoring" is changed to "Curtailing" or "Checking" ... then the correct answer would be (D).

1. The demise of the rigorous academic curriculum in high school resulted, in part, from the progressive rhetoric that _____ the study of subjects previously thought _____ as part of school learning
a. advocated .. necessary
b. enhanced .. indispensable
c. restricted .. impractical
d. undermined .. popular
e. sanctioned .. inappropriate

The OA is E and let me try and tell you why:

The keyword is "rigorous" - which means very strict. Thus if the strictness of the curriculum has been reduced, it would mean that the rhetoric has done something to slacken it.

You might chose A,B and E as preliminary answers and take a closer look by re-phrasing the sentence.

'the strictness of the curriculum has been reduced" ... "because people have successfully persuade the authorities"

Advocate... the study of subjects that are nowadays...unnecessary??
Enhanced... the study of subjects that are nowadays ...dispensable??
Sanctioned (aka approved)... the study of subjects that are nowadays ...appropriate??

If you paraphrased it, then you will see that (E) is the best answer. because if the curriculum is strict, it would not even allow good ideas to be incorporated. ... lest unnecessary and dispensable ones..

2. Although nothing could be further from the truth, freight railroads have been ____ of ______ the nation's shift from oil to coal by charging exorbitant fees to transport coal.
(A) accused .. impeding
(B) proud .. accelerating
(C) guilty .. delaying
(D) conscious .. contributing to
(E) wary .. interfering with

The OA is A and let me try and tell you why:

It is not difficult to arrive at 2 possible choices - i.e. (A) and (C) because if freight companies are charging exorbitant prices, they are obviously trying to undermine the nation's effort.

Then come to choose between "accused" and "guilty". This is the tricky part and this is where ETS wants to test you on. The keyword is "Although". Let me re-cast the sentence in this form:

The freight railroads have been "ACCUSED/GUILTY" of "IMPEDING/DELAYING" the nation's shift from oil to coal by charging exorbitant prices ... although nothing could be further from the truth.

There is a sense of time frame here... Accused means that the freight railroads are still not guilty - because if the freight railroads are guilty in the 1st place, the clause "Although nothing could be further from the truth" is unnecessary.

E.g. Teachers in this school, who condone acts of violence, are alleged to encourage the students' delinquent behavior, although nothing could be further from the truth.

You should be able to decipher the language structure above.

3. No longer _____ by the belief that the world around us was expressly designed for humanity, many people try to find intellectual _____ for that lost certainty in astrology and in mysticism.
(A) satisfied .. reasons
(B) sustained .. substitutes
(C) reassured .. justifications
(D) hampered .. equivalents
(E) restricted .. parallels

The OA is B and let me try and tell you why:

It is not difficult to arrive at (A), (B) and (C) because "the belief" no longer have much to offer.

Then it is not difficult to eliminate (A) because "intellectual reasons" sound wrong.

Then come the nemesis: Is it substitute or justifications...

If you have zero-ed into the phrase "lost certainty" then (C) would have been great and you fall into ETS's trap - because you did not find the phrase "intellectual justifications" weird. People who lost their beliefs would ferret something to hold onto ...that's their priority ... and not trying to justify the reasons for losing faith in those beliefs.

Let us re-cast the sentence again .. now in our own words:

Beliefs are now no longer "REASSURING/SUSTAINED" .. therefore many people will try to find intellectual "JUSTIFICATIONS/SUBSTITUTES" to make up for it.

It would be obvious that "SUBSTITUTES" is a better choice.

4. Imposing steep fines on employers for on-the-job injuries to workers could be an effective _____ to creating a safer workplace, especially in the case of employers with poor safety records

(A) antidote
(B) Alternative
(C) Addition
(D) Deterrent
(E) Incentive

The OA is E and let me try and tell you why:

I chose “DETERRENT” and it was wrong because of sentence structure. (D) would be correct if the sentence reads:

Imposing steep fines on employers for on-the-job injuries to workers could be an effective DETERRENT to employers with poor safety records.

Thus the word INCENTIVE; necessitated by sentence structure.

5. In the absence of any ____ caused by danger, hardship, or even cultural difference, most utopian communities deteriorate into ___ but enervating backwaters
(A) turmoil .. frantic
(B) mistrust .. naïve
(C) amelioration .. ignorant
(D) decimation .. intrusive
(E) stimulation .. placid

The OA is E and let me try and tell you why:

It is not difficult to come to choices (A) and (E) because dangers/hardships/cultural differences, taken together, cannot be caused by mistrust, amelioration or decimation.

For the last blank, the key word is “but enervating” so the precedent must be something positive… “PLACID” is at least neutral (and therefore most amenable) while “FRANTIC” sounds negative when describing a community.

[GRE Pupil]

Thanks for those explanations. We can never do enough SC's.