Lesson: Text Completion - 04
Applying the 4-Level Plan Complex Text Completions
Now let’s apply this 4-Level plan to a Complex Text Completion. This example
is about as brief as any you’d see on the Test.
Example
Friends of the theater have long decried the (i)_______ of big-city drama critics,
whose reviews can determine the (ii)_______ a play in a single night.
(i)
callous indifference
unfettered sway
incisive judgment
(ii)
popularity of
outcome of
audience for
Level 1: To handle this Complex Text Completion, it helps to know that the word decry
means “to discredit or criticize.” If you’re completely unfamiliar with the word, you
can at least guess at its definition. The root cry provides a good clue that decry is a
negatively charged word. As a whole, then, the sentence is describing how a play
reviewer’s action can impact a play in a way that evokes a critical response from the
theatrical community.
Level 2: Let’s weigh the choices for blank (i). It wouldn’t make much sense for “friends
of the theater” to discredit or criticize a drama critic’s “incisive judgment.” (The word
incisive in this context means “keen or sharp.”) So you can at least eliminate this
choice, without even considering blank (ii). But the other two choices both make sense
as a characteristic of big-city drama critics that friends of the theater might not think
highly of. (Of course, it helps to know that unfettered sway means “unconstrained
influence or power.”) So you’ll need to consider blank (ii) to determine the best choice
for blank (i).
Level 3: Now let’s look at the choices for blank (ii). The phrase outcome of doesn’t make
much sense in context. It’s the playwright, not the critic, that determines the outcome
of a play. But the other two choices both seem to make sense: A drama critic’s review
can determine a play’s popularity and its audience. Notice that regardless of which
phrase you use in the second blank, the second part of the sentence provides a better
description of unfettered sway than callous indifference. In other words, the sentence
as a whole is more consistent and cohesive with the former phrase than with the
latter.
Level 4: You need to decide between popularity of and audience for. To say that a
critic’s review determines a play’s “audience,” isn’t that really saying that it has a
great impact on the size of the audience—that is, the play’s “popularity”? It’s for this
reason that popularity of is the better completion for blank (ii); it makes for a clearer,
more effective sentence.
The correct answer is unfettered sway for blank (i) and
popularity of for blank (ii).
Remember: If you had selected any other choice for either blank, you’d have received
no credit whatsoever for this question. Also, notice the subtle distinction between the
best choice and the runner-up for blank (ii).
Now let’s look at some paragraph-length (two to five sentences) Complex Text Completions,
which focus chiefly on idiomatic phrases and sentence transitions. The use of
longer passages allows the test designers to gauge your ability to form cohesive
paragraphs that make sense as a whole and convey the overall idea articulately and
properly.
The following example is a bit easier than average for a paragraph-length Complex
Text Completion.
Example
Low-context cultures, such as those of the United States, England, and Germany,
spell things out verbally and rely on a rather (i)_______ interpretation of the
spoken word. There tends to be no gap between what is said and what is meant.
(ii)_______, high-context cultures, including those of Spain, France, Mexico, and
Japan, communicate more by nuance and implication, relying less on actual
words than on gestures and situations.
In these cultures, (iii)_______ often what
is most important.
(i)
literal
straightforward
glib
(ii)
Generally speaking
By the same token
On the other hand
(iii)
what remains unsaid is
what words actually mean is
emphasis and tone are
Let’s apply our 4-Level approach to this paragraph-length Complex Text Completion.
Level 1: The first two sentences discuss how low-context cultures communicate; the
final two sentences talk about communication in high-context cultures. Based on the
passage’s descriptions, there’s clearly a marked difference between the two. In fact,
this seems to be the paragraph’s main thrust. (Notice the phrases “more by” and “less
on” in the third sentence.)
Level 2: Let’s start with the blank (ii), which connects the description of a low-context
culture with the discussion of high-context cultures. Since the text strongly suggests a
contrast, a word like “however” would lead nicely from one to the other. The phrase
On the other hand fits perfectly. (The phrase By the same token signals similarity, not
contrast. The phrase Generally speaking signals an elaboration or explanation just
ahead. Neither phrase is at all appropriate in context.)
Level 3: Notice that the first and second sentences both provide a description of
whatever should fill in blank (i). The second sentence in particular provides a good
definition of the word literally. (The word glib means “fluent or articulate”—not a good
fit for the description in the first two sentences.) On to blank (iii). The final sentence
appears to be a restatement or interpretation of the idea in the preceding sentence—
that gestures and implication are more important than actual words. The
phrase what remains unsaid is an artful characterization of what’s gestured or
implied but not put into actual words, so it’s a perfect fit for blank (iii). The other two
phrases confuse the idea; neither one makes the appropriate point.
Level 4: We already determined the best choice for each blank, so we can skip Level 4.
The correct answer is literal for blank (i), On the other hand for blank (ii),
and what remains unsaid is for blank (iii).
Now try applying the 4 Levels to another example. This one contains only two blanks,
but that doesn’t mean it’s easier than the previous example.
Example
The medical profession has traditionally scoffed at the claims of alternative
medicine. When (i)_______ its successes is trotted out, doctors routinely and
dismissively put it down to the placebo effect. (ii)_______, perhaps one of the
reasons that alternative medicine is booming today is precisely because in an era
in which medical procedures and antibiotics are prescribed at the drop of a hat
while alternative treatments are rarely even suggested, people have become less
trusting of medical science.
(i)
a compelling reason for
anecdotal evidence of
a cogent theory about
(ii)
Ironically
As a result
On the other hand
Let’s apply the 4 Levels to this example:
Level 1: Here’s the overall gist of the passage: Traditional medical practitioners do not
take alternative treatments seriously and do not recommend them to patients—and
this fact might be the reason that patients have grown suspicious of traditional
medicine and are therefore seeking alternatives.
Level 2: Let’s start with blank (i), which you can fill in based on the first two
sentences. Notice that the pronoun “it” refers to whatever goes in the blank. What
might doctors dismiss as the result of the placebo effect? Well, probably the results of
certain scientific experiments—in other words, scientific evidence, not a theory or a
reason. Accordingly, the phrase anecdotal evidence of is the only one of the three that
makes logical sense in grammatical context of the first two sentences.
ppp
Level 3: Now let’s tackle blank (ii), which requires you to assimilate the entire
passage. Recall the gist of the passage from Level 1. Since the passage doesn’t set up
any sort of contrast in ideas, the phrase On the other hand makes no sense for blank
(ii). You can at least eliminate one of the three choices. But neither of the others are
easy to eliminate at first glance.
Level 4: Notice that you could insert nothing in blank (ii) and still understand how the
idea preceding it connects to what follows it—the connection is cause and effect. So
does that mean that the phrase “As a result,” which signals that an effect lies just
ahead, is the best choice for blank (ii)? Not necessarily. If you look at the entire
sentence, you would have As a result precede “perhaps the reason that,” which would
be redundant. So by process of elimination, the best choice for blank (ii) appears to be
Ironically. And if you think about it, the word aptly characterizes the cause-and-effect
relationship described in the passage. The correct answer is anecdotal evidence
of for blank (i) and Ironically for blank (ii).
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