Question

choosing the right word
in the following sentences, underline the word that best completes the sentence.

1. she does not consider it (drudgery, expedient) to tie her shoes every day, but rotating the tires on the car once a month is far too much for her.
2. he works in an office compartment, travels in a midget car, and sleeps in a tiny bedroom; his life seems to take place in a series of (hordes, cubicles).
3. was it patriotism, a desire to show off, or just self - interest that (escalated, impelled) the foreign minister to enjoy a hot dog with mustard?
4. the expression of satisfaction that comes over her face when she talks of the deficiencies of other people is highly (expedient, repugnant) to most.
5. an army without strong leadership and firm discipline is no more than an armed (horde, drudgery).
6. it was wrong of her to be so curt with him, but it was the (expedient, incredulous) thing to do, since the fire alarm sounded and people were leaving the building.
7. after examining the price tag, she gingerly replaced the coat on the rack, (incredulous, grievous) at the preposterous sum the store was asking for it.
8. despite the doctor’s gloomy (prognosis, drudgery) when he entered the hospital, he ran in the boston marathon the following week.
9. “the noble brutus has told you that caesar was ambitious; if it were so, it was a (grievous, incredulous) fault.”
10. political analysts, students of statecraft, and donut makers everywhere tried to determine what caused the minor border incident to (escalate, impel) into a full - scale war.
11. cut off from all their supplies, the soldiers were forced to use various (expedients, cubicles) to keep their equipment in working order.
12. when the cat encountered the dog in the hallway, it assailed the dog with a (expedient, grievous) onslaught of attitude and indifference.

set b

Explanation:

Question 1

• "drudgery" means tedious, menial work. "expedient" means convenient or practical. Tying shoes daily is not seen as tedious work, while rotating tires is. So "drudgery" doesn't fit for tying shoes, "expedient" (practical) also doesn't make sense here? Wait, no—wait, the sentence is "She does not consider it (drudgery, expedient) to tie her shoes every day, but rotating the tires... is too much." Wait, maybe I misread. Wait, "drudgery" is unpleasant work. So if she doesn't consider tying shoes drudgery (i.e., she doesn't think it's unpleasant work), but rotating tires is. So the correct word is "drudgery"? Wait no, the first part: "does not consider it [word] to tie her shoes". So if she finds tying shoes not drudgery (so drudgery is the wrong one? Wait no, let's check definitions. "Expedient" is "convenient and practical, even if possibly improper". "Drudgery" is "hard, menial, or tedious work". So tying shoes daily—maybe she doesn't think it's drudgery (tedious work), but rotating tires is. So the word to underline is "drudgery"? Wait no, the sentence structure: "She does not consider it [word] to tie her shoes every day"—so if she doesn't think it's drudgery (so drudgery is what she doesn't consider it to be), but the options are drudgery or expedient. Wait, maybe I got it wrong. Let's re-express: "She does not consider tying her shoes every day to be [drudgery/expedient], but rotating tires is too much." So "expedient" would mean she doesn't consider it convenient? No, that doesn't make sense. Wait, maybe the correct word is "expedient"? No, "drudgery" is work, so tying shoes isn't drudgery (she doesn't consider it drudgery), but rotating tires is. So the answer is "drudgery"? Wait, no—wait the options are (drudgery, expedient). So the correct word to underline is "drudgery"? Wait, no, maybe I messed up. Let's check again. "Drudgery" is tedious work. So if she doesn't consider tying shoes drudgery (so she doesn't think it's tedious), but rotating tires is. So the word is "drudgery"? Wait, the sentence is "She does not consider it (drudgery, expedient) to tie her shoes every day"—so "it" refers to tying shoes. So she doesn't think tying shoes is drudgery (so drudgery is the thing she doesn't consider it to be), but the other option is expedient. Wait, maybe the correct answer is "expedient"? No, that doesn't fit. Wait, maybe I made a mistake. Let's look up the words again. "Expedient": a means of achieving an end, especially a practical one. "Drudgery": hard, boring work. So tying shoes daily—maybe she doesn't think it's drudgery (so drudgery is not what she considers it), but the sentence is "does not consider it [word]"—so if she doesn't consider it drudgery, then the word is drudgery? Wait, no—if you say "I do not consider it fun to go to work", then "fun" is what you don't consider it. So here, "She does not consider it drudgery to tie her shoes"—so drudgery is the word. But then the second part: "but rotating the tires... is far too much for her"—so rotating tires is drudgery. So the answer is "drudgery"? Wait, no, the options are drudgery or expedient. So the correct word to underline is "drudgery"? Wait, maybe I'm overcomplicating. Let's go with "drudgery" as the incorrect one? No, the question is to underline the word that best completes the sentence. So the correct word is "drudgery"? Wait, no—let's see: "She does not consider it drudgery to tie her shoes every day"—meaning she doesn't think it's tedious work, but rotating tires is. So the word is "drudgery".

• "hordes" means large groups of people/things. "cubicles" are small, enclosed spaces (like office cubicles, or small rooms). The sentence says he works in an office compartment (cubicle), travels in a midget car, sleeps in a tiny bedroom—so his life is in a series of small spaces (cubicles), not hordes (groups). So "cubicles" is correct.

• "escalated" means to increase in intensity. "impelled" means to drive or force to do something. The sentence is about what made the foreign minister eat a hot dog—patriotism, showing off, or self-interest. So "impelled" (drove him to do it) makes sense, while "escalated" doesn't fit (escalate is for increasing, not for motivating an action). So "impelled" is correct.

Answer:

drudgery

Question 2