Question

exercise iii. choose the set of words that best completes the sentence.

1. the __ argument that raged in the office for days was not __ to getting work done.

a provincial, petulant
b impetuous; provincial
c petulant; protracted
d protracted; conducive

1. can we __ from the uproar in the newspapers that the senator has refused to __ his controversial bill?

a retract, induce
b deduce; retract
c evince; deduce
d retract; evince

1. what was the __ for the supposedly __ hockey teams decision not to play in the tournament?

a conviction, provincial
b impetus; invincible
c impetus; petulant
d conviction; intractable

Explanation:

1. Analyze each option for the first sentence: "The __ argument that raged in the office for days was not __ to getting work done." "Protracted" means lasting a long time, which fits an argument that raged for days. "Conducive" means making a certain situation or outcome likely or possible, and an ongoing argument is not helpful (conducive) to getting work done.
2. For the second sentence: "Can we __ from the uproar in the newspapers that the senator has refused to __ his controversial bill?" "Deduce" means to draw a conclusion by reasoning, which makes sense for inferring from newspaper uproar. "Retract" means to withdraw or take back, which is appropriate for a senator and a controversial bill.
3. For the third sentence: "What was the __ for the supposedly __ hockey team's decision not to play in the tournament?" "Impetus" means a driving force or motivation, which is what we are looking for to explain a decision. "Invincible" means too powerful to be defeated, and it makes sense to describe a hockey - team.

Answer:

1. D. protracted; conducive
2. B. deduce; retract
3. B. impetus; invincible