Text Completion: Double Blank: Although the artist's early works were characterized by their ______ use of color, his later pieces often employed a more ______ palette, favoring muted tones over vibrant hues.
- Alavish ... intense
- Baustere ... brilliant
- Cprodigal ... subdued
- Drestrained ... vivid
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: C. prodigal ... subdued
The 'Although' signals a contrast between early and later works. The second part explicitly states the later works favored 'muted tones over vibrant hues,' meaning a 'subdued' palette. Therefore, the early works must have had the opposite: a 'prodigal' (excessive/wasteful) or 'lavish' (sumptuous/rich) use of color. 'Prodigal...subdued' creates the clearest and most direct contrast.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. 'Lavish' fits the first blank, but 'intense' doesn't create the necessary contrast with 'muted tones' as strongly as 'subdued' does; 'intense' can still apply to muted colors in a different context.
- B. 'Austere' means severe or strict, which doesn't fit the idea of vibrant early works. 'Brilliant' fits the second part, but the first blank is incorrect.
- D. 'Restrained' is the opposite of what's needed for the first blank, which should imply vibrant/excessive color.
Text Completion: Double Blank Strategy
For double-blank Text Completion questions, analyze each blank independently while considering the overall sentence structure and logical connections, especially signal words like contrast or cause-effect.
- Often one blank is easier to fill first.
- Signal words are crucial for establishing relationships between the blanks.
- Ensure both words create a coherent and logical sentence.
Memory trick: Two blanks are like two locks; find the key for one, then the key for the other, making sure they open the same door.