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Corporate communications teams have learned that a company's founding
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02 Aug 2026, 10:15
02 Aug 2026, 10:15
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Question Stats:
41% (01:31) correct
58% (01:46) wrong based on 17 sessions
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Corporate communications teams have learned that a company's founding story rewards constant repackaging: whenever a milestone rolls around, complicated archival records — board disputes, early failures, the messy compromises that built the business — get smoothed into (i)_______ tailored less for historians than for shareholders, part of (ii)_______ approach to institutional memory that treats the past chiefly as raw material for public (iii)_______.
| Blank (i) | Blank (ii) | Blank (iii) |
|---|---|---|
| A. digestible highlights | D. a scholarly | G. instruction |
| B. cautionary tales | E. a cynical | H. reflection |
| C. forgotten footnotes | F. a mercenary | I. spectacle |
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Re: Corporate communications teams have learned that a company's founding
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04 Aug 2026, 07:29
04 Aug 2026, 07:29
1
Expert Reply
Explanation
Blank (i): digestible highlights
The sentence describes taking "complicated archival records" (disputes, failures, messy compromises) and "smoothing" them into something tailored for shareholders.
Digestible highlights fits the idea of smoothing complex and messy history into neat, easily consumable bites for an audience. "Cautionary tales" doesn't fit a company trying to celebrate a milestone, and "forgotten footnotes" contradicts repackaging history into something prominent.
Blank (ii): a mercenary
The passage describes an approach to corporate memory that uses history primarily to serve practical, self-interested, or promotional goals (repackaging for shareholders).
Mercenary means motivated primarily by financial gain or self-interest, perfectly capturing an opportunistic strategy that exploits history as "raw material." While "cynical" is close, mercenary specifically targets the utilitarian, profit/PR-driven exploitation of the company's past. "Scholarly" directly contradicts the sentence ("tailored less for historians").
Blank (iii): spectacle
Corporate communications teams treat institutional memory as raw material meant for public display around major milestones.
Spectacle highlights the public, showy, PR-driven nature of repackaging milestone stories for public consumption. "Instruction" and "reflection" imply genuine educational or contemplative goals, which conflicts with the idea of smoothing away messy truths for public consumption.
Answer: A,F,I
Blank (i): digestible highlights
The sentence describes taking "complicated archival records" (disputes, failures, messy compromises) and "smoothing" them into something tailored for shareholders.
Digestible highlights fits the idea of smoothing complex and messy history into neat, easily consumable bites for an audience. "Cautionary tales" doesn't fit a company trying to celebrate a milestone, and "forgotten footnotes" contradicts repackaging history into something prominent.
Blank (ii): a mercenary
The passage describes an approach to corporate memory that uses history primarily to serve practical, self-interested, or promotional goals (repackaging for shareholders).
Mercenary means motivated primarily by financial gain or self-interest, perfectly capturing an opportunistic strategy that exploits history as "raw material." While "cynical" is close, mercenary specifically targets the utilitarian, profit/PR-driven exploitation of the company's past. "Scholarly" directly contradicts the sentence ("tailored less for historians").
Blank (iii): spectacle
Corporate communications teams treat institutional memory as raw material meant for public display around major milestones.
Spectacle highlights the public, showy, PR-driven nature of repackaging milestone stories for public consumption. "Instruction" and "reflection" imply genuine educational or contemplative goals, which conflicts with the idea of smoothing away messy truths for public consumption.
Answer: A,F,I
gmatclubot
Re: Corporate communications teams have learned that a company's founding [#permalink]
04 Aug 2026, 07:29
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