OE


The first sentence alone provides little indication of what the first blank should be: there is a “low rate of growth” and “the 2007 financial crisis,” which are both negative, but the blank isn’t necessarily so. Economists describe the low rate of growth as surprising? Not surprising? Terrible? Normal? Read on for more context. Blank (ii) describes examples of something that causes “a corresponding decline in lifestyles.” The best fit is “actual decreases,” which refers back to the “wages” in the first sentence. “Medical bills” represent a cost, but this goes unquantified, so to claim “a corresponding decline in lifestyles” would be a stretch. “Buoyancy” when applied to the economy means a high level of activity, so this choice is the opposite of what is needed. With “actual decreases” in the second sentence, there is better context for the first blank. Economists (in general) describe a “low rate of growth in wages,” and “many cite examples of actual decreases,” which is even worse, so indeed the first blank should be something like “paltry” or “poor”; “pathetic” in this context is a synonym. “Promising” is opposite and “partisan,” which means biased or prejudiced, is unrelated. The final sentence continues the negative characterization of this “unfortunate trend,” predicting “years of poverty and deprivation” for an “often blameless” group. “Uplifted” and “devoted” are too positive, but “sentenced” to (i.e. punished with), “years of poverty and deprivation” works.