Explanation


But they pay little attention to the opposite and more treacherous failing: false certainty, refusing to confess their mistakes and implicitly claiming (i) _________, thereby embarrassing the nation and undermining the Constitution, which established various mechanisms of self-correction on the premise that even the wisest men are sometimes wrong and need, precisely when they find it most (ii) _________, the benefit of (iii) __________ process.

Another work of art by the ETS!

The first sentence, after the colon has a list of negative traits. We know they are negative not only because two of the explicitly mentioned qualities are negative but they are also referred to as "treacherous failing".

"false certainty, refusing to confess their mistakes and implicitly claiming _________"

The word that completes the blank should provide a negative trait.

claiming infallibility, claiming immunity and claiming impartiality are all negative traits. So how do we select?

We read the clause following the comma after the blank

"thereby embarrassing the nation and undermining the Constitution, which established various mechanisms of self-correction on the premise that even the wisest men are sometimes wrong and need..."

This decides in favor of claiming infallibility or Choice A.

Now I will go to the third blank.

What do these wisest men who claim infallibility need? The answer is found in "which established various mechanisms of self-correction ..." , though one may also come to that conclusion logically.

Thus the answer is a remedial or Choice H

Since these wise men are already deluded by a sense of false certainty, and suffer from a refusal to confess their mistakes, apart from claiming infallibility (cannot go wrong), we can be sure they will be embarrassed to accept their mistakes. Thus discomfiting is the best choice. Choice D.

The word expedient means "(of an action) convenient and practical although possibly improper or immoral". But since these wise men find it difficult to confess their mistakes and are in fact deluded, it would not be expedient on their part to see remedial action. This rules out Choice E expedient.

The remedial measure is predicated on their refusal to accept mistakes and not on whether these wise men find the measures imminent or not. So that rules out Choice F imminent.