OE


Though there are good (“beneficent”) motives, lots of people are dying. If this continues, then this “ongong contact” may end up harming the stated goal of “normalizing relations.” “Unpropitious” and “inimical” both mean adverse or harmful. “Incongruous” means not incompatible or inconsistent. While this could be a match for the blank, meaning-wise—since contact with the locals may be incompatible with the aim of normalizing relations—it lacks a match among the answer choices. “Honorable” doesn’t fit the desired meaning. And while “bedazzling” and “captivating” do form a pair, they provide a meaning that is not in line with what the sentence suggests.