OE


This is a two-blank Text Completion question, so determine
which blank is easier. Try starting with the first blank.
Determine who/what the blank in the sentence is describing.
The first blank describes the kind of victory…those already
in of ice can coast to. Now determine what else gives insight
into the word for the blank. The sentence states that
boundaries…are drawn in order to protect incumbents, so a
good word for the blank is something like “easy to get.”
Choice (A), an ineluctable, is a good match for the blank,
while an invidious, which means inspiring ill will, and a
plangent, which means reverberating, do not match the word
for the blank. Keep (A) and eliminate (B) and (C). Now work
with the second blank. Determine who/what the blank in the
sentence is describing. The second blank describes the
general election. Now determine what else gives insight into
the blank. Though introduced by the same-direction
transition [o]f course, the sentence actually sets up the
possibility of a challenge to the incumbent, but the transition
word [n]evertheless reverses this idea. Therefore, the word in
the second blank describing the general election could be an
adjective similar to “ineluctable.” Try to rephrase the difficult
answer choices. Both (D), seldom nugatory, meaning rarely
trivial, and (E), remarkably contentious, go against the
expected sense. [M]erely denouement suggests a simple
outcome or mere formality, so this choice is a good match.
Keep (F).