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It is telling that a politician long adept at inhabiting any role
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Updated on: 13 Feb 2026, 01:23
Updated on: 13 Feb 2026, 01:23
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It is telling that a politician long adept at inhabiting any role that will serve his immediate purpose has been able to (i) ________ a disgruntled electorate, an outcome that perhaps speaks more to the electorate's (ii) ________ nature than it does to his ability to be (iii) ________ .
| Blank (i) | Blank (ii) | Blank (iii) |
|---|---|---|
| A. easily placate | D. fickle | G. persuasive |
| B. only repel | E. disaffected | H. candid |
| C. shrewdly | F. docile | I. misleading |
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Re: It is telling that a politician long adept at inhabiting any role
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08 Dec 2025, 06:25
08 Dec 2025, 06:25
3
Blank (i): What did he do to a disgruntled electorate?
The electorate is disgruntled meaning they are not happy.
What can an opportunistic politician do to them?
Options:
A. easily placate
B. only repel
C. shrewdly
“only repel” contradicts the idea that “he has been able to ___ a disgruntled electorate.”
That would indicate failure, but the sentence indicates success so
“shrewdly a disgruntled electorate” is ungrammatical and does not fit
“easily placate a disgruntled electorate” fits perfectly as placate means to appease/calm
Blank (i) = A. easily placate
Blank (ii): What is being said about the electorate’s nature?
It says this outcome “speaks more to the electorate’s ___ nature than to his ability.”
Meaning: the electorate was swayed easily, not because the politician is great but because they are weak or changeable.
Options:
D. fickle: easily changeable
E. disaffected : unhappy, alienated
F. docile : submissive
Disaffected contradicts “he placated them.”
Docile means obedient, but electorate being submissive has no evidence
Fickle = easily swayed fits perfectly
Blank (ii) = D. fickle
Blank (iii): What doesn’t this outcome say about him?
“... more to the electorate’s fickle nature than to his ability to be (iii) ______.”
So (iii) must be a good thing that the politician is not doing
Options:
G. persuasive
H. candid
I. misleading
The electorate was swayed because they are fickle, not because he is persuasive.
So his ability to be persuasive is what is not relevant
"Candid" = honesty does not fit as it is irrelevant.
"Misleading" = negative, and contradicts the idea
Blank (iii) = G. persuasive
The electorate is disgruntled meaning they are not happy.
What can an opportunistic politician do to them?
Options:
A. easily placate
B. only repel
C. shrewdly
“only repel” contradicts the idea that “he has been able to ___ a disgruntled electorate.”
That would indicate failure, but the sentence indicates success so
“shrewdly a disgruntled electorate” is ungrammatical and does not fit
“easily placate a disgruntled electorate” fits perfectly as placate means to appease/calm
Blank (i) = A. easily placate
Blank (ii): What is being said about the electorate’s nature?
It says this outcome “speaks more to the electorate’s ___ nature than to his ability.”
Meaning: the electorate was swayed easily, not because the politician is great but because they are weak or changeable.
Options:
D. fickle: easily changeable
E. disaffected : unhappy, alienated
F. docile : submissive
Disaffected contradicts “he placated them.”
Docile means obedient, but electorate being submissive has no evidence
Fickle = easily swayed fits perfectly
Blank (ii) = D. fickle
Blank (iii): What doesn’t this outcome say about him?
“... more to the electorate’s fickle nature than to his ability to be (iii) ______.”
So (iii) must be a good thing that the politician is not doing
Options:
G. persuasive
H. candid
I. misleading
The electorate was swayed because they are fickle, not because he is persuasive.
So his ability to be persuasive is what is not relevant
"Candid" = honesty does not fit as it is irrelevant.
"Misleading" = negative, and contradicts the idea
Blank (iii) = G. persuasive
Re: It is telling that a politician long adept at inhabiting any role
[#permalink]
12 Dec 2025, 06:23
12 Dec 2025, 06:23
1
Text Completion Explanation
> *It is telling that a politician long adept at inhabiting any role that will serve his immediate purpose has been able to (i) _______ a disgruntled electorate, an outcome that perhaps speaks more to the electorate's (ii) _______ nature than it does to his ability to be (iii) _______.*
---
Understand the sentence (before looking at choices)
Paraphrase:
- We have a **shape-shifting politician**, good at playing whatever role helps him.
- Despite the voters being **disgruntled**, he has been able to **do something to them** → blank (i).
- This outcome “speaks more to” (= reveals more about) **the voters’ nature** → blank (ii),
than it does to **his ability to be something** → blank (iii).
So:
- (i) must describe **success with** the electorate, not failure.
- The contrast “speaks more to the electorate's X nature than to his ability to be Y” means:
- The outcome is mainly explained by **what the voters are like**,
- Not by how **skilled** he is.
---
Blank (i)
Options:
- **A. easily placate** – to calm or soothe.
→ Fits perfectly: he manages to **calm/appease** a disgruntled electorate.
- **B. only repel** – to drive away.
→ Contradicts the idea that he has “been able to ___” them successfully.
- **C. shrewdly** – adverb.
→ Wrong part of speech; we need a **verb phrase** after “able to”.
✅ **Blank (i) = A. easily placate**
---
Blank (iii)
We compare: “electorate’s X nature” vs. “his ability to be Y.”
What ability do we usually credit a successful politician with?
- **G. persuasive** – able to convince others.
→ “Ability to be persuasive” is natural here.
- **H. candid** – honest, frank.
→ Conflicts with “inhabiting any role that will serve his immediate purpose” (opportunistic, not candid).
- **I. misleading** – deceptive.
→ Grammatically possible, but the structure suggests we’re contrasting voters’ character with his **skill**, not debating whether he is misleading.
✅ **Blank (iii) = G. persuasive**
---
4. Blank (ii)
Now choose a description of the electorate’s “nature” that explains why they’re so easily placated.
- **D. fickle** – changeable, prone to shifting opinions.
→ A fickle electorate can quickly swing from disgruntled to satisfied; this makes his success say more about **them** than about his persuasiveness.
- **E. disaffected** – discontented, disgruntled.
→ Redundant with “disgruntled electorate” and doesn’t explain why they can be soothed.
- **F. docile** – submissive, easily controlled.
→ Possible, but the stronger idea is **instability/changeability**, not passive obedience.
✅ **Blank (ii) = D. fickle**
---
Final Answers
- **(i)** A. *easily placate*
- **(ii)** D. *fickle*
- **(iii)** G. *persuasive*
> *It is telling that a politician long adept at inhabiting any role that will serve his immediate purpose has been able to (i) _______ a disgruntled electorate, an outcome that perhaps speaks more to the electorate's (ii) _______ nature than it does to his ability to be (iii) _______.*
---
Understand the sentence (before looking at choices)
Paraphrase:
- We have a **shape-shifting politician**, good at playing whatever role helps him.
- Despite the voters being **disgruntled**, he has been able to **do something to them** → blank (i).
- This outcome “speaks more to” (= reveals more about) **the voters’ nature** → blank (ii),
than it does to **his ability to be something** → blank (iii).
So:
- (i) must describe **success with** the electorate, not failure.
- The contrast “speaks more to the electorate's X nature than to his ability to be Y” means:
- The outcome is mainly explained by **what the voters are like**,
- Not by how **skilled** he is.
---
Blank (i)
Options:
- **A. easily placate** – to calm or soothe.
→ Fits perfectly: he manages to **calm/appease** a disgruntled electorate.
- **B. only repel** – to drive away.
→ Contradicts the idea that he has “been able to ___” them successfully.
- **C. shrewdly** – adverb.
→ Wrong part of speech; we need a **verb phrase** after “able to”.
✅ **Blank (i) = A. easily placate**
---
Blank (iii)
We compare: “electorate’s X nature” vs. “his ability to be Y.”
What ability do we usually credit a successful politician with?
- **G. persuasive** – able to convince others.
→ “Ability to be persuasive” is natural here.
- **H. candid** – honest, frank.
→ Conflicts with “inhabiting any role that will serve his immediate purpose” (opportunistic, not candid).
- **I. misleading** – deceptive.
→ Grammatically possible, but the structure suggests we’re contrasting voters’ character with his **skill**, not debating whether he is misleading.
✅ **Blank (iii) = G. persuasive**
---
4. Blank (ii)
Now choose a description of the electorate’s “nature” that explains why they’re so easily placated.
- **D. fickle** – changeable, prone to shifting opinions.
→ A fickle electorate can quickly swing from disgruntled to satisfied; this makes his success say more about **them** than about his persuasiveness.
- **E. disaffected** – discontented, disgruntled.
→ Redundant with “disgruntled electorate” and doesn’t explain why they can be soothed.
- **F. docile** – submissive, easily controlled.
→ Possible, but the stronger idea is **instability/changeability**, not passive obedience.
✅ **Blank (ii) = D. fickle**
---
Final Answers
- **(i)** A. *easily placate*
- **(ii)** D. *fickle*
- **(iii)** G. *persuasive*
