The phrase "only we have traded the agora for the internet" suggests that what is happening in today's internet also happened in the Greek agora. And the following phrase "many online venues exist in which the intellectually curious discuss the very same questions" which appears after the colon (and hence describes or defines what comes before the colon) clearly implies that intellectual discussions happened in the Greek agora.

Thus, holding forth on(which means to deliberate and discuss) is the correct choice for the first blank, and is very much alive is the correct choice for the second blank.

Official Explanation from Magoosh


"...discuss the very same..." indicates that the first blank has to be similar in meaning. This sentence is the opposite of a time shift in that it states how two time periods are similar. Only (A) is the same as discussing. (B) doesn't make sense stylistically (how does one disprove a question?).

Since the two time periods are similar ("we have traded...Internet"), philosophy can be seen as (E).


FAQ: Does "yet" signal a shift here?

A: "Yet" does indicate a shift here. The first part of the sentence says that many people think philosophy is something that only existed in ancient Greece. Yet, many people still discuss philosophy today. The difference is that instead of the Agora, we discuss on the internet.

So, "yet" signals a shift between the belief that philosophy was only discussed in ancient Greece and the fact that many people continue to discuss it today.


FAQ: What does "apparelled in a toga walking about the Greek agora" mean?

A: "Apparelled in," means "to wear," but it's being used here a bit metaphorically. It's not saying that a person is wearing something. Instead, it's saying that "philosophy" is clothed "in a toga walking about the Greek agora." In other words, it's saying that, in the popular imagination, the word "philosophy" conjured up images of Ancient Greece -- and people wearing togas.

Answer: (A), (E)

very difficult question

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