OE


The structural clue in this sentence is the comma after "tendencies," which indicates that the tendencies Bela has will be explained in the clause coming up. Note the word "contravene," which means contradict. Even without knowing the definition of "contravene," it should be clear that the prefix "contra" means "against." Bela likes to go against the intentions of others.

Predict an answer

Someone who likes to go against the intentions of others could be described as having "provocative" or "opposing" tendencies.

Select the choice that most closely matches your prediction

(B) contrarian, or "taking the opposite position," fits well with the prediction and is the correct answer. A person who tends to take the opposite position would contravene others' intentions.

(A) consummate means "perfectly skilled or of the highest degree" and doesn't follow from liking to go against others. (C) maniacal has the root "maniac" and in fact means "like a maniac." A maniac might engage in the described behavior, but there is no logical reason to think of a maniac when presented merely with the fact that the person likes to contravene others. (D) importunate means "overly persistent," and doesn't fit in with this sentence's clues. (E) meritorious means "deserving honor and esteem." Someone who likes to go against others wouldn't automatically be described as deserving honor. Note that although the vocabulary is difficult in this question, there are clues that we can glean from the roots of the words.