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Re: While the author’s first book was substantial and well
[#permalink]
14 Oct 2017, 16:18
Explanation
You need two words that contrast with substantial and match the idea of running out of material. Claptrap is “pretentious but insincere language,” and dross is “refuse, garbage.”
Pith and possibly marrow are a strange pair — pith is “the essence,” and marrow (the substance inside of bones) can sometimes be used
metaphorically in a similar way (to “suck the marrow out of life”), but it wouldn’t make sense to say that a book lacks substance if it does, in fact, contain the most important parts.
Hence options claptrap, dross are best fit!