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The formerly flexible and adaptable New Deal economic strategies under
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08 Jul 2025, 01:14
08 Jul 2025, 01:14
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Question Stats:
21% (00:55) correct
78% (01:02) wrong based on 61 sessions
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The formerly flexible and adaptable New Deal economic strategies underwent a slow _______ as bureaucracy transformed them into rigid policies.
| Two Answers |
|---|
| A. deterioration |
| B. resurrection |
| C. ossification | D. calibration | E. preservation |
| F. obsolescence |
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Re: The formerly flexible and adaptable New Deal economic strategies under
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09 Jul 2025, 04:45
09 Jul 2025, 04:45
Expert Reply
1. Understanding the Context:
- The sentence describes a transformation of New Deal economic strategies from being "flexible and adaptable" to becoming "rigid policies" due to bureaucracy.
- We need words that describe this process of becoming rigid or losing effectiveness.
2. Analyzing the Options:
C. ossification ( $\(\checkmark\)$ Best fit): This literally means the process of becoming rigid or turning into bone. It perfectly matches the idea of flexible strategies becoming rigid policies.
- F. obsolescence ( $\(\checkmark\)$ Strong secondary fit): This means becoming outdated or obsolete. While slightly less precise than ossification, it fits well because rigid bureaucratic policies often become obsolete over time.
- A. deterioration: While this could work (as rigid policies may deteriorate in effectiveness), it's more general and less precise than ossification.
- Other options (B. resurrection, D. calibration, E. preservation) either contradict the meaning or are irrelevant.
3. Why These Two Words Work Best:
Ossification directly captures the transformation into rigidity.
Obsolescence complements this by suggesting the eventual outcome of such rigidity policies becoming outdated and ineffective.
4. GRE Relevance:
- This question tests high-level vocabulary (ossification is a GRE-level word) and the ability to discern subtle differences in meaning.
- The dual answer format is typical of harder GRE questions that allow for complementary correct answers.
Final Answer: C. ossification and F. obsolescence
(Note: If only one answer is required, C. ossification would be the primary choice as it most precisely matches the transformation described.)
- The sentence describes a transformation of New Deal economic strategies from being "flexible and adaptable" to becoming "rigid policies" due to bureaucracy.
- We need words that describe this process of becoming rigid or losing effectiveness.
2. Analyzing the Options:
C. ossification ( $\(\checkmark\)$ Best fit): This literally means the process of becoming rigid or turning into bone. It perfectly matches the idea of flexible strategies becoming rigid policies.
- F. obsolescence ( $\(\checkmark\)$ Strong secondary fit): This means becoming outdated or obsolete. While slightly less precise than ossification, it fits well because rigid bureaucratic policies often become obsolete over time.
- A. deterioration: While this could work (as rigid policies may deteriorate in effectiveness), it's more general and less precise than ossification.
- Other options (B. resurrection, D. calibration, E. preservation) either contradict the meaning or are irrelevant.
3. Why These Two Words Work Best:
Ossification directly captures the transformation into rigidity.
Obsolescence complements this by suggesting the eventual outcome of such rigidity policies becoming outdated and ineffective.
4. GRE Relevance:
- This question tests high-level vocabulary (ossification is a GRE-level word) and the ability to discern subtle differences in meaning.
- The dual answer format is typical of harder GRE questions that allow for complementary correct answers.
Final Answer: C. ossification and F. obsolescence
(Note: If only one answer is required, C. ossification would be the primary choice as it most precisely matches the transformation described.)
Re: The formerly flexible and adaptable New Deal economic strategies under
[#permalink]
30 Oct 2025, 05:37
30 Oct 2025, 05:37
Obsolete is typically used for products and means completely out of use or no longer functional. While the policies have become rigid, there is no indication that they are not being used at all i.e. they have been abandoned. Deterioration captures the essence of becoming inferior in quality overtime due to rigidity. It's a better match than obsolete.
