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Poetaster, who at the outset believed one only needed time to write
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12 Oct 2025, 10:18
12 Oct 2025, 10:18
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50% (00:50) correct
50% (01:39) wrong based on 10 sessions
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Poetaster, who at the outset believed one only needed time to write a great novel, was constantly assailed by misgivings, and before completing even one chapter, he abandoned what he had come to deem a (n) ________ enterprise.
| Two Answers |
|---|
| A. unworthy |
| B. idealistic |
| C. illusory | D. notable | E. ill-fated |
| F. quixotic |
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Re: Poetaster, who at the outset believed one only needed time to write
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31 Oct 2025, 11:36
31 Oct 2025, 11:36
Expert Reply
Analysis of the Sentence
1. Identify the relationship: The sentence establishes a Contrast between the initial easy optimism and the final, harsh reality.
- Initial Belief: The poetaster thought he "only needed time" (optimistic, but naive).
- The Change: He was "constantly assailed by misgivings" and abandoned the project.
2. Determine the required meaning: The blank describes the enterprise that he "had come to deem" (judged or believed). Given his failure to complete even one chapter, the enterprise must be one that was doomed, hopeless, or based on unrealistic expectation.
Evaluating the Options
The two correct answers must be synonyms meaning impractical or hopeless.
- A. unworthy: Suggests the project lacked merit. (Doesn't fit the initial belief that it only needed time).
- B. idealistic: Characterized by idealism. (Too general; quixotic is more specific to impractical pursuit).
- C. illusory: Based on illusion; not real. (Describes the nature of the project's ease, but not its ultimate failure).
- D. notable: Worthy of attention. (Opposite of the implied failure).
- E. ill-fated: Destined to fail or have bad luck. (Fits the final, negative judgment of the abandoned project).
- F. quixotic: Exceedingly idealistic; unrealistic and impractical. (Fits the sense that his initial belief was a fantasy that led to failure).
The words ill-fated (doomed) and quixotic (impractical and bound to fail) both describe an enterprise that was destined for abandonment due to the gap between its optimistic starting point and the harsh reality of execution.
The correct answers are E. ill-fated and F. quixotic.
1. Identify the relationship: The sentence establishes a Contrast between the initial easy optimism and the final, harsh reality.
- Initial Belief: The poetaster thought he "only needed time" (optimistic, but naive).
- The Change: He was "constantly assailed by misgivings" and abandoned the project.
2. Determine the required meaning: The blank describes the enterprise that he "had come to deem" (judged or believed). Given his failure to complete even one chapter, the enterprise must be one that was doomed, hopeless, or based on unrealistic expectation.
Evaluating the Options
The two correct answers must be synonyms meaning impractical or hopeless.
- A. unworthy: Suggests the project lacked merit. (Doesn't fit the initial belief that it only needed time).
- B. idealistic: Characterized by idealism. (Too general; quixotic is more specific to impractical pursuit).
- C. illusory: Based on illusion; not real. (Describes the nature of the project's ease, but not its ultimate failure).
- D. notable: Worthy of attention. (Opposite of the implied failure).
- E. ill-fated: Destined to fail or have bad luck. (Fits the final, negative judgment of the abandoned project).
- F. quixotic: Exceedingly idealistic; unrealistic and impractical. (Fits the sense that his initial belief was a fantasy that led to failure).
The words ill-fated (doomed) and quixotic (impractical and bound to fail) both describe an enterprise that was destined for abandonment due to the gap between its optimistic starting point and the harsh reality of execution.
The correct answers are E. ill-fated and F. quixotic.
gmatclubot
Re: Poetaster, who at the outset believed one only needed time to write [#permalink]
31 Oct 2025, 11:36
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