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The trustees of the hospital had grown so wearily accustomed to the in
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08 Jun 2026, 21:01
08 Jun 2026, 21:01
Expert Reply
00:00
Question Stats:
56% (00:41) correct
43% (00:40) wrong based on 16 sessions
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The trustees of the hospital had grown so wearily accustomed to the institution's seemingly (i) ________ stain of financial (ii) ________ that the board's first question to any candidate for chief administrator was not about vision or credentials, but about what specific measures the applicant would take to root it out.
| Blank (i) | Blank (ii) |
|---|---|
| A. ineradicable | D. mismanagement |
| B. burgeoning | E. probity |
| C. disheartening | F. ineffectuality |
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Re: The trustees of the hospital had grown so wearily accustomed to the in
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11 Jun 2026, 23:24
11 Jun 2026, 23:24
Expert Reply
Explanation
We look for "context clues" that indicate the relationship between the blanks and the rest of the sentence:
Blank (i): The second half of the sentence mentions that the board wants to know what measures a candidate will take to "root it out." This implies that the financial stain is deeply embedded or difficult to remove.
Ineradicable (A) means impossible to remove or root out, which perfectly matches the context.
Burgeoning (B) means growing or flourishing, and while debt can grow, it doesn't fit the "wearily accustomed" or "root it out" phrasing as well as a permanent-feeling stain.
Disheartening (C) describes a feeling, but the sentence requires an adjective describing the nature of the stain itself.
Blank (ii): The sentence describes a "stain" that needs to be "rooted out," which indicates something negative.
Mismanagement (D) refers to poor or dishonest management, which is a negative financial state that a board would want to eliminate.
Probity (E) means strong moral principles or honesty; a board would never want to "root out" financial honesty.
Ineffectuality (F) refers to a lack of power or capacity to achieve an effect. While negative, "financial mismanagement" is the standard idiomatic pairing for a "stain" on an institution's books.
Answer: A,D
We look for "context clues" that indicate the relationship between the blanks and the rest of the sentence:
Blank (i): The second half of the sentence mentions that the board wants to know what measures a candidate will take to "root it out." This implies that the financial stain is deeply embedded or difficult to remove.
Ineradicable (A) means impossible to remove or root out, which perfectly matches the context.
Burgeoning (B) means growing or flourishing, and while debt can grow, it doesn't fit the "wearily accustomed" or "root it out" phrasing as well as a permanent-feeling stain.
Disheartening (C) describes a feeling, but the sentence requires an adjective describing the nature of the stain itself.
Blank (ii): The sentence describes a "stain" that needs to be "rooted out," which indicates something negative.
Mismanagement (D) refers to poor or dishonest management, which is a negative financial state that a board would want to eliminate.
Probity (E) means strong moral principles or honesty; a board would never want to "root out" financial honesty.
Ineffectuality (F) refers to a lack of power or capacity to achieve an effect. While negative, "financial mismanagement" is the standard idiomatic pairing for a "stain" on an institution's books.
Answer: A,D
Re: The trustees of the hospital had grown so wearily accustomed to the in
[#permalink]
12 Jun 2026, 04:00
12 Jun 2026, 04:00
Expert Reply
Blank (i)
The sentence states that the trustees had grown "wearily accustomed" to the institution's "seemingly (i) _____ stain of financial (ii) ______ ." The word "wearily" suggests exhaustion and resignation. "Seemingly" implies that the stain appears to have a certain quality. The consequence - that the board's "first question" to any candidate is about rooting it out - indicates that the problem has resisted all previous attempts at reform. The blank must mean impossible to eliminate, deeply entrenched, or enduring despite efforts.
- A. ineradicable - Impossible to remove or destroy; deeply rooted. "A seemingly ineradicable stain of financial mismanagement" perfectly captures the idea of a problem so persistent that it resists all efforts at reform. Correct.
- B. burgeoning - Growing rapidly; flourishing. "Burgeoning" describes something increasing, not something enduring. A burgeoning problem might be new or expanding; the sentence emphasizes the trustees' weariness from long exposure. Incorrect.
- C. disheartening - Causing discouragement or loss of hope. While a stain of mismanagement would certainly be disheartening, the word does not capture the persistence that the consequence (rooting it out) demands. A stain can be disheartening yet easily removed. Incorrect.
Blank (ii)
The stain is one of "financial (ii) ______ ." The board's first question to candidates is about "what specific measures the applicant would take to root it out." "Root it out" implies eliminating something deeply embedded and harmful. The blank must name a negative financial practice something like corruption, mismanagement, or impropriety.
- D. mismanagement - Poor, incompetent, or dishonest management. "A stain of financial mismanagement" perfectly names the institutional failing that candidates must pledge to eradicate. Correct.
- E. probity - Integrity, uprightness, honesty. This is the opposite of what the blank requires. Financial probity would be a virtue, not a stain to root out. Incorrect.
- F. ineffectuality - Inability to produce results; ineffectiveness. While "ineffectuality" is negative, it does not carry the specific connotation of financial wrongdoing that "mismanagement" does. A hospital can be ineffectual without financial mismanagement. Incorrect.
The sentence states that the trustees had grown "wearily accustomed" to the institution's "seemingly (i) _____ stain of financial (ii) ______ ." The word "wearily" suggests exhaustion and resignation. "Seemingly" implies that the stain appears to have a certain quality. The consequence - that the board's "first question" to any candidate is about rooting it out - indicates that the problem has resisted all previous attempts at reform. The blank must mean impossible to eliminate, deeply entrenched, or enduring despite efforts.
- A. ineradicable - Impossible to remove or destroy; deeply rooted. "A seemingly ineradicable stain of financial mismanagement" perfectly captures the idea of a problem so persistent that it resists all efforts at reform. Correct.
- B. burgeoning - Growing rapidly; flourishing. "Burgeoning" describes something increasing, not something enduring. A burgeoning problem might be new or expanding; the sentence emphasizes the trustees' weariness from long exposure. Incorrect.
- C. disheartening - Causing discouragement or loss of hope. While a stain of mismanagement would certainly be disheartening, the word does not capture the persistence that the consequence (rooting it out) demands. A stain can be disheartening yet easily removed. Incorrect.
Blank (ii)
The stain is one of "financial (ii) ______ ." The board's first question to candidates is about "what specific measures the applicant would take to root it out." "Root it out" implies eliminating something deeply embedded and harmful. The blank must name a negative financial practice something like corruption, mismanagement, or impropriety.
- D. mismanagement - Poor, incompetent, or dishonest management. "A stain of financial mismanagement" perfectly names the institutional failing that candidates must pledge to eradicate. Correct.
- E. probity - Integrity, uprightness, honesty. This is the opposite of what the blank requires. Financial probity would be a virtue, not a stain to root out. Incorrect.
- F. ineffectuality - Inability to produce results; ineffectiveness. While "ineffectuality" is negative, it does not carry the specific connotation of financial wrongdoing that "mismanagement" does. A hospital can be ineffectual without financial mismanagement. Incorrect.
