OE by Kaplan
The only contextual clues occur after the comma. The old man is sometimes inappropriately “juvenile,” so let’s start with the second blank, which describes his “nature.” A good prediction would be “childish.” Choice (E) jejune, “childish” or “immature,” matches this prediction precisely and is thus correct. Choice (D) jovial, which means “happy” or “jolly,” is incorrect because it connotes happiness, not immaturity. Choice (F) inquisitive, or “curious,” might describe a trait associated with children, but it does not explicitly mean “childish,” so we can eliminate it.

For the first blank, we now know that the old man’s clothes and furnishings contrast with his immature nature, and so we can predict an answer that means “maturity” or “seriousness.” Choice (A) austerity, meaning “somberness,” matches our prediction and is the correct response. Choice (B) obsolescence, meaning “the quality of being outdated or “old-fashioned,” might be tempting because of the man’s age, but it does not provide a strong enough contrast to the man’s immature behavior, so (B) can be rejected. Choice (C) poverty does not provide a contrast with the man’s immature nature and thus is also incorrect.
Choices (i) austerity and (ii) jejune are our correct answers.