ExplanationSince the President could not tolerate dissent from his views, you need a word that means his cabinet members would always agree with him. Pundits and authoritarians would offer their own strong opinions, so eliminate choices (A) and (F).
Cynics would act pessimistically, so eliminate choice (C). Partisans would be biased, but not necessarily all in the same direction as the President, so eliminate choice (E). Sycophants and toadies in choices (B) and (D) are synonyms indicating that the members are flatterers or yes-men, and produce equivalent statements.
Hence options B and D is correct!
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