OE


The prime minister “affected empathy for the impoverished citizenry,” meaning that she acted as if she understood and shared the emotions of the poor citizens. However, the word “but” after the comma changes the direction, suggesting that she didn’t actually feel that way. The sentence goes on to say that most historians think that her “austerity measures,” meaning cost-saving measures, further harmed the poor citizens. The measures are described as “unduly _________,” so the blank must be filled by something that an empathetic person would not impose on citizens struggling with poverty. The correct answers are “arduous” and “onerous,” which both mean overly difficult or unpleasant. “Strict” is almost a match, but strict is used to describe rules that must be obeyed, not rules that are overly harsh. “Commercial” and “mercantilist” form a pair that means having to do with the buying and selling of goods and services, but this is a trap because the sentence talks about “economic historians.” “Venal” is an excellent GRE word that means capable of being bought or bribed, but does not work here.