Blank (i)

The opening phrase "To question the aesthetic judgments underpinning the literary canon was once a matter of serious scholarly ______ " sets up a contrast with "today, however." The "however" signals that whatever was true in the past is no longer true now. Today, the term "canonical" operates with "talismanic authority" - it is unquestioned. Therefore, in the past, questioning the canon was a legitimate scholarly activity. Blank (i) must mean debate, challenge, or disagreement - something that contrasts with today's unquestioning acceptance.
- A. approbation - Approval, praise. If questioning the canon was once a matter of approbation, that would mean scholars approved of questioning it - which does not directly contrast with today's unquestioning acceptance. The contrast is between debate being legitimate and authority being absolute. "Approbation" fails to capture the idea of active intellectual challenge. Incorrect.
- B. consensus - General agreement. If questioning the canon was once a matter of consensus, that would mean everyone agreed on questioning it - a possible reading, but "consensus" does not embody the concept of challenge or debate that stands in contrast to today's talismanic authority. Incorrect.
- C. dissent - Disagreement, opposition, challenge to established views. This perfectly captures the idea that scholars once legitimately challenged the canon, in direct contrast to today's unquestioning reverence. Correct.

Blank (ii)

The "as though" clause describes the assumption underlying the term's talismanic authority: "the merit of any work so labeled had been definitively ______ by criteria." The criteria do something to the merit - they settle, confirm, or establish it. Blank (ii) requires a past participle meaning judged, settled, or authoritatively decided.
- D. impugned - Challenged, attacked, called into question. If merit were impugned by criteria, the criteria would be undermining the work - the opposite of conferring talismanic authority. Incorrect.
- E. adjudicated - Judged formally, settled by an authoritative decision. This precisely captures the idea that the criteria have definitively resolved the question of merit. Correct.
- F. travestied - Distorted, parodied, made a mockery of. If criteria travestied a work's merit, they would ridicule it - incompatible with the notion of conferring unquestioned authority. Incorrect.

Blank (iii)

The criteria "stand entirely outside the sphere of legitimate ______ ." If they stand outside a sphere, that sphere represents a domain from which they are excluded. The criteria are unquestionable, so the sphere must be one of challenge, dispute, or argument. Blank (iii) requires a noun meaning debate, controversy, or questioning.
- G. contention - Dispute, argument, controversy. "Outside the sphere of legitimate contention" means beyond the realm where debate is permissible - i.e., indisputable. This perfectly matches the logic. Correct.
- H. amplification - Expansion, elaboration, enlargement. "Outside the sphere of legitimate amplification" would mean cannot be expanded upon - a possible concept, but it does not capture the idea of unchallengeable authority. Incorrect.
- I. ratification - Formal approval, confirmation, sanction. "Outside the sphere of legitimate ratification" would mean beyond the realm where formal approval operates - but criteria that stand outside ratification would be criteria that have not been ratified, which contradicts the idea that they confer definitive authority. This is a clever distractor because "ratification" appears related to "adjudicated," but it fails the logical test. Incorrect.