OE


The sentence says the commentator "parroted his ideological compatriots," people who think the same way that he does; his commentary was the same as theirs. However, "anything but" reverses the direction, so if his commentary was the same as someone else's, it was anything but "novel" or "fresh," the correct answers. If something is "tendentious," it is intended to promote a particular viewpoint, so that is not the right answer. Although "evenhanded" is tempting, it cannot be the correct answer because it does not have a good match. "Derivative" and "hackneyed" form an incorrect trap pair; both of these words mean imitative or unoriginal, the opposite of what the blank requires.