GRE Prep Club Daily Prep
Thank you for using the timer - this advanced tool can estimate your performance and suggest more practice questions. We have subscribed you to Daily Prep Questions via email.
Customized
for You
Track
Your Progress
Practice
Pays
Not interested in getting valuable practice questions and articles delivered to your email? No problem, unsubscribe here.
Sep 28Live Online Class with Top GRE Expert Mike Butville
08:00 PM EDT
-10:00 PM EDT
Top scores are possible when you enroll in a powerful GRE course, taught live online + 6 months access to TTP GRE OnDemand video courses included! Class starts Mon/Wed Sept. 28, 2026 - Dec. 9, 2026, 8:00pm-10:00pm EST
Although the memoirist was lauded for her crystalline prose, her refus
[#permalink]
30 Mar 2026, 23:55
30 Mar 2026, 23:55
Expert Reply
00:00
Question Stats:
60% (00:48) correct
40% (00:48) wrong based on 20 sessions
Hide Show timer Statistics
Although the memoirist was lauded for her crystalline prose, her refusal to address the more ________ aspects of her subject's career led many critics to view the work as an act of hagiography rather than a balanced historical account.
| Two Answers |
|---|
| A. laudable |
| B. unsavory |
| C. illustrious | D. disreputable | E. painstaking |
| F. comprehensive |
- Part of the project: GRE Hard and Tricky Verbal Practice: NEW Questions Daily
- Also replying to the unanswered questions
Re: Although the memoirist was lauded for her crystalline prose, her refus
[#permalink]
31 Mar 2026, 02:10
31 Mar 2026, 02:10
1
Although the memoirist was lauded for her crystalline prose, her refusal to address the more ________ aspects of her subject's career led many critics to view the work as an act of hagiography rather than a balanced historical account.
The "although" sets up a contrast in ideas, and since she was lauded for her crystalline prose, we can expect condemnation for the description of her subject's career. We can get that sense only if she had ignored the more troubling aspects of her subject's career. This is also clear from the fact that the critics viewed her work as a hagiography - a work in which the central character is praised without any reference to her or her defects.
The words from the choice list which correspond to the sense of "troubling" are unsavory and disreputable.
The "although" sets up a contrast in ideas, and since she was lauded for her crystalline prose, we can expect condemnation for the description of her subject's career. We can get that sense only if she had ignored the more troubling aspects of her subject's career. This is also clear from the fact that the critics viewed her work as a hagiography - a work in which the central character is praised without any reference to her or her defects.
The words from the choice list which correspond to the sense of "troubling" are unsavory and disreputable.
Re: Although the memoirist was lauded for her crystalline prose, her refus
[#permalink]
03 Apr 2026, 04:00
03 Apr 2026, 04:00
Expert Reply
1. The Logic Structure:
This sentence utilizes a Concession-Contrast framework.
- The Concession: The author writes well ("crystalline prose").
- The Pivot: "Although... refusal to address... led critics to view the work as... hagiography."
- The Logic: A "hagiography" is a biography that treats its subject as a saint, ignoring flaws. If critics are complaining that the book is too much like a hagiography and not "balanced," it means the author skipped over the bad or scandalous parts of the person's life.
2. Identifying the Clue:
The phrase "rather than a balanced historical account" is the key. To be balanced, one must include both the good and the bad. If the author refused to address certain aspects, those aspects must be the ones that would "tarnish" the subject's reputation. We are looking for synonyms for "shady," "unpleasant," or "morally questionable."
3. Evaluating the Choices:
- A. laudable: (Opposite) Means deserving praise. If the author ignored the "praiseworthy" parts, the book wouldn't be called a hagiography.
- B. unsavory: (Correct) Means unpleasant or morally offensive. This fits the context of a biographer skipping the "darker" side of a subject.
- C. illustrious: (Opposite) Means well-known or respected for past achievements.
- D. disreputable: (Correct) Means not considered to be respectable in character or appearance. It is a strong synonym for "unsavory" in this context.
- E. painstaking: (Neutral Trap) Means done with great care and thoroughness. It describes the process of writing, not the nature of the scandals.
- F. comprehensive: (Logic Trap) While a "comprehensive" account would be balanced, the sentence says the author refused to address these things. Skipping "comprehensive" aspects doesn't make sense; skipping "shameful" aspects does.
The Synonymous Pair:
The pair unsavory (B) and disreputable (D) creates two sentences with identical meanings: the biographer intentionally left out the scandalous parts of the subject's life.
This sentence utilizes a Concession-Contrast framework.
- The Concession: The author writes well ("crystalline prose").
- The Pivot: "Although... refusal to address... led critics to view the work as... hagiography."
- The Logic: A "hagiography" is a biography that treats its subject as a saint, ignoring flaws. If critics are complaining that the book is too much like a hagiography and not "balanced," it means the author skipped over the bad or scandalous parts of the person's life.
2. Identifying the Clue:
The phrase "rather than a balanced historical account" is the key. To be balanced, one must include both the good and the bad. If the author refused to address certain aspects, those aspects must be the ones that would "tarnish" the subject's reputation. We are looking for synonyms for "shady," "unpleasant," or "morally questionable."
3. Evaluating the Choices:
- A. laudable: (Opposite) Means deserving praise. If the author ignored the "praiseworthy" parts, the book wouldn't be called a hagiography.
- B. unsavory: (Correct) Means unpleasant or morally offensive. This fits the context of a biographer skipping the "darker" side of a subject.
- C. illustrious: (Opposite) Means well-known or respected for past achievements.
- D. disreputable: (Correct) Means not considered to be respectable in character or appearance. It is a strong synonym for "unsavory" in this context.
- E. painstaking: (Neutral Trap) Means done with great care and thoroughness. It describes the process of writing, not the nature of the scandals.
- F. comprehensive: (Logic Trap) While a "comprehensive" account would be balanced, the sentence says the author refused to address these things. Skipping "comprehensive" aspects doesn't make sense; skipping "shameful" aspects does.
The Synonymous Pair:
The pair unsavory (B) and disreputable (D) creates two sentences with identical meanings: the biographer intentionally left out the scandalous parts of the subject's life.
