OE


C, E "Axiomatic" means "self-evident or beyond question." The detour road sign "though" sets up a contrast between the apparent truth of the phrase and the debate that it causes. Anticipate the right answer to be a word like "difficult" or "major" debate. (C) means "causing argument" and matches the prediction perfectly. (A) dis-passionate means "not influenced by strong feelings," but a major debate would cause strong feelings. (B) perfunctory means "involving a minimum of effort." This is incorrect because nothing in the sentence indicates that the debaters are not trying.
Blank (ii) describes the effect that looters who steal artifacts from archaeological sites have on "the country's claim of ownership." Since these looters are taking antiquities without regard for the country's claim, you should predict "ignores" or "undermines." (E) means "disregards" and describes the actions of the looters well. (D) stabilizes has a positive connotation and does not match the negative implication of the sentence. (F) demotes means "makes something less important." The looters may view the country's claim as unimportant, but the act of looting itself ("this" in the original sentence) does not make the country's claim less important.