Detailed Analysis

1. Identify the Relationship: The parents "failed to draw much ire" (i.e., they were not angry) despite (contrast word) a negative trait described in the progress report. The lack of anger is explained by the student's high grade point average.

2. Analyze Blank (i): The Negative Trait
- Context: The contrast hinges on the phrase "despite his habitual lateness." The word in Blank (i) must mean late, delaying, or generally procrastinating.
- A. dilatory: Slow to act; intended to cause delay. (Excellent Fit. This directly corresponds to "habitual lateness.")
- B. lackadaisical: Lacking enthusiasm and determination; carelessly lazy. (While negative, it describes attitude, not the specific action of being late, which is explicitly given as the defining trait.)
- C. irreverent: Showing a lack of respect for things generally taken seriously. (Irrelevant to lateness.)

3. Analyze Blank (ii): The GPA (Positive Result)
- Context: The parents were not angry because, despite the lateness, the GPA was
______ (ii). This requires a word suggesting high quality or excellence.
- D. middling: Average in size or quality. (If the GPA was average, the parents might still be slightly upset about the lateness.)
- E. exemplary: Serving as a desirable model; outstanding. (Excellent Fit. An outstanding GPA explains why the parents ignored the lateness.)
- F. profound: Very great or intense; deep. (Typically describes ideas or effects, not a numerical average.)