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Re: In the publishing industry twenty-some years ago, there was critically [#permalink]
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Analysis
The passage describes a historical opposition and a later change in measuring success:

Part 1: The Opposition
- "critically (i) _______ prize-winning, beautiful writing that doesn't sell" (High critical quality, low commercial success)
- "audience-oriented popular work... paid the bills." (High commercial success, low critical quality)

Blank (i): The writing is described as "prize-winning" and "beautiful." The word must reinforce this positive reception, contrasting with the negative sales figures.
- A. criticized (Opposite meaning)
- B. acclaimed (Highly praised; fits the "prize-winning" context.)
- C. reviewed (Too neutral)

Blank (ii): The opposition is "the literary vs. the (ii) _______ ." "Literary" refers to high art and critical success (awards). The opposing side is the one that "paid the bills," meaning it was focused on the market and profit.
- D. realistic (Irrelevant)
- E. professional (Too broad)
- F. commercial (Pertaining to commerce or profit; perfectly captures the market-driven side.)

Part 2: The Shift
- "By the early 1990s, though, every book was to pay its own way."
- "The (iii) _______ alone were to be our measuring sticks."

Blank (iii): If every book must "pay its own way," the metric for success must be financial.
- G. aesthetic qualities (Refers to the discarded "literary" measure.)
- H. academic prizes (Refers to the discarded "literary" measure.)
- I. sales numbers (Directly measures financial success and commercial viability, which is required for a book to "pay its own way.")
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Re: In the publishing industry twenty-some years ago, there was critically [#permalink]
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