Why not E ?

OE

Desolate landscapes and small populations do not sound particularly promising, and the word missing in the first sentence must reflect that. Germane means relevant, which is not the best way to describe whether or not a location is suitable for business (in fact, germane more commonly refers to comments or topics). Morbid, onithe other hand, is too extreme; it means unwholesome or gruesome. The correct answer is inhospitable, which simply means unwelcoming or unfavorable. In order to fill in the second blank, you need to read the passage all the way through to the end. We are told that South Dakota has very low taxes; presumably, since the author sees fit to mention it, this is one reason why it is a good place to start a business. Places with high taxes, then, are probably not conducive to succeeding in business, and the missing word should reflect that. Obviate means to anticipate and prevent, but does not quite work in this sentence; it is generally used when the thing being prevented is unnecessary, impractical, harmful, etc. Lampoon is appropriately negative, but does not make very much sense in this context; it means to ridicule or to satirize. The correct answer is foil, which means to impede or to prevent the success of

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