OE


The first half of the sentence provides a number of clues for the first blank, stating that “How are you?” in this context is a “polite rhetorical question” and that it would be a mistake to think of it as a “genuine inquiry.” (B) perfunctory, meaning “casual” or “offhand,” is an appropriate description of a question that is superficial or simply going through the motions. This is the correct answer for the first blank. (A) can be ruled out since there is no indication in the sentence that the person asking the question is supercilious or “arrogant.” (C) describes  the opposite of the situation described in the sentence as a gregarious or “outgoing” person might actually care about the answer to her question. Given the casual nature of the question, a response that describes the “minutiae of our day” would be unnecessarily lengthy. (D) prolix is a perfect match and is correct. (E) pithy is incorrect because it means “short,” and a short response would actually be appropriate for the polite rhetorical question. (F) abstruse, or “difficult to understand,” misses the clues in the sentence.