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24 Apr 2023, 04:00
OE
Disdain, discipline, divesting. The semicolon in this sentence is a clue that the two parts of the sentence agree—the first part should mirror the meaning that “the brightest students...pursuing teaching” would be a good thing. For the first and second blanks, universities should therefore not “put down” education as an academic “area” or “pursuit.” Don't fall for trap answers; proscribe (ban) and circumvent (avoid via circuitous means) add extra meaning to the idea of “put down.” Only disdain fits the first blank. Discipline is the closest match for the second blank (tome means “book, especially a large, academic book”). The third blank needs something that explains the “disservice” done to future students, namely, something like “depriving” them of the chance to learn from the best. The best choice is the synonym divesting; don't fall for the traps of denigrating (defaming; belittling) and degenerating (deteriorating; declining). Both trap choices work with the theme, but don't fit into the blank.