OE


C, E, I The first part of sentence one makes a claim about "avant-garde," or radical, artists. The straight-ahead road sign "as" shows that the second part of this sentence provides a rea-son for that claim. Why would radical artists have a hard time gaining acceptance? Because their work confuses and enrages people. Even if the word "avant-garde" is unfamiliar, you can use "produces confusion or even rage" to understand the negative connotation for blank (i). "Controversial" work would have this effect. (C) provocative matches that prediction perfectly and is correct. (A) complacent means "satisfied with things as they are; lacking a desire to change things," but this is the opposite of "avant-garde." (B) decorous is wrong for a similar reason: it means "proper," which is the opposite of the blank's intended meaning.

For blank (ii), use clues in the previous sentence: "often produces confusion or even rage." The same works that enraged people might easily have "caused" riots. The answer choices feature higher-level vocabulary, so process of elimination may help. (D) suppressed means "restrained," but these works "often" caused con-fusion, even rage. (E) engendered means "caused or gave rise to." This is exactly the effect you'd expect controversial works to have, so (E) is correct. (F) belied means "shown to be false," but riots cannot be shown to be false. The riot may have been based on something false or otherwise incorrect, but this blank refers to the riot itself.
There are two detour road signs in the second sentence that help with blank (iii). The phrase "even so" indicates that you should expect an outcome that contrasts with the fact that avant-garde artists struggle for acceptance. The word "but" signals a contrast between the immediate result of the works (riots) with a subsequent result (enormous sums when sold). A good prediction for blank (iii) would be "earned." (I) is correct, since garnered means "acquired." (G) expended means "used up," which is the opposite of the intended meaning. (H) underscored means "emphasized," but the artworks do not merely emphasize the amount of money; they are sold for enormous sums.