OE


If L'Orfeo is regarded as the first opera, it probably enjoys a fairly prestigious reputation. Incongruous (out of keeping or place or not harmonious in character) will not work, because one would expect the first opera to enjoy a reputation. Unscathed (unharmed) is not a good choice either, because it implies that L'Orfeo has escaped some threat to its reputation, which the sentence does not mention. Renowned (celebrated or distinguished) is the correct answer.

In order to fill in the second blank, you do not need to be familiar with the story of Orpheus. The brief description given to you should allow you to immediately eliminate droll; if a story involving a trip to the underworld were somehow whimsically humorous, the author would definitely make note of it. Given the respectful tone of the passage, you can also rule out maudlin, which means foolishly sentimental. The correct answer is poignant, which means affecting or moving the emotions.