OFFICIAL EXPLANATION



The correct answers are B, F, and H.

Answer Blank (i): Choice B, "obviated," means "to have made unnecessary," and presumably successful preview performances would have made any rewrites unnecessary. Choice A, "reduced," is incorrect based on the sense that if something was successful, no changes would be necessary, not just fewer. Choice C, "discarded," means "to have thrown out, to have gotten rid of," and doesn't quite fit the sense of the sentence.

Answer Blank (ii): This is another instance where usage can help you determine the answer. Choice E, "persisted," means "to have been insistent, to have held firm to a purpose"; however, "persisted" doesn't take an object, so "persisted him" doesn't make sense (the clause would need to read "persisted in asking the playwright . . ."). If the actor wanted the playwright to rewrite his role, he would hardly taunt him, that is, try to provoke him by mocking him or criticizing him, so eliminate choice D. Choice F, "importuned," means "to have repeatedly asked for, to plead," so it's the correct answer. Answer Blank (iii): "To demur" is "to object to something that a person doesn't want to do, to be reluctant" so choice $H$ is the best answer. Choice G, "condescended," means "to patronize someone, or to act graciously toward someone considered beneath one's social or economic level" and there is no indication of that in the passage. Choice I, "patronized," is similar to "condescended" and is, therefore, incorrect.