Re: She gave him a (i) ________ look that was not so much
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23 Oct 2025, 00:17
Let's analyze the sentence and the options for the blanks.
The sentence:
"She gave him a (i) ________ look that was not so much (ii) _______ as it was (iii) _______."
(i) describes the type of look, (ii) and (iii) contrast two qualities of the look.
For (i), "looking" words that describe a kind of look she gave him:
- knowing
- encouraging
- unequivocal
For (ii) and (iii), the sentence says the look was not so much (ii) as (iii), meaning (ii) is rejected or weaker than (iii).
(ii) options: accusatory, approbatory, fastidious
(iii) options: egregious, tentative, admonitory
Let's reason:
- "Accusatory" = blaming
- "Approbatory" = approving
- "Fastidious" = very attentive or picky
- "Egregious" = outstandingly bad (too strong)
- "Tentative" = hesitant or uncertain
- "Admonitory" = warning or reprimanding
A "knowing look" is often subtle and implies understanding, but not direct accusation.
The sentence says the look was not so much accusatory as it was admonitory - i.e., less direct blame, more a warning. This fits well.
Therefore, a good fit is:
(i) knowing
(ii) accusatory
(iii) admonitory
Hence, the completed sentence is:
She gave him a knowing look that was not so much accusatory as it was admonitory.