GRE Prep Club Daily Prep
Thank you for using the timer - this advanced tool can estimate your performance and suggest more practice questions. We have subscribed you to Daily Prep Questions via email.
Customized
for You
Track
Your Progress
Practice
Pays
Not interested in getting valuable practice questions and articles delivered to your email? No problem, unsubscribe here.
It is telling that a politician long adept at inhabiting any role
[#permalink]
04 Dec 2025, 01:55
04 Dec 2025, 01:55
Expert Reply
00:00
Question Stats:
0% (00:00) correct
100% (01:25) wrong based on 10 sessions
Hide Show timer Statistics
It is telling that a politician long adept at inhabiting any role that will serve his immediate purpose has been able to (i) ________ a disgruntled electorate, an outcome that perhaps speaks more to the electorate's (ii) ________ nature than it does to his ability to be (iii) ________ .
| Blank (i) | Blank (ii) | Blank (iii) |
|---|---|---|
| A. easily placate | D. fickle | G. persuasive |
| B. only repel | E. disaffected | H. candid |
| C. shrewdly | F. docile | I. misleading |
- Part of the project: GRE Hard and Tricky Verbal Practice: NEW Questions Daily - Gain 20 Kudos & Get FREE Access to GRE Prep Club TESTS
- Also replying to the unanswered questions
Re: It is telling that a politician long adept at inhabiting any role
[#permalink]
08 Dec 2025, 06:25
08 Dec 2025, 06:25
1
Blank (i): What did he do to a disgruntled electorate?
The electorate is disgruntled meaning they are not happy.
What can an opportunistic politician do to them?
Options:
A. easily placate
B. only repel
C. shrewdly
“only repel” contradicts the idea that “he has been able to ___ a disgruntled electorate.”
That would indicate failure, but the sentence indicates success so
“shrewdly a disgruntled electorate” is ungrammatical and does not fit
“easily placate a disgruntled electorate” fits perfectly as placate means to appease/calm
Blank (i) = A. easily placate
Blank (ii): What is being said about the electorate’s nature?
It says this outcome “speaks more to the electorate’s ___ nature than to his ability.”
Meaning: the electorate was swayed easily, not because the politician is great but because they are weak or changeable.
Options:
D. fickle: easily changeable
E. disaffected : unhappy, alienated
F. docile : submissive
Disaffected contradicts “he placated them.”
Docile means obedient, but electorate being submissive has no evidence
Fickle = easily swayed fits perfectly
Blank (ii) = D. fickle
Blank (iii): What doesn’t this outcome say about him?
“... more to the electorate’s fickle nature than to his ability to be (iii) ______.”
So (iii) must be a good thing that the politician is not doing
Options:
G. persuasive
H. candid
I. misleading
The electorate was swayed because they are fickle, not because he is persuasive.
So his ability to be persuasive is what is not relevant
"Candid" = honesty does not fit as it is irrelevant.
"Misleading" = negative, and contradicts the idea
Blank (iii) = G. persuasive
The electorate is disgruntled meaning they are not happy.
What can an opportunistic politician do to them?
Options:
A. easily placate
B. only repel
C. shrewdly
“only repel” contradicts the idea that “he has been able to ___ a disgruntled electorate.”
That would indicate failure, but the sentence indicates success so
“shrewdly a disgruntled electorate” is ungrammatical and does not fit
“easily placate a disgruntled electorate” fits perfectly as placate means to appease/calm
Blank (i) = A. easily placate
Blank (ii): What is being said about the electorate’s nature?
It says this outcome “speaks more to the electorate’s ___ nature than to his ability.”
Meaning: the electorate was swayed easily, not because the politician is great but because they are weak or changeable.
Options:
D. fickle: easily changeable
E. disaffected : unhappy, alienated
F. docile : submissive
Disaffected contradicts “he placated them.”
Docile means obedient, but electorate being submissive has no evidence
Fickle = easily swayed fits perfectly
Blank (ii) = D. fickle
Blank (iii): What doesn’t this outcome say about him?
“... more to the electorate’s fickle nature than to his ability to be (iii) ______.”
So (iii) must be a good thing that the politician is not doing
Options:
G. persuasive
H. candid
I. misleading
The electorate was swayed because they are fickle, not because he is persuasive.
So his ability to be persuasive is what is not relevant
"Candid" = honesty does not fit as it is irrelevant.
"Misleading" = negative, and contradicts the idea
Blank (iii) = G. persuasive
Re: It is telling that a politician long adept at inhabiting any role
[#permalink]
12 Dec 2025, 06:23
12 Dec 2025, 06:23
Text Completion Explanation
> *It is telling that a politician long adept at inhabiting any role that will serve his immediate purpose has been able to (i) _______ a disgruntled electorate, an outcome that perhaps speaks more to the electorate's (ii) _______ nature than it does to his ability to be (iii) _______.*
---
Understand the sentence (before looking at choices)
Paraphrase:
- We have a **shape-shifting politician**, good at playing whatever role helps him.
- Despite the voters being **disgruntled**, he has been able to **do something to them** → blank (i).
- This outcome “speaks more to” (= reveals more about) **the voters’ nature** → blank (ii),
than it does to **his ability to be something** → blank (iii).
So:
- (i) must describe **success with** the electorate, not failure.
- The contrast “speaks more to the electorate's X nature than to his ability to be Y” means:
- The outcome is mainly explained by **what the voters are like**,
- Not by how **skilled** he is.
---
Blank (i)
Options:
- **A. easily placate** – to calm or soothe.
→ Fits perfectly: he manages to **calm/appease** a disgruntled electorate.
- **B. only repel** – to drive away.
→ Contradicts the idea that he has “been able to ___” them successfully.
- **C. shrewdly** – adverb.
→ Wrong part of speech; we need a **verb phrase** after “able to”.
✅ **Blank (i) = A. easily placate**
---
Blank (iii)
We compare: “electorate’s X nature” vs. “his ability to be Y.”
What ability do we usually credit a successful politician with?
- **G. persuasive** – able to convince others.
→ “Ability to be persuasive” is natural here.
- **H. candid** – honest, frank.
→ Conflicts with “inhabiting any role that will serve his immediate purpose” (opportunistic, not candid).
- **I. misleading** – deceptive.
→ Grammatically possible, but the structure suggests we’re contrasting voters’ character with his **skill**, not debating whether he is misleading.
✅ **Blank (iii) = G. persuasive**
---
4. Blank (ii)
Now choose a description of the electorate’s “nature” that explains why they’re so easily placated.
- **D. fickle** – changeable, prone to shifting opinions.
→ A fickle electorate can quickly swing from disgruntled to satisfied; this makes his success say more about **them** than about his persuasiveness.
- **E. disaffected** – discontented, disgruntled.
→ Redundant with “disgruntled electorate” and doesn’t explain why they can be soothed.
- **F. docile** – submissive, easily controlled.
→ Possible, but the stronger idea is **instability/changeability**, not passive obedience.
✅ **Blank (ii) = D. fickle**
---
Final Answers
- **(i)** A. *easily placate*
- **(ii)** D. *fickle*
- **(iii)** G. *persuasive*
> *It is telling that a politician long adept at inhabiting any role that will serve his immediate purpose has been able to (i) _______ a disgruntled electorate, an outcome that perhaps speaks more to the electorate's (ii) _______ nature than it does to his ability to be (iii) _______.*
---
Understand the sentence (before looking at choices)
Paraphrase:
- We have a **shape-shifting politician**, good at playing whatever role helps him.
- Despite the voters being **disgruntled**, he has been able to **do something to them** → blank (i).
- This outcome “speaks more to” (= reveals more about) **the voters’ nature** → blank (ii),
than it does to **his ability to be something** → blank (iii).
So:
- (i) must describe **success with** the electorate, not failure.
- The contrast “speaks more to the electorate's X nature than to his ability to be Y” means:
- The outcome is mainly explained by **what the voters are like**,
- Not by how **skilled** he is.
---
Blank (i)
Options:
- **A. easily placate** – to calm or soothe.
→ Fits perfectly: he manages to **calm/appease** a disgruntled electorate.
- **B. only repel** – to drive away.
→ Contradicts the idea that he has “been able to ___” them successfully.
- **C. shrewdly** – adverb.
→ Wrong part of speech; we need a **verb phrase** after “able to”.
✅ **Blank (i) = A. easily placate**
---
Blank (iii)
We compare: “electorate’s X nature” vs. “his ability to be Y.”
What ability do we usually credit a successful politician with?
- **G. persuasive** – able to convince others.
→ “Ability to be persuasive” is natural here.
- **H. candid** – honest, frank.
→ Conflicts with “inhabiting any role that will serve his immediate purpose” (opportunistic, not candid).
- **I. misleading** – deceptive.
→ Grammatically possible, but the structure suggests we’re contrasting voters’ character with his **skill**, not debating whether he is misleading.
✅ **Blank (iii) = G. persuasive**
---
4. Blank (ii)
Now choose a description of the electorate’s “nature” that explains why they’re so easily placated.
- **D. fickle** – changeable, prone to shifting opinions.
→ A fickle electorate can quickly swing from disgruntled to satisfied; this makes his success say more about **them** than about his persuasiveness.
- **E. disaffected** – discontented, disgruntled.
→ Redundant with “disgruntled electorate” and doesn’t explain why they can be soothed.
- **F. docile** – submissive, easily controlled.
→ Possible, but the stronger idea is **instability/changeability**, not passive obedience.
✅ **Blank (ii) = D. fickle**
---
Final Answers
- **(i)** A. *easily placate*
- **(ii)** D. *fickle*
- **(iii)** G. *persuasive*
