Advanced Sentence Completion Exercise 8

1. Although the Spartan populace adopted a ______ manner of speech and had come to ______ prolixity, they managed to retain the quintessential aspects of verbal communication.
   1.   ?    curt...consider
   2.   ?    terse...promote
   3.   ?    dire...suspend
   4.   ?    laconic...abhor
   5.   ?    verbose...detest
2. Despite several attempts to strike up conversation with Joe, his ______ disposition prevented even the most engaging interlocutor from eliciting more than a handful of words from him.
   1.   ?    brusque
   2.   ?    egregious
   3.   ?    protracted
   4.   ?    fervid
   5.   ?    unnerving
3. Creon, King of Thebes, had always been partial to ______ ; he was known to publically display his riches, and shower his subjects with lavish jewels and gold coins.
   1.   ?    inspiration
   2.   ?    expense
   3.   ?    retribution
   4.   ?    ostentation
   5.   ?    modesty
4. ______ metals do not contain any foreign bodies; they are slightly more ______, and harder to come by.
   1.   ?    Pure...ubiquitous
   2.   ?    Unadulterated...sparse
   3.   ?    Uncommon...salient
   4.   ?    Flawless...corrupt
   5.   ?    Lucid...opaque
5. Attila, the ______ emperor of the Huns, ruled his land with an iron fist, and had a reputation for being the epitome of cruelty and rapacity.
   1.   ?    powerful
   2.   ?    benevolent
   3.   ?    nefarious
   4.   ?    uncouth
   5.   ?    pacific
6. Today Dr. Lehr gave a(n) ______ lecture, on the philosophical doctrine of existentialism, to our freshman class. The topic was too esoteric, and should have been simplified for such a ______ audience.
   1.   ?    arcane...inveterate
   2.   ?    recondite...well trained
   3.   ?    transparent...lucid
   4.   ?    abstruse...fledgling
   5.   ?    plain...sophisticated
7. Peanut butter is similar to oil; it has a ______ consistency.
   1.   ?    mawkish
   2.   ?    savory
   3.   ?    sinewy
   4.   ?    viscous
   5.   ?    salubrious
8. She shook his hand, not with ______, but with a sort of shyness or modesty. He did not know whether she was behaving disingenuously, or whether she always greeted new people with such outward ______ .
   1.   ?    force...dignity
   2.   ?    passion...defiance
   3.   ?    vigor...deference
   4.   ?    reservation...veneration
   5.   ?    dignity...disrespect
9. While it may be true that patience is a virtue, ______ has been occasionally known to yield favorable results.
   1.   ?    haste
   2.   ?    speed
   3.   ?    determination
   4.   ?    perseverance
   5.   ?    concentration
10. The family had fallen on hard times; they were forced to adopt more ______ spending habits to make ends meet.
    1.   ?    prodigal
    2.   ?    calculated
    3.   ?    fixed
    4.   ?    parsimonious
    5.   ?    desperate