Read the sentence carefully and choose the option that best completes both blanks. Only one option fits the intended evaluative meaning in both blanks. In the final review the panel deliberately avoided ______ language while offering ______ criticism so that the assessment conveyed intellectual rigour without appearing dismissive or ideologically entrenched to external evaluators.
trenchant / measured
The sentence wants an assessment that shows intellectual rigour (so the criticism is real and careful) but does not look dismissive or ideologically entrenched (so the wording is not cutting or combative).
Blank 1: trenchant means vigorously incisive and sharply cutting; avoiding trenchant language prevents the review from seeming dismissive or entrenched. Blank 2: measured means carefully considered, balanced and proportionate — exactly the kind of criticism that conveys rigour.
“caustic / superficial” fails because superficial criticism contradicts rigour; “equivocal / judicious” fails because avoiding equivocal (vague) language has nothing to do with not appearing dismissive; with “acerbic / restrained”, restrained suggests criticism that is held back rather than deliberately weighed, which does not express rigour as directly as measured does.
So the pair that fits the evaluative tone in both blanks is trenchant / measured.
Hence, the answer is trenchant / measured.
Similar Questions
Read the sentence carefully and choose the option that best completes both blanks. Only one option correctly completes the sentence.
Managers ____________criticism but decide to _________training programs so teams improve performance, resilience, morale, and accountability across departments during rapid organisational change.
Read the sentence carefully and fill in the blanks with the most appropriate words. Only one option correctly completes both blanks.
The committee objected to the ______ of critical data during peer review, arguing that such ______ compromised transparency and academic integrity across institutions.
Fill in the blank with the most appropriate word from the given options. The negotiator tried to ______ the sensitive issue tactfully, avoiding direct confrontation while still acknowledging its significance during the prolonged diplomatic engagement.
Fill in the blank with the most appropriate words from the given options. The credibility of ethnographic research is strengthened ______________ community experiences systematically in field-based studies.
Fill in the blanks with the most appropriate pair of words from the given options to complete the sentence. The research consortium intends to ______ emerging trends in data analytics and ______ collaborative networks across interdisciplinary domains to enhance knowledge dissemination effectively.
Fill in the blank with the most appropriate word from the given options. Despite the committee’s attempt to appear impartial, its recommendations were subtly ______, favoring corporate interests over public welfare.
Important Questions from Fill in the Blanks
Directions: Fill in the blanks with the word that best completes the sentence.
At times he gets very angry, and then no one can_______ him.
Each of the following sentences has a blank space and four words are given below it. Select the word or group of words you consider most appropriate for the blank space and indicate your response accordingly.
Many people today have fallen into utter confusion of values with the result that they cannot______ the good from the bad.
Each of the following sentences has a blank space and four words are given below it. Select the word or group of words you consider most appropriate for the blank space and indicate your response accordingly
If Mohan________ at 5 a.m., he would not have missed the train.
Each of the following sentences has a blank space and four words are given below it. Select the word or group of words you consider most appropriate for the blank space and indicate your response accordingly.
His property was divided ______ his daughters and sons.
Each of the following sentences has a blank space and four words are given below it. Select the word or group of words you consider most appropriate for the blank space and indicate your response accordingly
His persistence in his misdemeanours has lowered him in the________ of everyone who knows him.
