SAT OwlQuestion bank / Words in Context
Literary historian Naomi Fairbanks observes that the novelist's early reviewers were not hostile so much as ______. They praised the book's style in one sentence and questioned its subject matter in the next, never settling on a firm judgment of whether the novel succeeded.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
effusive
vindictive
ambivalent
indifferent
Show answer and explanation
Answer: C
The reviewers mixed praise with doubt and never reached a firm verdict. "Ambivalent" describes holding mixed or conflicting feelings, so choice C fits. "Effusive" (overflowing with praise) ignores the doubts, and "vindictive" is the hostility the text rules out.
Choice D, "indifferent," is tempting as an alternative to hostility, but the reviewers clearly cared enough to praise and question the book in detail.
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