Question 159·Hard·Words in Context
The analyst ultimately dismisses the proposed budget as ______, contending that its revenue projections disregard volatile commodity prices and impending regulatory changes.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
For Words-in-Context questions, always start by fully understanding the sentence before looking at the choices. Note the signal verbs (like "dismisses") and any explanation after commas or conjunctions, then paraphrase what should go in the blank (e.g., “misleading,” “overly optimistic”) in your own words. After that, scan the answer choices, eliminate any that clearly clash with the sentence’s tone or logic, and choose the option whose dictionary meaning best matches your paraphrase and fits smoothly into the sentence.
Hints
Check the overall attitude
Focus on the verbs and claims: the analyst "dismisses" the budget and lists reasons against it. Does the analyst seem to approve of the budget or criticize it?
Use the explanation after the comma
Look carefully at the phrase starting with "contending that". What specific problem does the analyst point out about the budget’s revenue projections?
Paraphrase the blank in your own words
Before looking at answer choices, try to fill the blank with your own short phrase that matches the criticism (for example, a word that suggests something is flawed or unreliable). Then look for the choice that best matches your paraphrase.
Step-by-step Explanation
Understand the sentence and its logic
Paraphrase the sentence:
An analyst rejects ("dismisses") a proposed budget, arguing that its revenue projections ignore volatile commodity prices and upcoming regulatory changes.
So the analyst thinks the budget is flawed because it overlooks important risks.
Decide the needed meaning and tone
Because the analyst dismisses the budget and points out serious weaknesses (ignoring volatility and regulatory changes), the tone toward the budget is clearly negative.
We need a word that describes the budget as unreliable or deceptive, not just ordinary or hard to handle.
Match that meaning to a general idea
From context, a good paraphrase for the blank would be something like:
- “the analyst dismisses the proposed budget as misleadingly convincing” or
- “the analyst dismisses the proposed budget as having flawed, deceptive reasoning.”
Now look for the choice that best captures this idea of seeming reasonable on the surface but actually being unsound.
Test each answer choice against the context
Now compare each option to the sentence:
- prescient = having or showing knowledge of events before they happen; this would praise the budget as unusually farsighted, which clashes with “dismisses” and with the critique.
- orthodox = traditional or conventional; this is neutral/description of style and does not fit the strong criticism based on ignoring risks.
- intractable = hard to control or deal with; that might describe a problem, but not a budget that is being rejected for unrealistic projections.
- specious = superficially plausible, but actually wrong or misleading; this perfectly matches a budget that looks reasonable but, as the analyst argues, ignores key factors.
Therefore, the best and most precise choice is A) specious.