Question 72·Hard·Words in Context
The committee dismissed the proposal as ______ because its cost projections relied on overly optimistic growth rates and ignored inflationary pressures.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
For Words in Context questions, always read the entire sentence (and nearby sentences if given) and pay close attention to logical connectors like "because," "although," and "but." First, decide the tone (positive/negative) and the role of the missing word (praise, criticism, description of clarity, etc.), then restate in your own simple words what should go in the blank (for example, "wrong for good reasons" or "very clear"). Next, test each answer by plugging it into the sentence and asking, "Does this match both the tone and the specific reason given?" Cross out any option whose basic meaning conflicts with the context, even if it is a word you know well. Let the sentence meaning, not just the dictionary definition, guide your choice.
Hints
Focus on the reason after "because"
Read carefully after the word because. What does the sentence say about the cost projections and their assumptions?
Decide if the committee’s view is positive or negative
The committee "dismissed" the proposal. Does that suggest they approve of it or reject it? Should the missing word be praising the proposal or criticizing it?
Think about what kind of criticism it is
The reasons given involve "overly optimistic" growth rates and ignoring inflation. Is the committee complaining about how clear the proposal is, how praiseworthy it is, how understandable it is, or about the quality of its assumptions and reasoning?
Eliminate options that do not fit the tone or logic
Cross out any option that suggests praise or that doesn’t match the idea that the committee has specific reasons for rejecting the proposal based on its unrealistic assumptions.
Step-by-step Explanation
Use the cause-and-effect clue after "because"
Focus on the part of the sentence after because:
"its cost projections relied on overly optimistic growth rates and ignored inflationary pressures."
This explains why the committee dismissed the proposal. These are reasons that the cost projections are unrealistic and flawed.
Infer the general meaning needed in the blank
Since the committee dismissed the proposal because its assumptions were unrealistic, the blank must describe the proposal (or its cost projections) as bad or flawed in its reasoning, not as something praiseworthy or simply hard to understand.
So we want a negative word that criticizes the validity of the proposal, not its clarity or complexity.
Test each answer choice against that meaning
Now check each option against the idea of "flawed or not truly valid" reasoning:
- lucid = clear, easy to understand, rational.
- commendable = deserving praise.
- impenetrable = impossible or very hard to understand.
- specious = (you will confirm this in the next step).
The committee would not "dismiss" the proposal as clear or praiseworthy, and the reasons given (unrealistic growth, ignoring inflation) show they do understand it, so "impenetrable" does not fit either. We need the word that criticizes the soundness of the proposal.
Choose the word that matches "superficially plausible but actually flawed"
Specious means misleading, deceptive, or superficially plausible but actually wrong or lacking real merit.
That fits perfectly: the proposal’s cost projections may look attractive, but they’re based on overly optimistic assumptions and ignore inflation, so the committee dismisses the proposal as specious.
Therefore, the correct answer is D) specious.