PP1 (Shorter) Verbal Section 2 (Easy) Q12

Pairing Up

First things first. We use the Pairing Strategy to identify any synonym pairs among the six answer choices.

• Pair 1: self-flattery/narcissism (both convey the idea of someone being very fond of themselves in a negative way)

There's only one pair here, so we can eliminate the other answer choices: prevarication, satisfaction, affectation, and indolence.

The Right Answer

We can use Math Strategy to figure out the blank. There is a contrast happening in the form of "Despite A, B". The first idea (before the comma) tells us that the characters take pride in something good, so the right-hand side should be a bad quality about them.

The best (and only) match for this is the pair of self-flattery/narcissism.