PP1 (Shorter) Verbal Section 2 (Medium) Q12

Pairing Up

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

• Pair 1: fitfully/sporadically (both mean irregularly or inconsistently)

• Pair 2: irascibly/pugnaciously (both mean in a hostile or aggressive way)

Now, we can eliminate the other two choices, since they can't be paired: persistently and judiciously.

The Right Answer

We can use the Math Strategy in two ways here to figure out the blank:

• Firstly, there's a continuation/support happening at the "and has consequently". Looking to the right-hand side, it says he has acquired more enemies, so the left-hand side should be a reason to acquire enemies. So, the blank should be something like "hostile".

• Secondly, we have a contrast happening at "than". The right-hand side says, his predecessors were "smoother" (in this context diplomatic), so to contrast that, the blank must say something like "less diplomatically".

Based on this logic, the best pair would be irascible/pugnaciously.

The Wrong Answers

fitfully/sporadically: This choice has no evidence. There's no information about how frequently or regularly he has challenged the industry firms.