Read the sentence, looking for clues
The first blank will relate "the modern detective novel" to "Gothic fiction."
You'll need a bit more information before you can predict this relationship, so come
back to it. The phrase "rather than supernatural explanations" is a clue for the
second blank; the detour roadsign "rather than" means that the word in the blank
means "not supernatural." As for the third blank, supernatural causes had been
blamed for these occurrences, so they must be of a type that "does not seem normal."
Now, you can see the relationship indicated by the first blank; the two types of
novels dealt with similar occurrences but used different rationales. Gothic novels
tended to the supernatural, while detective novels were the opposite. This indicates
a change.
Predict the answers
A good prediction for the first blank would be that the modern novel "grew out of"
the Gothic novel. The second blank will be something opposed to "supernatural." The
third blank describes occurrences that appeared supernatural, so predict something
like "paranormal."
Select the best matches from among the
choices
For the first blank, the best match for the prediction is (C) evolved
from, which indicates the predicted change. Neither (A) became more popular than nor (B) lost readers to is supported by the
text.
For the second blank, (F) rational, meaning "logical" or "scientific,"
matches the prediction of "not supernatural." Neither (D) complex, meaning "complicated," nor (E)
literary, meaning "concerning
literature," makes sense in context.
For the third blank, something that was (I)
mysterious would not seem
normal. (G) everyday, or "routine," and
(H) mundane, or "ordinary," are the
opposite of the prediction. Furthermore, they're synonymous in this context, so they
can be eliminated on that basis even without the prediction.
Confirm your answer by reading it into the
sentence
The modern detective novel evolved
from earlier Gothic fiction, which emphasized the uncanny, when
nineteenth-century authors began to propose rational rather than supernatural explanations for seemingly
mysterious occurrences.
TAKEAWAY: When two synonyms appear in the choices for the same blank, they can
both be eliminated, since there's no way to pick one over the other.
