Read the sentence, looking for clues
The key phrase "to ensure accurate results" gives a clue to the word for the first
blank. The word will be an adjective describing the kind of evidence the scientists
wanted to rely on. For the second blank, the word will describe the kinds of
practices in data collection that could "render the experiment useless." The clue
for the final blank is the fact that the experiment could be rendered "useless."
That would suggest something very bad happening to "the precision of the
outcome."
Predict the answers
For the first blank, the scientists would want to rely on "concrete," observable
evidence in order to ensure accurate results. For the second blank, it can be
predicted that "sloppy" or "inexact" practices in data collection could be a major
problem. A good prediction for the third blank might be that those sloppy practices
could "negatively affect" or "put in doubt" the precision of the outcome.
Select the best matches from among the
choices
(A)
empirical, or "based on observation,"
while not an exact match for the prediction, is related to it and is the correct
choice. (B) historic means "established
in the past." There is no reason to connect historic evidence with ensuring accurate
results, so this choice can be eliminated. (C) dilatory means "slow, tending to delay," which makes no sense in the
context of the sentence.
For the second blank, (F)
anomalous, which means "inconsistent" or
"irregular," matches the prediction and is the correct choice. (D) stringent, which means "strict" or "rigorous,"
might describe practices that would help
the experiment. So this choice is the opposite of what is needed here. (E) outlandish, or "bizarre," is too strong. It
might be true that bizarre practices would be a problem, but nothing in the passage
suggests such an extreme word is called for here.
The third blank's correct answer is (H)
seriously jeopardize, which means to
"imperil" and matches the prediction. (I) positively impact is too positive in tone. (G) adversely promote contains the negatively
charged adverb "adversely," but "promote" is too positive, so this choice is also
incorrect.
Confirm your answers by reading them into the
sentence
Wanting to rely entirely on empirical
evidence to ensure accurate results, the scientists drafted strict guidelines for
observing the progress of the experiment. Any anomalous practices in data collection could seriously jeopardize the precision of the
outcome, rendering the experiment useless.
TAKEAWAY: If it sounds like a multiple-word answer would be the best fit for a
blank, take a quick glance at the choices to see if that is what is expected.
