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Unlike the performances of her youth, in which she seamlessly inhabited a role, the performances of her later years were ____________, as though she were calling out to audiences, “look how convincingly I can portray my character.”
Title
Unlike the performances
Your Result
Correct
Difficulty
Medium
Your Pace
0:01
Others' Pace
0:44
Video Explanation
Text Explanation
Answer: (E)
The contrast is between "seamlessly inhabited" and the blank. The quotation further underscores the point that the actress's performances were not at all natural. In this sense (E) contrived — which describes something or some behavior that seems artificial or unnatural — works best.
(A) simply means very old.
(B) is not supported by the context.
(C) means changing so unpredictably as to be jarring. This is not supported by the context.
(D) seems very alluring. But a mechanical performance is not one that is consistent with the quote. 'Contrived', on the other hand, does not only suggest unnaturalness but also deliberateness.
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