Question

The subtle shades of meaning and still under echoes of association make language an instrument which scarcely anything short of genius can wield with ___________ and _________.
A) confidence- aloofness
B) definiteness- certainty
C) sincerity- hope
D) conservatism- alacrity
E) eloquence- ruthlessness

Answer 1

Hint: The above phrase is extracted from the book ‘Victorian Interpretation’. In the book, the author tries to find out ways of criticizing the literary interpretation. Her main area of focus is literal interpretation but she also included many fields such as legal theory, psychology, history, and natural science. The main objective for the inclusion of multiple fields is that she wants to provide pervasiveness in the ideas of Victorian culture.

Complete answer:
The above sentence is extracted from the book ‘Victorian interpretation” by Suzy Anger. According to the question, the language is not factual therefore, it is very complicated to understand it. In this, one word has different meanings and uses furthermore, there are multiple words for the same things.
To go with the right option, firstly we need to know the meaning of every option available so that we can fill the word which is relatable to the given sentence.

Option (A) confidence- aloofness: This is an incorrect answer. Confidence means to have a belief or to have a feeling of surety that you have the ability to do something. On another side, Aloofness can be defined as a behaviour that is unfriendly or not willing to participate in things. The meanings of these two words are not making any sense with the given sentence because they are not talking about any ability or unfriendly behaviour.

Option (B) definiteness- certainty: This is the correct answer. Definiteness meaning which is very clear or fixed. Furthermore, certainty is something 100% true or a state where we can’t doubt something.
These two words are relatable to the above sentence, as they are conveying that language is not certain. There is no definiteness in its words which makes a language difficult to use or to understand. In simple words, there is no limit to words and their meaning. Every word has multiple meanings.

Option (C) sincerity- hope: This is an incorrect answer. The meaning of sincerity is the quality of being responsible or honest and hope means we expect anything to happen according to our own will. Both the words don’t make any relation with the given sentence.

Option (D) conservatism- alacrity: This is an incorrect answer. These words have nothing to do with the above sentence because conservatism means something which is very traditional. On the flip side, Alacrity is eagerness or readiness to do something.

Option (E) eloquence- ruthlessness: This is an incorrect answer. Eloquence means to have fluency in writing or speaking any language. In addition to this, ruthlessness can be defined as cruel which shows no pity. The sentence doesn’t talk about fluency or the nature of language.

Option (B) is the right choice. So, the correct answer will be written as follows:
The subtle shades of meaning and still under echoes of association make language an instrument that scarcely anything short of genius can wield with definiteness and certainty.

Note: Some information about the author Suzy Anger. She is a professor in the English department. her main work area is she focuses on the relationship between Victorian literature and science, specifically psychology. Therefore, the ideas of the above phrase revolve around literature.