Select the word that best completes the sentence.
The scientist's ______ refusal to consider alternative explanations delayed progress for years.
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: B. obdurate
- Step 1: The phrase "refusal to consider alternative explanations" that "delayed progress for years" denotes an obstinate, rigid, and unyielding posture.
- Step 2: The adjective obdurate means stubbornly refusing to alter one's opinion or course of action. Open-minded adjectives like flexible, tentative, and open-minded describe the opposite of dogmatic refusal.
Answer
obdurate.
Why not the others: Judicious means displaying sound judgment and discretion; tentative describes hesitant and non-committal stances; flexible means adaptable and open to change; open-minded denotes receptive to alternative arguments.
Practise more Text completion.
Free questions with an explanation for every one, and full timed GRE mock tests.
More Text completion questions
- Select the word that best completes the sentence.
The professor's lecture was so ______ that even students with no background in physics co… - Select the word that best completes the sentence.
Despite the critics' ______ reviews, the play drew large audiences for years. - Select the word that best completes the sentence.
His ______ nature made him a difficult negotiator; he refused every reasonable compromise… - Select the word that best completes the sentence.
The politician's speech was full of ______: grand phrases that said almost nothing. - Select the word that best completes the sentence.
Far from being ______, the CEO's decision was carefully considered over many months. - Select the word that best completes the sentence.
The new evidence ______ the theory, leaving its supporters with little to defend.