Select the word that best completes the sentence.

The chemist's methods were so ______ that other laboratories could reproduce her results exactly.

Answer and explanation

Correct answer: B. rigorous

  1. Step 1: The fact that other laboratories "could reproduce her results exactly" demonstrates that the scientific protocols were meticulous, exacting, and thorough.
  2. Step 2: The adjective rigorous means thoroughly precise and accurate. Negative terms like cursory, slipshod, and haphazard indicate sloppy methods that prevent reproducible results.
Answer
rigorous.
Why not the others: Cursory means brief, hasty, and lacking depth; idiosyncratic describes quirky individual habits that obstruct reproduction; haphazard denotes lacking any systematic method; slipshod means careless and untidy.

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