Verbal Challenge: Sarah was (i)________ the proposal to run for office;

GRE Verbal Challenge Question: 

Sarah was (i)________ the proposal to run for office; normally she was disinclined to take an interest in local politics, but the notion of serving on the city council herself offered a certain (ii)________ that would keep her attention engaged.

A) impassive about
B) Enticed by
C) Perplexed by

D) Mendacity
E) Piquancy
F) Vapidity

Directions: For each blank select one entry from the corresponding group of choices. Fill all blanks in the way that best completes the text.

Explanation:

Let’s start with the first blank (i) 

Sarah receives a proposal to run for office, which engages her attention even though she is normally not interested in local politics. Because she is uncharacteristically “engaged” by the idea of serving on the city council, we can infer that she is “interested in” the proposal. Choice (B) enticed by means “attracted by,” which is not an exact match but does imply a positive reaction to the offer. This is the correct choice. 

Choice (A) impassive about, which means “indifferent to,” is clearly the opposite of what we need, so it is incorrect. 

Choice (C) perplexed by, which means “confused about,” is also neutrally charged, and nothing in this sentence implies that Sarah is confused, so this choice is also incorrect.


Now we can move on to the second blank( ii )

We’re told Sarah was normally disinclined to take an interest in local politics. This precedes the detour road sign “but,” which tells us that the clause following it will differ in meaning. We can predict that a place on the city council had a certain “allure” for her, because it would engage her attention. Choice (E) piquancy means “stimulating character,” which provides a reason for Sarah’s attention being engaged by the offer. This is the correct choice. 

Choice (D) mendacity means “dishonesty” and is too negatively charged to fit the tone or context of this sentence, so it is incorrect. 

Choice (F) vapidity, or “dullness,” is the opposite of what we need and is therefore incorrect.

The answers are choices (B) and (E).