Hi,
The answer for Blank (ii) is “transmutation” but what I am confused with is the word “this.” I assumed “this” was referring to “The aim” since I thought any pronouns that come first in a sentence usually refer to the subject of the previous sentence. Wouldn’t that be “The aim?”
Thank you in advance
The two main clues given in this question were:
“Transpose”: This suggests a change or transformation from one state or form to another. It hints at a process of conversion from one medium (mental conceptions) to others (page, canvas, stage / a physical one).
“Not always successful”: This phrase suggests that the process of transposition can face challenges or might not always yield the desired outcome.
Now, how do these clues help us guess the blank:
The question/sentence is talking about an artist’s endeavor to transform their initial ideas into a tangible form through various mediums. However, there’s an implied challenge or difficulty in achieving this.
Thus, a good guess for blank (i) can be “early” or “beginning” since it’s about transposing conceptions to a tangible medium. For the second blank, words like “process” or “change” might be a good guess as we are looking at a process or action of changing form.
Now, coming back to your query:
The word “this” in the sentence is referring to something mentioned just before it. In this case, it’s talking about the action of moving ideas to a page, canvas, or stage.
The sentence talks about artists wanting to move their ideas into a physical form but mentions that it’s not always successful. So, when we see the word “this,” we should think about what action might not always be successful. It makes sense that the action of moving ideas to a physical form (transposing) is what might not always succeed.
Now, look at the word “transmutation” for Blank (ii). “Transmutation” means changing something from one form to another, which fits the idea of moving ideas to a physical form. So, “transmutation” fits well in the blank following “this” as it represents the action being discussed.
Hint: As a simple check, replace the word “this” with “the action of” or “the process of” and see if the sentence still makes sense. “However, the process of transmutation is not always successful.” This substitution should help clarify what “this” is referring to.
