Room acoustics design criteria are determined according to the room’s intended use. Music, for example, is best (i) __________ in spaces that are reverberant, a condition that generally makes speech less (ii) ________. Acoustics suitable for both speech and music can sometimes be created in the same space, although the result is never perfect, each having to be (iii) _________ to some extent.
|(A) controlled|(D) abrasive|(G) compromised|
|(B) appreciated|(E) intelligible|(H) eliminated|
|© employed|(F) ubiquitous|(I) considered|
Here I filled the second blank first. Abrasive was removed by usage/grammar strategy. Ubiquitious contradicted ‘reverberent’ . So with POE, chosen intelligible.
Then the third blank was filled. ‘Eliminated’ did not make sense(usage). No information for considered. Compromise then made sense. So, chosen compromise.
However, in the first blank, I can’t figure out why it’s not controlled or employed??
Before I reach for my tactical toolkit, I do my best to understand what the story the passage is trying to convey. For me the story goes something like:
“How one designs the acoustics of room depends on how the room will be used. Take music, for example, which is best (i)_____ enjoyed _____ in spaces that allow sound to bounce off the walls, this isn’t great for speech because it makes it (ii)_____ hard to understand _____. A room with acoustic design for both speech and music can sometimes coexist, but these aren’t the best, since both the quality of speech and music will (iii) ____ deteriorate _____ in some way.”
The first sentence introduces the topic and intimates a contrast by mentioning different intended uses for the room. Then we have a sentence discussing something about music and how it is best _______ in certain spaces.
Given the story that we’ve illustrated, can we really create strong logic with “controlled?” Where are we discussing the need to control music? The passage is talking about what type of acoustics best allow for speech and music to be “intelligible,” listened to, or enjoyed.
What about “employed?” Do we really care about whether music can be best employed in a space that is more reverberant? Sure, it’s best employed in a reverberant space, but then we get to talking about creating a space that can accommodate both music and speech, but doing so is never perfect. Ever so nuanced this clue is, but the word “perfect” signals that we care more about the quality of sound and less about the room’s ability to facilitate (control, employ) sound.
Yes – both controlled and employed create grammatically correct sentences, but they do not achieve the same logic that “appreciated” does.
Hope this helps!
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