How could we possibly predict the first blank if the information is too little? Is there a case where we should skip predicting and go straight to the answer choices after trying to hard? - I always try to predict before looking at the choices btw
Greg predicted something along the line of “Let’s say, if it were a success or failure for the first blank,” I totally got his prediction in hindsight but based on what in the sentence can we predict this way. I think the first blank could really be anything - complexity, equivocation, failure, success.
When I find myself in the same situation, I normally put an up-arrow or a check mark in the black, depends on the subject, which represent increase or success respectively, or I put a down-arrow or a cross mark which mean decrease or failure.
The technique is called double possibilities. As you said sometimes it is really difficult to guess the right word for the blank, but in this technique you can at least know the word that you’re looking for must have a positive meaning or a negative meaning depends on the rest of the sentence and other clues.
Hope it was helpful.
I do not think “complexity” goes with the attempt; there is no such thing as a complex attempt, attempt can only be successful or failure. The first blank, I think, is describing about the attempt.
Here’s how i did it: The __ of philosopher’s attempts suggests to me we’re looking for a word that describes those attempts. Certain later thinkers are then inquiring into the __ of human reason.
I figured the first blank could be something good, like accuracy or something bad (i guessed futility) then for the second blank if the attempts were accurate the second blank would be something like accuracy or foresight and if the attempts were futile i guessed usefulness.
Then I went to the answer choices, got E . Is that correct?
Yes, I wouldn’t stick too religiously with any one strategy. Greg has a ton of different ones you can use interchangeably. I moved straight to process of elimination with this one.
Yes, E is the correct answer. Thanks for sharing your thought process. Definitely helpful, I see some “time contrast” strategy from your analysis. If you have more insights to share: is there anything you felt like you did differently or creatively compared to the predicting strategy? I just felt like it’s more or less the same, but different that you were able to predict and I could not
