7. While some see in practical jokes a wish for mastery in miniature over a world that seems very -------, others believe that the jokes’ purpose is to disrupt, by reducing all transactions to -------. (Big Book, page 499).
For the logic of this sentence, I said this is a contrast because of the words “some see” and “others believe”. I tried solving Blank 2 first so I put the word ‘chaos’ because of the word “disrupt” (the comma after “disrupt” signals a support for the sec blank). Since this is a contrast I just used the opposite word of ‘chaos’ so I used the word ‘orderly’. Is this correct? I don’t understand what " a wish for mastery in miniature over a world…" means. Could anyone please explain?
“a wish for mastery over a world…” basically means a wish for control over a world that seems out of control. The two ideas are contrasting, not the two blanks.
There’s a contrast is between mastery and the first blank because of the word “wish”. When you wish for something, it’s because you don’t have it in reality.
Simplification:
While some see practical jokes as a wish for control over a world that seems out of control, others believe that the jokes’ purpose is to disrupt, by reducing all transactions to chaos.
I see. I guess I’m having trouble because I understood mastery as having a different meaning (ie. I mastered a skill) because of in miniature. Also, how is wish the contrasting word with the first blank? I thought seems would be the word that indicates that in reality the world isn’t like this (ex. this sentence seems harder than it is).
How can you just know what parts to eliminate and how do you know if the support/contrast is towards an idea or the actual blanks??