GRE Text Completion Explanation

2. We were not fooled by his (i)____ arguments; his plan was (ii)____ . That even he was (iii)____ by his own reasoning was apparent from his unenthusiastic demeanor.

Correct Answer: ADI

Explanation:

It is often a good idea to work backwards. In this case the fact that his demeanor was ‘unenthusiastic’ suggests that he did not have faith in his own argument. Hence the best word for the third blank is ‘unconvinced’. If ‘we were not fooled’, the plan was obviously not good and ‘obviously untenable’ works best for the second blank. Finally, his argument was not a good one and the only word for the first blank with clearly negative connotations is ‘specious’.
(specious = deceptive or misleading; cogent = well-expressed, clear = lucid; labyrinthine = complex and involved; untenable = cannot be supported/held; duped = fooled)

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