SAT Reading & Writing · Words in Context
For decades, a leading textbook's account of a chemical reaction mechanism went essentially unquestioned, cited in hundreds of later…
For decades, a leading textbook's account of a chemical reaction mechanism went essentially unquestioned, cited in hundreds of later papers without independent verification. When a graduate student finally ran the original experiment again, the results flatly ______ the textbook's version, showing a completely different reaction pathway.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
Answer and explanation
Answer: D: contradicted
"Completely different reaction pathway" describes results that are in direct conflict with the textbook account, which is exactly what contradicted names. Supplemented would mean the new results added detail without conflict, which is the opposite of what happened. Echoed would mean the results matched, again the opposite. Anticipated would mean the textbook already expected this outcome, but the passage says the account went "unquestioned," implying the new result was a surprise, not a fulfilled prediction.
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