Despite its many ------, the whole-language philosophy of teaching reading continues to gain ------ among educators.
Show Hint
- detractors...notoriety
- adherents...prevalence
- critics...currency
- enthusiasts...popularity
- practitioners... credibility
The Correct Option is C
Solution and Explanation
The word "Despite" signals a contrast. The sentence will present two opposing ideas. The philosophy has many of something (first blank), yet it is achieving something positive (second blank). This means the first blank must be a negative word (like opponents) and the second must be a positive one (like acceptance).
Step 2: Detailed Explanation:
Let's analyze the options based on the "negative, positive" structure.
- (A) detractors...notoriety: "Detractors" (critics) is negative. "Notoriety" (being famous for something bad) is also negative. This doesn't fit the contrast structure.
- (B) adherents...prevalence: "Adherents" (supporters) is positive. The sentence would read "Despite supporters, it is gaining prevalence," which is redundant, not contrasting.
- (C) critics...currency: "Critics" is negative. "To gain currency" means to become common or generally accepted, which is positive. This pairing creates a perfect contrast: Despite having many critics, the philosophy is gaining acceptance.
- (D) enthusiasts...popularity: "Enthusiasts" (supporters) is positive. "Despite enthusiasts, it is gaining popularity" is illogical.
- (E) practitioners... credibility: "Practitioners" (people who use it) is neutral to positive. "Despite practitioners, it is gaining credibility" is not a strong contrast.
Step 3: Final Answer:
The most logical choice is "critics...currency", showing that the philosophy is becoming more accepted even though many people oppose it.
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