Question

Directions: Fill in the blanks with the words that best fit the meaning of the sentence as a whole.
The practice of storytelling for entertainment and instruction was at one time so ___________ that it was virtually_____________.

• A. Popular … Rigorous
• B. Widespread … universal
• C. Disgusting … elevating
• D. Known … uncommon
• E. Common … unknown

Answer 1

The Correct Option is B

The given question asks us to fill in the blanks with the words that best fit the meaning of the sentence as a whole. The sentence is:

"The practice of storytelling for entertainment and instruction was at one time so ___________ that it was virtually ___________."

We need to find words that logically complete the sentence. Let’s evaluate the options:

1. Popular … Rigorous: This combination does not fit well because if something is popular, it is not necessary that it was rigorous.
2. Widespread … Universal: This combination makes sense as if storytelling was "widespread," it would mean it was widespread to such an extent that it was "universal."
3. Disgusting … Elevating: These two words are contradictory and do not fit the context of the sentence.
4. Known … Uncommon: These words contradict each other. If something is known, it cannot be described as uncommon in the given context.
5. Common … Unknown: Similar to the previous option, these words contradict each other in this context.

The correct answer is "Widespread … Universal."

Explanation: The practice of storytelling was used widely (hence "widespread"), to the point where it seemed used by everyone or everywhere (hence "universal"). These words fit the meaning of the sentence as they both indicate a high degree of prevalence or practice.