Question

In the long run, high-technology communications cannot BLANK more tradi tional face-to-face family togetherness, in Aspinall’s view. Select the two answer choices that, when substituted for the BLANK, fit the context and produce the two sentences most nearly alike in meaning.
(A) ameliorate
(B) compromise
(C) supersede
(D) approximate
(E) enervate
(F) supplant

Answer 1

Step 1: Understanding the Concept
This is a sentence equivalence question. We need two words that both fit the sentence’s meaning and are synonymous in this context. The sentence asserts that technology, despite advances, cannot take the place of traditional family interaction.

Step 2: Detailed Explanation
The blank needs a verb meaning “replace” or “take the place of.” We look for true substitutes in sense, not just loose semantic neighbors.

(C) supersede: to take the place of; to supplant. — Fits perfectly.

(F) supplant: to supersede and replace. — Direct synonym of “supersede.”

(A) ameliorate: to make better. — Not “replace.”

(B) compromise: to weaken/undermine. — Not “replace.”

(D) approximate: to be similar/come close. — We need a stronger claim than “come close.”

(E) enervate: to weaken. — Not “replace.”

Step 3: Final Answer
\[ \boxed{\text{(C) supersede \quad and \quad (F) supplant}} \]
Both precisely convey the idea that technology cannot replace traditional family togetherness.