Question

The politician’s ________ response to the crisis led to widespread criticism and ________ among the public.

• A. reassuring
• B. dismissive
• C. apathetic
• D. empathetic
• E. indifferent
• F. proactive

Hint:

Look for clues in the sentence about the tone of both the subject’s action and the resulting reaction. Words like “criticism” help signal negative attitudes or responses.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is B,

This sentence describes the politician’s response to a crisis and the public’s reaction. The key phrase is ``led to widespread criticism and _________ among the public.'' This indicates that both the politician’s response and the public’s reaction were negative or unfavorable.
First blank (Politician’s response):
The politician’s response caused widespread criticism, which suggests it was dismissive or uncaring rather than supportive or effective. Therefore, the word should imply neglect or disregard.


``Dismissive'' ((B) means showing disregard or lack of concern, which fits perfectly with a response that would provoke criticism.
Other options like ``reassuring'' ((A), ``empathetic'' ((D), or ``proactive'' (F) imply positive or helpful responses and are thus inappropriate here.
``Apathetic'' ((C) is negative but more related to emotion than action, so ``dismissive'' is a better fit for an official response.
Second blank (Public’s reaction):
The blank describes the public’s reaction alongside criticism, which should also be negative or lack of engagement, indicating dissatisfaction or disengagement.


``Indifferent'' (E) means showing no interest or concern, which fits well with the public being unimpressed or unconcerned, possibly due to the politician’s dismissive attitude.
``Apathetic'' ((C) could fit here too, but it is not one of the answer choices provided for this blank (assuming only two total answers).
Other options such as ``empathetic'' ((D) or ``reassuring'' ((A) are positive and do not match the context.
Why other options don’t fit:


``Reassuring'' ((A) and ``empathetic'' ((D) are positive responses that would not lead to widespread criticism.
``Proactive'' (F) suggests taking initiative and is positive, so it does not fit the negative context.
``Apathetic'' ((C) could describe the public or politician’s emotional state but is less precise than ``dismissive'' and ``indifferent'' in this context.
Summary:


The politician’s response was dismissive, implying neglect or disregard for the crisis, which justifies the criticism.
The public’s reaction was indifferent, showing lack of concern or engagement, reflecting dissatisfaction or disillusionment.
Thus, the best pair that logically completes the sentence is:

(B) dismissive
E) indifferent This pairing conveys a consistent, negative scenario matching the sentence’s meaning.