Eighteenth-century historian Edward Gibbon thought the only character defect of the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius was his mild temperament—though the...

GMAT Craft and Structure : (Structure) Questions

Source: Practice Test

Craft and Structure

Words in Context

MEDIUM

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Notes

Post a Query

Eighteenth-century historian Edward Gibbon thought the only character defect of the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius was his mild temperament—though the emperor was widely considered virtuous, his overly permissive nature led him to ______ the vices of those who surrounded him.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?

indulge

despise

moderate

criticize

Solution

Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage

Part A: Passage Analysis Table

Text from Passage	Analysis
"Eighteenth-century historian Edward Gibbon thought the only character defect of the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius was his mild temperament"	What it says: Gibbon saw MA's mild nature = only flaw What it does: Introduces a historian's critical view of an emperor What it is: Context/opening claim
"though the emperor was widely considered virtuous"	What it says: MA = generally seen as good person What it does: Contrasts with the criticism we just heard What it is: Contrasting context
"his overly permissive nature led him to _____ the vices of those who surrounded him"	What it says: Too lenient led to action with others' bad behaviors What it does: Explains the consequence of his mild temperament What it is: Cause-effect relationship

Part B: Passage Architecture & Core Elements

Main Point: Gibbon believed Marcus Aurelius's mild temperament was problematic because it made him too permissive toward the bad behavior of others.

Step 2: Interpret the Question Precisely

This is a fill-in-the-blank question asking us to choose the best logical connector. The answer must create the right relationship between what comes before and after the blank.

Step 3: Prethink the Answer

The missing word needs to show what someone with an "overly permissive nature" would do with "the vices of those who surrounded him."
When someone is overly permissive, they allow or tolerate things they probably shouldn't.
So the right answer should indicate that he allowed, tolerated, or was too lenient with the vices of others around him.

Answer Choices Explained

indulge

✓ Correct

"Indulge" means to allow someone to enjoy something or to be lenient with their behavior.
This perfectly matches our prethinking - an overly permissive person would indulge the vices of others.

despise

✗ Incorrect

"Despise" means to hate or look down on with contempt.
This contradicts the setup - someone who is "overly permissive" wouldn't despise vices.

moderate

✗ Incorrect

"Moderate" means to make less intense.
While this might sound reasonable, someone overly permissive wouldn't actively work to moderate others' behavior.

criticize

✗ Incorrect

"Criticize" means to find fault with.
This directly contradicts "overly permissive" - someone who criticizes vices isn't being too lenient with them.

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