2014-07-23 09:00:22

Somewhat surprisingly, the 1950s teen movie Gidget features ______ character in Big Kahuna, a countercultural rebel who defies the conformist society around him.

(A) a traditionalistic
(B) a staid
(C) an adept
(D) an iconoclastic
(E) an implausible

The correct answer is D
Explanation: To find the missing word, try to predict its meaning by using clues in the sentence. Here, the best clue comes after the comma, as the sentence implies that the type of character Big Kahuna is defined as is equivalent to what follows the comma. Thus, Big Kahuna must be "countercultural" and a "rebel" against "the conformist society." This suggests the missing word must similarly mean countercultural or rebellious. Choice D is correct then, as "iconoclastic" means "describing a person who attacks cherished institutions or traditional views."

None of the other choices work, either:
traditionalistic: descriptive of a person who seeks to honor traditions and resist change
staid: sedate, respectable, and unadventurous
adept: very skilled and proficient in something
implausible: not seeming reasonable, realistic, or believable