2014-11-21 09:00:13

Before she could help the two former business partners settle their dispute, the outside mediator had to ______ them enough to get them calm enough to negotiate.

(A) amplify
(B) confound
(C) purify
(D) compound
(E) mollify

The correct answer is E
Explanation: To find the missing word, try to predict its meaning by using clues int he sentence. Here, the sentence provides a causal relationship: the two parties needed to have something done to them "before" they could "settle their dispute."  The prompt adds that they needed to be "calm enough" and implies that the missing word must mean something like "make calm." Choice E provides such a word: "mollify" means "to reduce the anger or hurt feelings of someone."

None of the other words work, either:

amplify: to make something more intense
confound: to confuse or surprise
purify: to make clean
compound:  to heighten a problem or make something worse