2012-04-30 09:00:28

The walls of the apartment building were paper thin, so Victor could hear noises from a dozen other apartments; the resulting ______ caused him several sleepless nights.

(A) maelstrom
(B) serenity
(C) symphony
(D) cacophony
(E) rhapsody

The correct answer is D

Explanation: To predict the missing word, look for keywords in the sentence. Here, the keywords are in the phrase "noises from a dozen other apartments." The missing word describes what "resulted" from being able to hear said noises, so it must mean something that relates to sounds that do not mesh together. Because a "cacophony" is "a harsh, discordant mixture of sounds," choice D is correct.

Additionally, none of the other answer choices work:

Maelstrom:  a situation or state of confused movement or violent turmoil (this does not necessarily or directly refer to sound)

Serenity: a state of being calm, peaceful, and untroubled (this is the opposite of a correct answer)

Symphony: an elaborate musical composition for a full orchestra (an orchestra made up of people in a dozen different apartments?)

Rhapsody: an effusively enthusiastic or ecstatic expression of feeling (this does not necessarily or directly refer to sound)