Explanation

The use of the word “likewise” indicates that the analyses of Chase’s work by contemporaries were like the readings he gave the fiction of others. Since he is described as a “demanding reader,” the words that best fit the blank will be similar in meaning to “demanding.” The words that meet this requirement are “exacting” (Choice A) and “meticulous” (Choice F), and they produce sentences that are alike in meaning. Although “acerbic analyses” means close to the same thing as “scathing analyses,” both “acerbic” and “scathing” have meanings that are quite different from “demanding,” so neither fits well in the blank.
Thus the correct answer is exacting (Choice A) and meticulous (Choice F).
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