The easiest blank to fill is the third blank. “which at least allow him to be quick to judge” gives the clue that position which he occupies gives him the rights to judge others hence the answer is “doctrinaire”. “surprised” and “vocally dogmatic” gives the clue that he is reticent, hence the answer to the first blank is “costive“. Now the second blank contrasts his behavior now to when he was young. Hence the second blank is “dotage”

Those who knew the editor as a (i) _________ and uncommunicative young man are surprised to find him so vocally dogmatic in his (ii) _________, though perhaps it is precisely because he has always been so slow to think that he has taken to the security of his (iii) _________ positions, which at least allow him to be quick to judge.

Blank (i)	Blank (ii)	Blank (iii)
(A) costive	(D) dotage	(G) arbitrary
(B) homely	(E) jouissance	(H) doctrinaire
(C) cynical	(F) quiescence	(I) picayune

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Explanation

You have a couple of clues for the meaning of the first word. It is paired with “uncommunicative” and seems to mean something like “slow to think.” Only costive among our choices means anything like that. Its original meaning, “constipated,” is still current, but the word is as likely to be used metaphorically to mean “slow to form or offer opinions.”


Skip the middle word for a moment, and hope that you can spot some clue for it in figuring out the third word — the third word seems to mean “dogmatic,” and doctrinaire will do. You may not have much success anticipating an answer for your second blank, but fortunately two of the available answers are exceptionally bad matches — jouissance means “joy,” and quiescence means something like “rest” or “being at rest.” Nothing suggests either of these answers. Dotage means that period of old age when one’s mental faculties decline (it can also mean “foolishness,” especially foolish affection, regardless of age). This is the second correct answer: the editor was young, and is now old and foolish.

Costive, dotage, doctrinaire.
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No way would this be on the GRE. Leave it to Manhattan Prep to screw things up yet again with words that just will not be found on the GRE. They are NOTORIOUS for this.

You had no clue what dotage and costive meant, admit it.