The (i) _____ nature of classical tragedy in Athens belies the modern image of tragedy: in modern view tragedy is austere and stripped down, its representation of ideological and emotional conflicts so superbly compressed that there is nothing (ii) __________ for time to erode.


We are told that in the modern view tragedy is

1. austere and stripped down
2. it is superbly compressed

if the above two are true, then what is not there that time can erode? Clearly there is nothing ornamental (opposite of austere, stripped down) or exposed in an uncompressed form for time to erode. The answer is extraneous.

The word belie means to fail to give a true impression or fail to justify a claim or expectation.

So the classical tragedy in Athens was not austere and hence the correct word is multifaceted.
_________________

Is it A and D?

May I get an explanation?

Sorry guys,

along with the questions from PowerPrep there is always an official explanation. Only the time to elaborate it. Thank you for your patience.

Back to the question

Unadorned: to decorate or add beauty to, as by ornaments
harmonious: marked by agreement in feeling, attitude, or action
multifaceted: having many facets, as a gem
inalienable: not transferable to another or capable of being repudiated
exigent: requiring immediate action or aid; urgent; pressing
extraneous: introduced or coming from without; not belonging or proper to a thing; foreign

As you can see from the meaning of the words above, the only two that fit into the question are C and F

In a nutshell: the nature of Athens tragedy to our modern view is multifaced. However, in its real core it was sooo consistent and solid that the tragedy itself endure the time unfolding, during the centuries. In conclusion, the same importance of tragedy, its caliber, its influence to the generation ahead is unassailable, absolute, unequivocal.

Hope this helps. Ask if something is unclear to you.

PS: as yu can see, a GRE question is really subtle in its meaning.

Thank you!

"The (i) _____ nature of classical tragedy in Athens belies the modern image of tragedy: in modern view tragedy is austere and stripped down, its representation of ideological and emotional conflicts so superbly compressed that there is nothing (ii) __________ for time to erode."

Meaning and approach- So the nature of classical tragedy is contradicted with modern tragedy. Since modern tragedy is strict and stripped down the first blank will be not strict and diverse. For blank 2 we get the info that emotional conflicts are compressed that there is nothing supplemental for time to wash away.

A- Unadorned means plain. This is an opposite of what we are looking for.
B- Harmonious means coordinated or melodious, neither of which make sense here.
C- Multifaceted means having many sides or features. Works well.
D- Inalienable means absolute or sacrosanct. Illogical.
E- Exigent means requiring immediate action. Also illogical.
F- Extraneous means unrelated or external. Works well and notice this is an opposite of what classical tragedy is.

Since it is written that the modern view of tragedy is rather austere (simple) and stripped down of its complexities (or multiple faces), its representation is superbly compressed. It means that today we interpret tragedy as a basic, simple, singular, stripping down all other interpretations. So, for the first blank we must have something contrasting simplicity / singular representation, and that would be multifaceted.

For the 2nd blank, we look at "superbly compressed" to decide the answer. Since representation of tragedy is so compressed that no other outside interpretation is left for time to erode, the 2nd blank must take the word extraneous