The author's writing style in her memoir was refreshingly -------, avoiding the self-aggrandizing tone that characterizes many autobiographical works by public figures.
- grandiose
- self-effacing (correct answer)
- pretentious
- bombastic
Explanation: This sentence completion question tests your ability to understand contrast and context clues. The key phrase here is "avoiding the self-aggrandizing tone," which tells you the author's style is the opposite of self-promoting or boastful. The correct answer is B) self-effacing because it means modest or humble, which directly contrasts with "self-aggrandizing." If the author avoids making herself look important or impressive, her writing style would indeed be self-effacing - she downplays her own accomplishments rather than boasting about them. Let's examine why the other choices don't work. A) grandiose means impressive or magnificent in a way that's meant to impress others - this would actually be similar to self-aggrandizing, not opposite to it. C) pretentious means trying to appear more important or sophisticated than one really is, which again aligns with rather than contrasts with self-aggrandizing behavior. D) bombastic refers to language that sounds impressive but lacks real meaning, often characterized by pompous or inflated speech - this would also be similar to, not opposite from, a self-aggrandizing tone. When tackling sentence completion questions, always look for signal words that indicate relationships between ideas. Here, "avoiding" creates a contrast, so you need an answer that means the opposite of "self-aggrandizing." Practice identifying these relationship words - they're your roadmap to the correct answer.