Read the sentence, looking for clues
The first roadsign in this sentence is the conjunction "while," which means that
there will be a contrast between the clauses in the second part of the sentence;
this is reinforced by the fact that the first clause says art restoration is a
controversial field. The first blank describes what art restorers do to damage in
famous works; "restoration" means that they'll fix it. Since the rest of the
sentence says that some people question the use of these techniques, the second
blank must show that some people are in favor of them.
Predict the answer
The first blank will be something like "fix," and the second will be something
positive, like "commendable."
Select the answer choices that most closely match
your predictions
(A) mitigate ("to lessen the effect of") matches the predicted meaning
of slowing the damage to art; it's the first correct answer. (B) nullify ("cancel out") and (C) prevent may both be tempting, but according to
the sentence, the damage is "inevitable," meaning that it cannot be completely
canceled or prevented.
(E) laudable means "worthy of praise" and matches the prediction. (D)
moot ("no longer relevant") does not
fit with the description of this field as "controversial." Nothing is said about how
effective the techniques are, so reject (F) effective.
Check your answer
Art restoration is a controversial field; while its efforts to mitigate the inevitable damage done by time to
famous works are considered laudable,
some people question the field's use of invasive techniques on some of history's
greatest masterpieces.
TAKEAWAY: Beware of choices that are too extreme for the clues in the
sentence.
