<p><span style="color:#27ae60;"><span style="font-size:20px;">Right Answers</span></span></p>
<p><b>Blanks 2 and 3: </b>Perhaps the easiest way to solve this problem is to use <strong><span style="color:#8e44ad;">Math Strategy</span></strong> and realize blanks 2 and 3 are a "package." The two blanks support each other because of the "and" connecting them. Thus, we can conclude that the two blanks create ideas that are essentially synonyms. At this point, we COULD go to the answer choices for blanks 2 and 3 and look for synonymous ideas, but what if we find more than one pair of synonymous words? It would be in our best interest to make a solid guess about which words fill in these two blanks. </p>
<p>The phrase "actually" indicates that something is going against our expectations. The sentence tells us we have "greater familiarity" with the paintings but ACTUALLY something is happening. It would be our expectation that "greater familiarity" allows us to learn more about the painting, but ACTUALLY, the opposite is occurring. Thus, we can guess for blank 2 a word like "mysteriousness" and for blank 3 a word like "unclear."</p>
<p>The words that most closely match these guesses are <span style="color:#27ae60;">ambiguity </span>and <span style="color:#27ae60;">similarly equivocal</span>.</p>
<p><strong>Blank 1:</strong> Now that blanks 2 and 3 are solved, blank 1 is straightforward. We use the <strong><span style="color:#8e44ad;">Math Strategy</span></strong> to see that the first independent clause ("I've long anticipated...possible") contrasts the second independent clause ("greater familiarity...similarly equivocal"). The second idea states that the painting is essentially becoming more ambiguous and less clear. The opposite of that idea is "clear," so we can guess the word "clear" to fill in blank 1.</p>
<p>The answer choice that most closely matches this guess is <span style="color:#27ae60;">settled</span>.</p>
<p><span style="color:#e74c3c;"><span style="font-size:20px;">The Wrong Answers</span></span></p>
<p><strong>Blank 1:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li><span style="color:#e74c3c;">modish</span>: This choice has <strong>no evidence</strong>. We don't know whether or not these judgments are fashionable.</li>
<li><span style="color:#e74c3c;">detached</span>: This choice has <strong>no evidence</strong>. We don't know whether or not the viewers of the painting are becoming emotionally attached to the painting.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Blank 2:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li><span style="color:#e74c3c;">gloom</span>: This choice has <strong>no evidence</strong>. We don't know the mood the paintings evoke in viewers.</li>
<li><span style="color:#e74c3c;">delicacy</span>: This choice is odd from a <strong>usage </strong>perspective. It doesn't really make sense to say the "delicacy" of the paintings.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Blank 3:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li><span style="color:#e74c3c;">less sanguine</span>: This choice has <strong>no evidence</strong>. We don't know the optimism (or lack thereof) level of the sentence's author.</li>
<li><span style="color:#e74c3c;">more cynical</span>: This choice has <strong>no evidence</strong>. We don't know the cynicism (or lack thereof) level of the sentence's author.</li>
</ul>