The food was ___________.

The food was ___________.

• A. Execrable
• B. Scion
• C. Phlegmatic
• D. Ameliorate

Answer: (A)

This item tests choosing an adjective that clearly conveys a strong judgment about the quality of food. The sentence needs a descriptor that fits food-tareful use. Execrable means extremely bad or detestable, a strong negative evaluation of something’s quality. It’s exactly how one would honestly describe nasty-tasting or poorly prepared food. Scion is a noun meaning a descendant or heir, or in botany a shoot or twig; it does not describe taste or quality, so it doesn’t fit. Phlegmatic describes temperament—calm, unexcitable, not emotional—which has nothing to do with how food tastes or feels. Ameliorate is a verb meaning to make something better; it cannot grammatically describe food in this context. So the best fit for describing the meal is execrable, conveying that the food was extremely unpleasant.

This item tests choosing an adjective that clearly conveys a strong judgment about the quality of food. The sentence needs a descriptor that fits food-tareful use.

Execrable means extremely bad or detestable, a strong negative evaluation of something’s quality. It’s exactly how one would honestly describe nasty-tasting or poorly prepared food.

Scion is a noun meaning a descendant or heir, or in botany a shoot or twig; it does not describe taste or quality, so it doesn’t fit.

Phlegmatic describes temperament—calm, unexcitable, not emotional—which has nothing to do with how food tastes or feels.

Ameliorate is a verb meaning to make something better; it cannot grammatically describe food in this context.

So the best fit for describing the meal is execrable, conveying that the food was extremely unpleasant.