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Here’s your Shmoop du jour… Which words could fill in the blanks so that
the sentence below makes sense?
According to his autobiography, noted polymath Benjamin Franklin sees education as an active
and ongoing blank rather than a(n) blank and limited training ground.
And here are the potential answers...
In this sentence, the phrase "rather than" tells us that we'll need to look for opposing
ideas.
In the red corner, wearing green trunks with gold trim, we have something that's "active
and ongoing."
In the blue corner, wearing black trunks with white trim, we have some kind of limited training
ground.
Since it's easier to find an antonym for "active" than for "training ground," let's start with
the second blank.
“Expanded” is not the opposite of passive.
Neither is “liberal.”
Or “free.”
Or “unbounded.”
Looks like we’re putting our money on (B). "Passive" is the only word that means nonactive…
…and "vocation" refers to active employment, not training.
(B) wins in a 12th-round knockout.