Select the most appropriate option to fill in the blank. Her speech was…

Concept

In a context-based vocabulary blank, the chosen word must match both the sentence grammar and the clue created by the surrounding meaning. An adjective describing a speech should agree with the effect stated after the comma.

Application

The clause ‘capturing the audience's attention from start to finish’ describes sustained interest and fascination. ‘Enthralling’ means completely captivating or holding attention, so the completed sentence has one consistent meaning.

Contrast

• ‘Monotonous’ describes something lacking variety and tending to become dull.

• ‘Lengthy’ describes something that continues for a long time, without saying whether it holds attention.

• ‘Tedious’ describes something tiresome because it is too long, slow, or repetitive.

• ‘Enthralling’ describes something fascinating enough to hold attention strongly.

Cross-check

Replacing the blank with ‘enthralling’ makes the first clause agree with the result in the second clause: the speech was captivating, and therefore it held the audience's attention throughout. The answer is ‘enthralling’.