The passage was written in overly pompous prose, making it sound quite ______.

The passage was written in overly pompous prose, making it sound quite ______.

• A. Anodyne
• B. Evince
• C. Turgid
• D. Seminal

Answer: (C)

Describing prose as pompous points to a tone that feels inflated and overwrought. The word turgid captures that sense perfectly: it literally conveys swelling, and in writing it means language that is overly ornate, difficult to read, and pretentious. So “the passage … sounds quite turgid” fits because the prose is rendered heavy and pompous by its own elaboration. Anodyne would suggest blandness or dullness, which isn’t about being pompous. Evince is a verb meaning to reveal or show something, not a description of style. Seminal means influential or original, not related to the tone or readability of the prose.

Describing prose as pompous points to a tone that feels inflated and overwrought. The word turgid captures that sense perfectly: it literally conveys swelling, and in writing it means language that is overly ornate, difficult to read, and pretentious. So “the passage … sounds quite turgid” fits because the prose is rendered heavy and pompous by its own elaboration.

Anodyne would suggest blandness or dullness, which isn’t about being pompous. Evince is a verb meaning to reveal or show something, not a description of style. Seminal means influential or original, not related to the tone or readability of the prose.