Double blank text completion

Double-blank text completion problems work like single-blank questions, except you’re filling in two missing words. They’re a bit more complex, but the core strategy stays the same:

• Read the entire passage first.
• Come up with your own “filler” words for each blank.
• Look for answer choices that match your fillers in meaning and tone.

It’s especially important to read the full text before choosing words. These passages often include key context later on that changes how you should interpret the earlier sentence.

Here’s a simple example that shows why.

The marathon runner ran (1) miles per day because of his (2) injury.

(1): many, very few, endless
(2): lovely, recent, strange

If you only read the first part, you might assume a marathon runner would run many miles per day. But the second half tells you he was injured, which changes the meaning.

For blank (2), an injury isn’t lovely, and strange injury doesn’t make sense here, so recent is the best fit.

Once you know the injury is recent, you can return to blank (1). If he’s injured, he would run very few miles per day, making very few the only option that fits.

Harder example

Give this harder double-blank text completion question a try:

There are those who believe that success is the result of hard work and calculated efforts, while others believe it to be a more (1) occurrence. Many who believe they have control over their success and failures mistakenly attribute too much of their success to their own doing, while others misattribute too much of their woes to (2). The true nature of the world lies somewhere between the two schools of thought.

(1): elusive, serendipitous, effortless
(2): laziness, happenstance, neglect

Take a moment to try answering this question on your own, and then continue to read our explanation.

Ready for the explanation?

At first glance, several choices might seem plausible for blank (1). The second sentence, however, gives you the information you need to choose both blanks so they work together.

The passage sets up two contrasting viewpoints using the phrase “while others”:

• Viewpoint 1: Success comes from “hard work and calculated efforts.” People with this mindset tend to credit their success “to their own doing.”
• Viewpoint 2: Success and failure are less under personal control.

The second sentence reinforces this contrast. It says some people “misattribute too much of their woes to (2).” If they believe outcomes aren’t mainly caused by their own actions, they’re likely to blame bad outcomes on chance rather than personal failings. That makes happenstance the best fit for blank (2).

Notice why the other options don’t fit as well: laziness and neglect are personal shortcomings, which align more with the first viewpoint (the idea that outcomes result from effort and choices).

Once blank (2) is happenstance, blank (1) should match the idea that success is partly a matter of luck. That points to serendipitous (lucky) rather than effortless or elusive.