Question

Antipathy banal bland besmirch baroque

the decorator has a(an) ____ for anything ____. He preferred subtle colors and earth tones to convey his message. emily, however, felt that his ideas were ____, and she wanted something more spectacular. she did not want to ____ his reputation, but in the end she did so by telling all of her friends how ____ she felt his ideas were.
1. antipathy
2. baroque
3. banal
4. besmirch
5. bland

Answer 1

The decorator has an antipathy for anything baroque. He preferred subtle colors and earth tones to convey his message. Emily, however, felt that his ideas were bland, and she wanted something more spectacular. She did not want to besmirch his reputation, but in the end she did so by telling all of her friends how banal she felt his ideas were.

(banal and bland could be interchangeable in this paragraph)