Sentence completion_ Could not understand_ Need help

[mshrdu]

Among the factors that (i)_ the competitiveness of integrated producers are excessive labor, energy, and capital costs, as well as manufacturing (ii)_ : their equipment is old and less automated, and does not (iii)_ many of the latest refinement in steel-making technology.

BLANK1 BLANK2 BLANK3
A incorporate D inflexibility G amalgamate
B constrain E stability H intertwine
C are peripheral to F tradition I incorporate

Would you plz explain this.

[tommywallach]

Hey Mshr,

When you post these questions, could you not do it vertically? Vertical doesn't show up very well in forum posts like this. Instead do it like this:

Blank 1: Word Word Word
Blank 2: Word Word Word
Blank 3: Word Word Word

(Don't use letters, because there aren't letters in multiple blank questions. Which also leads me to believe you might be getting this question from the same bad source we discussed before!)

Thanks! Now, to the question

Among the factors that (i)_ the competitiveness of integrated producers are excessive labor, energy, and capital costs, as well as manufacturing (ii)_ : their equipment is old and less automated, and does not (iii)_ many of the latest refinement in steel-making technology.

The clue for the first blank is "excessive...costs," which tells us the first blank needs to be something bad, like hurts. Only "constrain" is bad. The second blank is defined by the third blank, so let's jump there. We know the equipment is "old" and "less automated," which means it probably won't have the "latest refinement" in technology. "Incorporate" is a fancy word for "have." Finally we can now do the second blank. If the technology doesn't incorporate new refinements, it's inflexible.

BLANK1 BLANK2 BLANK3
A incorporate D inflexibility G amalgamate
B constrain E stability H intertwine
C are peripheral to F tradition I incorporate

I don't know if you mistyped this, but it still looks like an iffy question. You'd never say "refinement," but "refinements."

-t