ShmoopTube

00:03

Once upon a Shmoop... Which word could fill in the blank so that

00:07

the sentence below makes sense?

00:08

The stories in this collection of folktales are droll and whimsical, but closer examination

00:13

reveals that they are also blank and blank, sometimes disturbingly so.

00:19

And here are the potential answers...

00:24

Oh, folktales, charming little stories filled

00:26

with witches, monsters, and routine child devouring.

00:32

The two missing words need to provide a counterpoint to "droll" and "whimsical," meaning funny

00:38

and mischievous...

00:39

Basically, we're looking for words that get across just how disturbing folktales can

00:43

actually be. (A) and (E) are easy to eliminate, because

00:46

they have positive connotations.

00:47

No one but hungry ogres would think that the disturbing side of fairytales is a good thing.

00:48

We can nix (B) for the same reason.

00:50

"Perplexing" might be on the right track because it means confusing or troubling...

00:55

But "playful" is too pleasant a word. (D) gets a big no on both fronts.

00:59

"Quirky" is way too similar to the words we're trying to contrast, and "obscure"

01:04

doesn't contrast them in a direct way. Looks like (C) is the best answer.

01:08

"Dark" definitely contrasts "droll and whimsical," while "complicated" gets

01:12

across how folktales can be a lot more layered than they seem.

Full Transcript