People whose self-esteem, is temporarily bruised - say by being told they did miserably on an intelligence test - are more likely to disparage others. Those whose egos have recently been ______ are more prone to self-serving explanations of _______.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The first part of the sentence mentions "self-esteem…temporarily bruised." Therefore, the missing word is likely to be "wounded." The second part of the sentence suggests that the missing word also indicates a bias towards self-serving explanations - this is true whether someone has experienced success or failure. Therefore, the best choice is D, which includes both "wounded" and "success or failure."

People Whose Self-Esteem, Is Temporarily Bruised - Say by Being