Despite the new medicine's _________ in treating diabetes, it is not _________ widely.
A. effectiveness — prescribed B. availability — used C. prescription — available D. acceptance — proscribed
GATE 2016 · General Aptitude · Fill in the Blanks / Vocabulary · easy
Answer: A. effectiveness — prescribed
Apply the contrast logic of 'despite': 'Despite X, it is not Y widely' requires X to be positive (a merit) and Y to mean 'used in medical practice'. Option A: 'effectiveness' (positive merit) and 'prescribed' (standard medical distribution term) — correct contrast. Option B: 'availability' could work as first blank but 'used' is too vague. Option C: 'prescription' in the first blank sounds like the medicine exists as a prescription drug, not a positive quality. Option D: 'proscribed' means forbidden, contradicting 'not proscribed widely' (which would mean it IS widely available).
Verify option A: 'Despite the new medicine's effectiveness in treating diabetes, it is not prescribed widely.' This reads naturally: the medicine works well, but doctors do not prescribe it often. The logic is clear and the vocabulary is precise.