The correct answer is C) captivating…prosaic. First note that the two words should contrast each other because Anne’s experience with the current history textbook is “surprising” as compared to her experiences with past textbooks. Since past textbooks were “pedantic,” or long-winded in an arrogant manner, look for a word to fit in the second blank that means “boring” or “dry.” You can therefore eliminate choices A, B, and E. Since the first word should contrast with the second word, C is the correct choice. “Captivating” suggests that Anne is intrigued by the textbook while “prosaic” suggests that previous textbooks were written in a dull style.
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