ESL General English Grammar Questions

Re: Complete the sentence

paco2004 — Tue, 26 Apr 2005 02:03:16 GMT

Hello Jeff again

Puritans brought to civil and military affairs a coolness of judgment and mutability of purpose

I take this as;

"Puritans became cool in the judgment about self-ruling/defense and changed the purpose of the self-ruling/defense"

paco

Re: Complete the sentence

jeff_999 — Sun, 24 Apr 2005 03:44:40 GMT

Thank you, Moderator. But I still don’t get what “Puritans brought a mutability of purpose to civil and military affairs” means.

Does it mean Puritans’ judgment or thoughts or whatever about military affair is prone to frequent change?

:-s

Re: Complete the sentence

nona the brit — Sat, 23 Apr 2005 17:31:58 GMT

Becasue the '?' of purpose has to be something that might be thought to conflict with religious zeal.

Fullness of purpose or sense or purpose do not conflict with religious zeal, whereas a mutability of purpose might.

Complete the sentence

jeff_999 — Sat, 23 Apr 2005 14:05:28 GMT

Puritans brought to civil and military affairs a coolness of judgment and _______ of purpose that some writers have thought _______with their religious zeal, but which were, in fact, a natural outgrowth of it.
A) a militancy…concomitant
B) a sense…incompatible
C) a mutability…. inconsistent
D) a direction…auxiliary
E) a fullness…dissonant

The answer is C. I am a little confused here. I know there are only three choices suitable for the second blank: B. incompatible, C. inconsistent, E. dissonant. But why is only 'a mutability' right for 'of purpose'? What about "a fullness of purpose" or "a sense of purpose"? What clues make only "a mutability of purpose" right here?

Thank you!!!!