GRE Vocabulary Builder

Answer: Choice (A) is correct.

In the first half of the analogy, servile refers to someone who is slavishly submissive, or someone who fawns over others. Sycophantic also means someone who fawns over or flatters others. So, look for the answer pair that contains synonyms. In choice (B), something that is inveterate is deep-rooted and habitual, not modern or new, so eliminate that choice. In choice (C), something that is pendulous is hanging, not interred or buried, so eliminate that choice. In choice (D), something that is plausible could conceivably be true, but is not absolute, so eliminate that choice. In choice (A), someone who is pertinacious is stubborn and headstrong.