From Oscar Wilde's essay *The Decay of Lying* (1891). Select the word that fits the blank. "He develops a ______ and unhealthy faculty of truth-telling, begins to verify all statements made in his presence, has no hesitation in contradicting people who are much younger than himself, and often ends by writing novels which are so lifelike that no one can possibly believe in their probability."

The blank is paired with *unhealthy* by *and*. Wilde's pattern of doubled-near-synonyms tells you the blank should reinforce *unhealthy* — a word meaning *diseased* or *unwholesome*. "Morbid" — from Latin *morbus*, disease — fits exactly. Wilde is using it figuratively: a *morbid faculty of truth-telling* is a *diseased* attachment to literal accuracy. - "Cheerful" reverses the implication. - "Fleeting" doesn't fit the *unhealthy* pairing — fleetingness is not unhealthy. - "Virtuous" turns Wilde's pejorative description into praise, contradicting his whole satirical stance.