The party's posture of self-righteousness had been punctured and a _________ of suspicion _______ around its president.

Directions for the question:
The sentence below has one or two blanks, each blank indicating that something has been omitted. Beneath the sentence are five words or sets of words labeled (A) to (E). Choose the word or set of words that, when inserted in the sentence, best fits the meaning of the sentence as a whole.

Example:
After having a _________ journey, we had a ___________ food.
(A) persistent, musty                                          (B) frightful, terrific
(C) congenial, palatable                                      (D) tiresome, common
(E) expedition, brisk

Answer: (C)