正确答案：AE
答案解析：
关键字：分号、“，+and”结构表示复指，hardly表示否定，almost表示递进先从blank(i)入手，节选出其所在部分：
hardly (i) ______ kind of story, the ghost story is almost the paradigm of the form
这两个短句之间通过hardly引导，表示两句话之间取反。两句话主语一致，因此blank(i)中应该填入的对于这种故事的描述与后半句中的描述相反，后面说这些故事是“paradigm”，是“典范、样本”，是一种正评价，因此在前面我们就应该填入一个负评价与之对应取反。
而对于blank(ii)，里面应该填入一个名词或名词性结构。由于；与“，+and”结构表示同一种意思，因而可以简化为：
Stories are a haunted genre; (ii) ______ was undoubtedly one effect that Poe had in mind when he wrote about how stories work.
这两句话之间是复指关系，前文所说内容在后文中完全体现，因而前一句话中说有些文学作品是描写鬼魂的，后面就直接将鬼故事的特点搬上来填入即可。
词语解释：
[1].(A) a debased：（低级的）lower in status, esteem, quality, or character
[2]. (B) a normative：（标准的）conforming to or based on norms
[3]. (C) a meticulous：（一丝不苟的）marked by extreme or excessive care in the consideration or treatment of details
[4]. (D) pessimism：（悲观主义）an inclination to emphasize adverse aspects, conditions, and possibilities or to expect the worst possible outcome
[5].(E) goose bumps：（鸡皮疙瘩）a roughness of the skin produced by erection of its papillae especially from cold, fear, or a sudden feeling of excitement
[6]. (F) curiosity：（引人入胜）one that arouses interest especially for uncommon or exotic characteristics