ASVAB (Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery)Word Knowledge (WK)Medium

The ancient philosopher's arguments were so <b>recondite</b> that only a handful of his most ardent students could grasp them.

  1. Aprofound
  2. Baccessible
  3. Csimple
  4. Dobscure
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: D. obscure

The word 'recondite' describes something difficult to understand or obscure. Therefore, 'obscure' is the most fitting synonym.

Why the other options are wrong

  • A. 'Profound' means very great or intense, or having deep insight, which might be true of recondite arguments but isn't a direct synonym for their difficulty.
  • B. 'Accessible' means easy to approach or understand, which is an antonym.
  • C. 'Simple' is an antonym for recondite.

Recondite

Difficult or impossible for one of ordinary understanding or knowledge to comprehend; abstruse.

  • Implies a specialized or deep knowledge is required to understand.
  • Often used for scholarly or academic topics.
  • Derived from Latin 'reconditus' meaning 'put away, hidden, concealed'.

Memory trick: Recondite knowledge is 're-condite' like 're-hidden' in a complex book.

More Word Knowledge (WK) questions