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Difficulty: Very hardSynonyms and Words Nearest in Meaning

The judge dismissed the defense counsel's argument as specious, noting that while it appeared plausible at first glance, detailed scrutiny revealed subtle fallacies. Which of the following words is nearest in meaning to the underlined word?

  1. deceptiveAnswer
  2. B
    plausible
  3. C
    spacious
  4. D
    outrageous

Answer

The word nearest in meaning to 'specious' is 'deceptive'.
The word 'specious' describes something that superficially appears genuine, true, or plausible, but is actually false and misleading. In the sentence context, detailed scrutiny exposed fallacies behind a plausible appearance, making 'deceptive' the correct synonym.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the contextual clues provided in the stem sentence.
The sentence contrasts an initial impression of being 'plausible at first glance' with the outcome of 'detailed scrutiny' revealing 'subtle fallacies'.
These context clues indicate that the target word describes an argument that appears valid initially but is fundamentally unsound.
2
Evaluate the precise semantic meaning of 'specious'.
'Specious' means superficially plausible, but actually wrong, deceptive, or misleading.
Matching this definition directly leads to 'deceptive'.

Key Concept

Identifying contextual synonyms by analyzing subtle semantic nuances and sentence context.
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Synonyms and Words Nearest in Meaning

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