| A | B |
| abstract | theoretical; impersonal |
| analogy | a comparison of one thing to another; similarity |
| cogent | powerfully convincing |
| contrived | artificial; labored |
| criterion | standard; basis |
| digress | to stray from the main subject |
| empirical | relying on experience or observation, not merely theoretical |
| hypothetical | uncertain; unproven |
| infer | to conclude |
| oblique | indirect; at an angle |
| obscure | unknown; hard to understand |
| pedantic | boringly scholared or academic |
| premise | an assumption; the basis for a conclusion |
| refute | to prove to be false; to disaprove |
| specious | deceptively plausable or attractive |
| superficial | on the surface only; shallow; not thorough |
| synthesis | the combining of parts to form a whole |
| tenable | defensible as in one's position in an argument |
| tenous | flimsy; extremly thin |
| verbose | using too many words |