| A | B |
| abstract | theoretical; impersonal |
| analogy | a comparison of one thing to another; similarity |
| cogent | powerfully convincing |
| contrived | artificial; labored |
| criterion | standard; basis for judgment |
| digress | to stray from the main subject |
| empirical | relying on experience or observation; not merely theoretical |
| hypothetical | uncertain; unproven |
| infer | to conclude; to deduce |
| oblique | indirect; at an angle |
| obscure | unknown; hard to understand; dark |
| pedantic | boringly scholarly or academic |
| premise | an assumption; the basis for a conclusion |
| refute | to prove to be false; to disprove |
| specious | deceptively plausible or attractive |
| superficial | on the surface only; shallow; not thorough |
| synthesis | the combining of parts to fomr a whole |
| tenable | defensible; as ones position in an argument; capable of being argued successfully; valid |
| tenuous | flimsy; extremely thin |
| verbose | using too many words; not succinct; circumlocutory |