WAEC 2011 English Language · Question 14

The clever lawyer exposed the facts that were obscure in the case, making the judge see beyond the …

Question

In each of the following sentences, there is one word underlined and one gap. From the list of words lettered A - D, choose the word that is most nearly opposite in meaning to the underlined word and that will, at the same time, correctly fill the gap in the sentences. The clever lawyer exposed the facts that were obscure in the case, making the judge see beyond the.............

In the original paper part of this question is underlined. The underline isn't shown here: see the explanation below.

A.open
B.obvious
C.illustrated
D.reflected

Answer: B. obvious

Explanation written with AI and checked against the answer key

Analyze the question

You need a word that does two jobs:

It is opposite in meaning to the underlined word, "obscure" (unclear, hidden, not easily seen).
It fits the gap grammatically and logically: "making the judge see beyond the ............."

Concept

"Obscure" means hidden, unclear or not well known. Its antonyms include clear, evident, plain and obvious.

Step-by-step solution

A. open: It is a loose opposite, but "see beyond the open" does not make sense.
B. obvious: It is a direct antonym of "obscure". The sentence reads "making the judge see beyond the obvious", which is a common expression meaning to look past what is plain on the surface. It fits.
C. illustrated: It is not an antonym of obscure, and it does not fit the gap.
D. reflected: It is not an antonym of obscure, and it does not fit the gap.

The clever lawyer brought out the hidden (obscure) facts, so the judge could look beyond what was merely obvious.

Tip

In "opposite meaning plus fill the gap" questions, first find the antonym of the underlined word. Then test each remaining option in the sentence. "See beyond the obvious" is a collocation worth remembering.

AI can make mistakes. Report anything that looks wrong.