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The setup contrasts “obscuring … with jargon” versus clarifying context and techniques. The blank must denote lucid clarity. “Perspicuous” means clearly expressed and easy to understand—ideal here. “Abstruse” means difficult to understand, the opposite of clarity. “Sententious” suggests moralizing brevity or aphoristic tone, unrelated to explanatory clarity. “Histrionic” indicates overly dramatic style, again not about intelligibility. In GRE Text Completion, align the blank with the clause that specifies the writer’s action (“clarifies”). Paraphrase test: “commentary is perspicuous” coheres with “clarifies” and “instead of obscuring.” Vocabulary traps often present near-synonyms with different connotations; here “perspicuous” specifically targets clarity of expression rather than mere brevity or emotional tone.