The ancient text was written in a highly **esoteric** language, understood by only a handful of scholars who had dedicated decades to its study. In this sentence, what does the word "esoteric" most nearly mean?

The correct answer to the question "The ancient text was written in a highly **esoteric** language, understood by only a handful of scholars who had dedicated decades to its study. In this sentence, what does the word "esoteric" most nearly mean?" is Option C: Known and understood by only a select, specialized few..

The other options — A) Widely accessible and easy to learn., B) Easily understood by the general public., D) Recently invented and thus unfamiliar to most. — are incorrect for this GED Exam Prep question. As explained above: The context clues 'understood by only a handful of scholars' and 'dedicated decades to its study' indicate that 'esoteric' means something intended for or understood by only a small number of people …