Ostensible is most closely defined as?

• A. apparent or professed to be true
• B. conspicuous and open to view
• C. an assumed or speculative claim
• D. a truth that is widely accepted

Answer: (A)

Ostensible describes something that appears to be true or is stated as true, on the surface. It signals how things are presented rather than what they really are. So when a claim is described as ostensible, it’s about appearances or declared intent, which may mask the real situation. The best choice captures this sense: apparent or professed to be true. The other options refer to visibility, a conjectured claim, or an idea that’s widely accepted, which aren’t the same as something that is merely stated or seeming, rather than genuinely established. For example, you might hear about the ostensible purpose of a meeting being to discuss results, while the true motives could be different.