Read the passage and answer: The treaty negotiations were arduous. After three weeks of discussion, the delegates had reached agreement on only a few minor points. Both sides remained entrenched in their positions on the major issues. What does 'arduous' mean in this context?

Context clues: three weeks of discussion with only minor agreements; both sides 'entrenched' on major issues. This indicates the negotiations were difficult and required great effort — the definition of arduous. Distractor analysis: 'pleasant and easy' is opposite — would not require three weeks of difficulty; 'brief' contradicted by 'three weeks'; 'useless' too strong — there were minor agreements. Arduous is a useful ASVAB vocabulary word: difficult, requiring great effort, taxing. Related words: laborious, strenuous, demanding, taxing, formidable. Context-clue strategy: don't just match the word to a synonym you know — match it to what would actually make sense in the sentence given all the surrounding details. ASVAB sometimes tests less common words by giving good context. Stay close to context; use elimination.