A question about basics can uncover a weakness hidden beneath advanced vocabulary.

Advanced vocabulary can rest on a shaky foundation without anyone noticing, because the words themselves sound like competence. A plain question about the basics is much harder to deflect: define it simply, say why it works, explain what breaks if you leave it out. Fluency in the jargon is a proxy that fails quietly. Real understanding survives translation into ordinary language.

In your next conversation with an expert, ask the simple version without apologising for it. Notice whether the answer gets clearer or merely louder. Then try the same test on your own field and see which parts you can only say in specialist words.