Choose the word which is nearest in meaning to the given word. The target word is "nebulous", used here in the sense of describing something unclear or not sharply defined.

Introduction / Context:
This question tests synonym vocabulary. The word nebulous is often used in formal English to describe ideas, plans, or memories that are not clearly formed or sharply defined. Understanding this word helps in reading comprehension, especially in editorials and academic texts where writers talk about vague or unclear concepts.

Given Data / Assumptions:

The word to be defined is "nebulous".
We assume the context of abstract ideas or statements rather than astronomy, although the root refers to a cloud or mist.
The correct synonym should convey lack of clarity rather than small size or unimportance.
Only one option should closely match this meaning.

Concept / Approach:
Nebulous comes from a root meaning cloud or mist. In modern English, it is used metaphorically to describe something that is vague, indistinct, or unclear, as if hidden in a fog. It does not primarily refer to smallness, insignificance, or inadequacy. Therefore, the best synonym in the list is vague. Tiny refers to size, insignificant to importance, inadequate to insufficiency, and transparent to something very clear, which is actually the opposite of nebulous in this sense.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recall that nebulous is used for ideas, descriptions, or plans that are not clearly defined. Step 2: Connect nebulous with words like cloudy, hazy, or unclear in a figurative sense. Step 3: Examine option B Vague, which directly means not clearly expressed or not having a definite form, matching nebulous. Step 4: Option A Tiny refers to very small size and has nothing to do with clarity. Step 5: Option C Insignificant talks about importance; something can be clearly explained yet unimportant. Step 6: Option D Inadequate refers to not being enough in quantity or quality, again unrelated to clarity. Step 7: Option E Transparent is actually nearly the opposite of nebulous because transparent things are easy to see through or understand.

Verification / Alternative check:
Test the word in example sentences: The company's future plans are still nebulous means that the plans are not clearly defined. If we substitute vague, the sentence remains correct: The company's future plans are still vague. But if we insert tiny or insignificant, the meaning changes to size or importance instead of clarity. Transparent would reverse the meaning entirely: transparent plans would be clear and easy to understand. This confirms that vague is the correct synonym for nebulous in this context.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option A Tiny misdirects you toward size and does not capture the idea of unclear or hazy meaning.
Option C Insignificant relates to importance, not to whether something is clearly defined or not.
Option D Inadequate is about insufficiency, which is different from vagueness or lack of definition.
Option E Transparent is wrong because it refers to something easy to see or understand, the opposite of nebulous.

Common Pitfalls:
Students sometimes rely on vague memory of Latin or scientific roots and think of nebulae in astronomy, which are clouds of gas. This can still help if you remember that clouds obscure clear shape and boundaries. A practical strategy is to focus on how the word is usually used in sentences: nebulous idea, nebulous concept, nebulous memories—all describe things that are unclear or fuzzy, making vague the safest synonym.

Final Answer:
The word nearest in meaning to "nebulous" is vague.