Advanced English makes things complex unnecessarily

From: Olaf G.
Country: Sweden
Sent: Oct 20, 2015
Subject: AE2014

Question:

I make great progress with Advanced English 2014. Thank you. This is sensational. However one thing drives me crazy. Some definitions are idiotically complex. Forgive me the term, but sometimes is really absurd. When you need just 2-3 words for the definition, Advanced English will give you 23. Who is writing those definitions? It would be enough to have a look at a dictionary and take a hint from there.

Answer:

Advanced English is no dictionary. All definitions must serve the mnemonic function of SuperMemo. One of the main problems is combating interference. A definition in a dictionary may fit a dozen terms. SuperMemo definition must be unambiguous. All definitions are subject to continual improvement upon your feedback. Analysis of lapses in user collections is particularly useful. Here is a recent example:

This older Advanced English item would probably meet your neatness criteria:

 Q: a cruel ruler
 A: tyrant

However, when it became clear it interferes with other items with slightly different shades of meaning: autocrat, despot and dictator, it had to be reworked to its current wording:

 Q: a cruel and oppressive dictator, autocrat, or despot (e.g. Saddam Hussein)
 A: tyrant

Additional words in the definition help avoid interfering synonyms or similar words. Adding the example of Saddam Hussein helps put emphasis on the "bloody" aspect of a dictator as not all dictators resort to torture or exterminating its own population.

As for 23 words, you will probably not find definitions that long. Brevity is a virtue too.