Difference between abject and deject

[Guest]

Test No. incompl/advan-87 "GMAT Verbal Quiz (10)", question 1

In some 19th century novels you see the very poor conditions people lived in that can only be described as ......... misery.

(a) dejected
(b) object
(c) reject
(d) abject

Test No. incompl/advan-87 "GMAT Verbal Quiz (10)", answer 1

In some 19th century novels you see the very poor conditions people lived in that can only be described as abject misery.

Correct answer: (d) abject

Your answer was: correct
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I also tended to take "dejected" as the synonym of "depressing misery".
Wouldn't "dejected" make sense here?

[Alan]

No, I didn't choose dejected becasue you are simply repeating the idea of misery. I chose abject to indicate the depth of the poverty.
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