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From William Hazlitt's essay *On the Ignorance of the Learned* (1821). Select the word that fits the blank. "The impressions of real objects, stripped of the disguises of words and ______ roundabout descriptions, are blows that stagger him."

Aneutral
Bconcise
Cvoluminous
Dfortunate
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: C. voluminous
Hazlitt pairs *words* with *______ roundabout descriptions* — both characterised as **disguises** of real objects. The blank should reinforce *roundabout* (verbose, lengthy). *Voluminous* (filling many volumes, abundant in size) intensifies *roundabout*: the learned reader's descriptions are *long and circuitous*. - *Concise* reverses the meaning. - *Neutral* and *fortunate* don't fit the negative pairing.
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