For a long distance the road had been bordered by fields on both sides, but now on the left there was a forest of oaks, madronos
, and gigantic spruces whose lower parts only could be seen, dim and ghostly in the fog. The undergrowth was, in places, thick, but nowhere impenetrable. For some moments Holker saw nothing of the building, but as they turned into the woods it revealed itself in faint grey outline through the fog, looking huge and far away. A few steps more, and it was within an arm’s length, distinct, dark with moisture, and insignificant in size. It had the usual country-schoolhouse form—belonged to the packing-box order of architecture; had an underpinning of stones, a moss-grown roof, and blank window spaces, whence both glass and sash had long departed. The growth had __________the abandoned building. A) improved
The correct word to fill the given blank would be 'concealed' as the increased growth of the 'forest of oaks, madronos, and gigantic spruces' made it almost impossible to view the abandoned building. Holker was able to see its structure, architecture, and condition only when he 'turned into the woods.' This implies that the growth of the forest concealed the building so well that it became difficult for the people to have a view of it from outside without going into the forest. Thus, <u>option C</u> is the correct answer.
This story is not true because the elapsed time between 9:00 pm and 4:00 am is five hours. The author also says the words "must've" which do not indicate an exact answer. I hope this helps!
