Fill in the blank: his _______ insistence on minor rules frustrated the creative team

Question

His _______ insistence on following every minor formatting rule frustrated the creative team, who felt it stifled innovation. A). lenient B). pedantic C). pragmatic D). intuitive

Edvaya · Accepted Answer

The correct answer is pedantic. Pedantic describes someone who is excessively concerned with minor details or rules — overly focused on formality, technicalities, or literal interpretation to an irritating degree. Why "pedantic" fits: Insisting on every minor formatting rule to the point of stifling creativity is a classic example of pedantic behaviour. Why the other options are wrong: • Lenient — permissive and tolerant; the opposite of rule-obsessed. • Pragmatic — dealing with things practically; implies flexibility over rigid rule-following. • Intuitive — based on instinct; implies informality, not rule adherence. Example in use: "The pedantic editor corrected every comma and hyphen but missed the glaring factual errors." Synonyms: Fastidious, dogmatic, nit-picking, punctilious (in the negative sense), meticulous to excess.

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