As rainfall began to decrease in the Southwest about the middle of the

Hey BLTN

Happy to help you with this interesting question.

The answer to your question is "No", choice D would still be incorrect.

The reason for this falls under the category of "DICTION". There is a huge difference between these two phrases:

1. limited access to water
2. limitations on water access

When we say "clans whose access to water was less limited", we're talking about clans located in regions where there was ample rainfall or easy access to sources of fresh water, such as rivers and lakes. Their access to water was less limited. That means they could access water more easily.

However, when we say "clans with fewer limitations on water access" implies that these clans may have sufficient water supply, but that these clans impose limitations (or controls) on water access. That is, they decide who get water and how much water they get. This clearly distorts the intended meaning of the sentence.

So, even though this modified choice D is grammatically correct, it distorts the intended meaning drastically by playing on the meanings of "limited access" and "limitations on access".

I hope this helps improve your understanding of how the meanings of words can change drastically by altering their part of speech.


Happy Learning!

Abhishek

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