Official OE from
Manhattan PrepThis sentence presents an interesting fact about Chicago-style pizza—it takes longer to cook than other types of pizza—and explains why: its crust must be baked separately before any toppings can be added.
To express this idea correctly and effectively, the sentence must create a comparison between Chicago-style deep-dish pizza and other types of pizza. The idea that deep-dish crust is more like pie crust than like traditional pizza crust should be expressed in a clear and unambiguous comparison. Finally, pronouns, if present, must be used correctly.
(A) This sentence states that Chicago-style deep-dish pizza... takes longer to prepare it. Here, the pronoun it does not have a sensible antecedent. (Literally, the sentence is stating that the deep-dish pizza can prepare "it"; of course, a pizza itself cannot prepare anything.) The comparison resembles a pie crust more than a traditional pizza-style flatbread is ambiguous; it could imply that the the Chicago-style crust is more like a pie crust than like a flatbread (the intended meaning), but could also be interpreted as meaning that the Chicago-style crust resembles a pie crust more than does a flatbread. Finally, the wording must have its crust... baked doesn't make sense. Taken literally, this wording suggests that the pizza itself requests or demands that the crust be baked.
(B) The subject of this sentence is The crust..., rather than the Chicago-style pizza itself. This choice thus creates an illogical comparison, involving just the crust of the Chicago-style pizza but involving "most other types of pizzas" in their entirety. Also, the action of adding (in before adding toppings) must refer back to the subject -- illogically implying that the Chicago-style pizza crust can actually add toppings to itself.
(C) Because of should be followed by just a noun (or a noun with modifiers), but, here, it is followed by an entire clause. The resulting construction—because of its crust... must be baked...—is not a proper sentence. Additionally, the action of adding (in before adding toppings) must refer back to the subject—illogically implying that the Chicago-style pizza crust can actually add toppings to itself. Finally, the comparison resembles a pie crust more than a traditional pizza-style flatbread is ambiguous; it could imply that the the Chicago-style crust is more like a pie crust than like a flatbread (the intended meaning), but could also be interpreted as meaning that the Chicago-style crust resembles a pie crust more than does a flatbread.
(D) CORRECT. Overall, this choice creates a proper sentence consisting of two clauses connected by because. Both comparisons (Chicago pizza takes longer to prepare than most other types of pizza and ...is more like a pie crust than like a flatbread) are correct and unambiguous. Finally, the sentence properly expresses the idea that toppings are added to the crust (by someone else).
(E) The comparison more like a pie crust than a traditional pizza-style flatbread is ambiguous; it could imply that the the Chicago-style crust is more like a pie crust than like a flatbread (the intended meaning), but could also be interpreted as meaning that the Chicago-style crust resembles a pie crust more than does a flatbread. The wording must have its crust... baked doesn't make sense; taken literally, this wording suggests that the pizza itself requests or demands that the crust be baked. Finally, this sentence states that Chicago-style deep-dish pizza... takes longer to prepare it. Here, the pronoun it does not have a sensible antecedent. (Literally, the sentence is stating that the deep-dish pizza can prepare "it"; of course, a pizza itself cannot prepare anything.