Hello Everyone!
Let's tackle this question, one issue at a time, and narrow it down to the correct answer quickly! To start, here is the original question with any major differences between the options highlighted in
orange:
One of the primary distinctions
between our intelligence with that of other primates may lay not so much in any specific skill but in our ability to extend knowledge gained in one context to new and different ones.
(A)
between our intelligence
with that of other primates may
lay not so much in any specific skill
but(B)
between our intelligence
with that of other primates may
lie not so much in any specific skill
but instead(C)
between our intelligence
and that of other primates may
lie not so much in any specific skill
as(D)
our intelligence has from that of other primates may
lie not in any specific skill
as(E)
of our intelligence to that of other primates may
lay not in any specific skill
butAfter taking a quick look over the options, here are some things we can focus on to narrow down our choices:
1. between / our intelligence has / of our intelligence (Wordiness/Meaning)
2. with / and / from / to (Idioms/Meaning)
3. lay / lie (Word Usage/Meaning)
4. but / but instead / as (Word Usage/Idioms)#3 on our list (lay vs. lie) will eliminate 2-3 options right away, so let's start there. Lay and lie are tricky to remember, even for native English speakers, so here is a refresher:
Lay = to put down or place an object (I will lay my book down on the desk.)
Lie = to rest or recline (I will lie in bed until I feel better.)
When in doubt, replace the word "lay" or "lie" with it's intended meaning. If it works, you're using the right word. If it doesn't, then you'll need to change it. Here is how it would work in this sentence:
Lay = One of the primary distinctions between our intelligence with that of other primates may
put not so much in any specific skill but in our ability to extend knowledge gained in one context to new and different ones.
Lie = One of the primary distinctions between our intelligence with that of other primates may
rest not so much in any specific skill but in our ability to extend knowledge gained in one context to new and different ones.
(A) between our intelligence with that of other primates may
lay not so much in any specific skill but
(B) between our intelligence with that of other primates may
lie not so much in any specific skill but instead
(C) between our intelligence and that of other primates may
lie not so much in any specific skill as
(D) our intelligence has from that of other primates may
lie not in any specific skill as
(E) of our intelligence to that of other primates may
lay not in any specific skill but
We can eliminate options A & E because they use the word "lay" instead of "lie."Next, let's focus on #1 and #2 on our list because they sort of go together. We need to make sure we're using idioms correctly and using concise language whenever possible.
(B)
between our intelligence
with that of other primates may lie not so much in any specific skill
but insteadThis is
INCORRECT because the idiom "between X
from Y" is wrong. It should be "between X
and Y."
(C)
between our intelligence
and that of other primates may lie not so much in any specific skill as
This is
CORRECT! It uses the correct idiom structure "between X
and Y."
(D)
our intelligence has from
that of other primates may lie not in any specific skill as
This is
INCORRECT because it uses an incorrect idiom! The appropriate idiom structure here would be either "distinction between X and Y" or "distinction of X from Y." This sentence uses "distinction X has from Y," which is wrong.
There you have it - option C is the correct choice! It uses "lie" instead of "lay" and uses proper idiom structures!
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