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555-605 Level|   Modifiers|   Parallelism|                           
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woohoo921
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Clouds are formed from the evaporation of the oceans water 09 Nov 2022, 06:29
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ExpertsGlobal5
Dear Friends,

Here is a detailed explanation to this question-

gb8

Clouds are formed from the evaporation of the oceans’ water that is warmed by the Sun and rises high into the atmosphere, condensing in tiny droplets on minute particles of dust.

(A) Clouds are formed from the evaporation of the oceans’ water that is warmed by the Sun and rises high into the atmosphere, condensing in tiny droplets on minute particles of dust.

(B) Clouds form by the Sun’s warmth evaporating the water in the oceans, which rises high into the atmosphere, condensing in tiny droplets on minute particles of dust.

(C) Warmed by the Sun, ocean water evaporates, rises high into the atmosphere, and condenses in tiny droplets on minute particles of dust to form clouds.

(D) The water in the oceans evaporates, warmed by the Sun, rises high into the atmosphere, and condenses in tiny droplets on minute particles of dust, which forms clouds.

(E) Ocean water, warmed by the Sun, evaporates and rises high into the atmosphere, which then condenses in tiny droplets on minute particles of dust to form as clouds.

Choice A: Option A clearly suffers from a marked lack of parallelism; the noun "evaporation" is not parallel to the verb "warmed", and neither of them is parallel to the verb "rises" as “rises” is in the present tense while "warmed" is in the past tense. These words are also not parallel to "condensing", as it is in the present continuous form. Thus, Option A is incorrect.

Choice B: Option B suffers from a modifier error; in this sentence, the word "which" has been placed such that it modifies "ocean". This incorrect modification implies that the ocean, rather than its waters, rises into the atmosphere. This implication alters the meaning of the sentence; thus, Option B is incorrect.

Choice C: Option C maintains proper parallelism throughout the sentence, as seen in the verbs "evaporates", "rises", and "condenses". This answer choice also has no modifier errors and conveys the intended meaning of the sentence, concisely. Thus, Option C is correct.

Choice D: Option D also suffers from a modifier error. In this answer choice, the placement of the phrase "warmed by the sun" causes it to modify "evaporates"; this modification leads to an illogical meaning, as a process cannot be warmed. Thus, Option D is incorrect.

Choice E: Option E also suffers from a modifier error. In this answer choice, the placement of the phrase "which then condenses..." causes it to modify "atmosphere", implying that the atmosphere, rather than the water, is condensing into clouds. Thus, Option E is incorrect.

Hence, C is the best answer choice.

It is also worth noting here that Option A appears to have a subtle error in meaning, as well. In Option A the construction of the phrase "water that is warmed by the Sun and rises high into the atmosphere" seems to imply that the water rises into the atmosphere before it evaporates.

All the best!
Experts' Global Team
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ExpertsGlobal5

Thank you for this wonderful explanation.

For Choice D, if you removed the commas that surround "warmed by the sun" to be --> "Ocean water warmed by the sun evaporates", would that fix the modifier error in Choice D? Thank you again.
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Clouds are formed from the evaporation of the oceans water 06 Mar 2023, 07:29
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dear experts, avigutman, AndrewN,MartyTargetTestPrep ,
I crossed off A. but I am not sure whether my reasoning is solid

"comma verging" modifies the preceding clause. but is is nonsense to say could itself condense......

please confirm.

thanks in advance.
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Clouds are formed from the evaporation of the oceans water 07 Mar 2023, 00:46
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ExpertsGlobal5

In version (A), is the use of “condensing” the present continuous form?

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Clouds are formed from the evaporation of the oceans water 07 Mar 2023, 01:25
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Fdambro294
ExpertsGlobal5

In version (A), is the use of “condensing” the present continuous form?

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Hello Fdambro294,

We hope this finds you well.

To answer your query, no; in Option A "condensing" is a present participle ("verb+ing"), not a verb in the present continuous tense form.

We hope this helps.
All the best!
Experts' Global Team
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