Quote:
For those who lacked academic prowess in high school, a two-year community college course
may instill a valuable sense of discipline and open doors to better opportunities in the future.
(A) may instill a valuable sense of discipline and open doors to better opportunities in the future
(B) might instill for them a valuable sense of discipline and to open doors to better opportunities in the future
(C) may, in them, instill a valuable sense of discipline, opening their doors to better opportunities in the future
(D) opening the door later for a better opportunity and giving them a valuable sense of discipline now
(E) may open the door for a better opportunity later and giving them a valuable sense now of their discipline
Experts Global Explanation:
Parallelism + MeaningPlease remember that any elements linked by a conjunction must be parallel.
A. This answer choice maintains parallelism, conveys the intended meaning, and forms a complete sentence. Thus, this answer choice is correct.
B. This answer choice fails to maintain parallelism between the verb phrases “might instill” and “to open”. Please remember that any elements linked by a conjunction must be parallel.
C. This answer choice alters the meaning of the sentence; the intended meaning is that a “two-year community college course” may do two separate things- (a) instill a sense of discipline in certain people and (b) open doors to better opportunities; however, the use of the modifying phrase “opening their doors” implies that the act of instilling discipline directly opens doors to better opportunities. Please remember, the introduction of verb+ing (“opening” in this case) after comma generally leads to a cause-effect relationship.
D. This answer choice lacks an active verb to act upon the subject “two-year community college course”; “opening” and “giving” are both verb modifiers, meaning this option does not form a complete sentence.
E. This answer choice fails to maintain parallelism between the verb phrases “open the door” and “giving them a valuable lesson”. Please remember that any elements linked by a conjunction, in this case “and”, must be parallel.
A is the best answer choice. _________________