OE:
(1) Take a First Glance (5 seconds)
The underline is long and starts at the beginning of the sentence, and the opening part of the sentence changes substantially among the answers. Look for issues with Sentence Structure, Meaning, Modifiers, or Parallelism.
(2) Read for Meaning
This sentence has a lot of modifiers, and modifiers are often used to hide errors. As you read, try to find the core of the sentence. The opening portion (In order … versions) is a modifier describing the noun that follows (analog audio files). So far, this is correct. The next long modifier (created … performance) describes the analog files; this is okay, too.
Then, the sentence has a subject and verb (analog files must be edited). Mentally strip out the long created … performance modifier in between analog audio files and analog files must be edited:
“analog audio files … analog files must be edited to remove undesirable audio artifacts …”
The core sentence states the subject twice. This would be equivalent to saying Steve Jones, who is really tall, Steve went to the movies. Eliminate choice (A) and check whether any of the other answers have the same issue.
(3) Find a Starting Point
Start with any difference that seems easiest to you, then move to the next easiest issue, and so on. Stop when you have one answer or you aren’t sure how to address the remaining differences. All errors for each choice are detailed in the next section.
(4) Eliminate (and Repeat)
(A) The sentence states the subject twice (analog audio files … analog files must be edited). (Alternatively, you can think of the first part as a sentence fragment: analog audio files is a subject but doesn’t have a verb to go along with it.)
(B) This choice is quite tricky. Strip out the long created … performance modifier and the sentence reads: In order to convert analog audio files into high-quality digital versions, analog files must be edited … . The construction in order to convert is an active construction: someone (or something) is converting the files. In this case, the subject of the core sentence (beginning after the comma) needs to state whoever (or whatever) is performing the conversion. For example: In order to convert from analog to digital, the audio engineer must… The core subject in this problem, however, begins with analog files, implying that the files are converting themselves (In order to convert analog audio files …, analog files must …); this is illogical.
(C) CORRECT. Analog audio files is now part of the modifier in order to convert; it is no longer a subject of the sentence. Further, this choice properly uses the construction: In order for analog audio files to be converted, analog files must be edited. You can use a passive construction (to be converted) to avoid having to say who is converting the files.
(D) This answer contains a complete sentence (Analog audio files … can be converted into high-quality digital versions). The non-underlined portion also contains a complete sentence (analog files must be edited) and the two sentences are connected by a comma. This is a run-on sentence; two complete sentences must be connected by a semi-colon or a comma followed by a conjunction.
(E) The sentence states the subject twice (Analog audio files … analog files must be edited). (Alternatively, you can think of the first part as a sentence fragment: analog audio files is a subject but doesn’t have a verb to go along with it.) The parallelism introduced with and can be converted also introduces a meaning ambiguity: What can be converted into high-quality digital versions? This choice could be read to say that the anomalous sounds will be converted.