sudi03 wrote:
Many computer databases impose formatting requirements, such as minimum numbers of capital letters or numerals, on users’ passwords in an attempt to enhance security; ironically, these measures often make the passwords easier to guess, as users are more likely to select the simplest possible password that conforms to all the rules.
A. security; ironically, these measures often make the passwords easier to guess, as users are
B.security; these measures, ironically, often result in users creating passwords that are easier to guess and
C.security – ironic measures that often cause passwords to be easier to guess because they are
D.security – measures that, ironically, often make passwords that are easier to guess, with users
E.security – often, ironically, making the passwords easier to guess and making users
This sentence describes an ironic result of certain password security measures: in systems with such requirements, people generally create passwords that are much more predictable, and thus easier for intruders to guess, than in systems with no such restrictions on password formation. The sentence should correctly express the irony of the situation, and should also correctly indicate the sequence of causation: users create simpler passwords because of the security measures, and so the passwords are easier to guess because they are simpler.
(A) CORRECT. In this sentence, the word ironically is correctly placed in front of the actual irony (namely, that the resulting passwords are easier to guess). The transition as properly introduces an explanation for why the passwords are easier to guess.
(B) The construction result in users… illogically suggests that the result of the password security measures is the users themselves, rather than the users’ resultant actions. In addition, the parallelism of easier to guess and more likely… implies that both of these descriptions apply to the passwords—illogically suggesting that the passwords are able to choose themselves.
(C) The construction ironic measures is illogical: what is ironic is not the measures themselves, but users’ reaction to them. In addition, the pronoun they is clearly intended to refer to the users, but the noun users is not actually present.
(D) The construction measures that … often make passwords illogically suggests that the passwords are created (perhaps automatically) by the security measures themselves, rather than by system users in response to those measures.
(E) The construction making the passwords easier to guess and making users more likely… illogically suggests that these are two separate and independent effects of the security measures. The sentence does not properly convey the idea that the passwords are easier to guess because of the way in which users select them.
The correct answer is A.