Roadblocks on major holidays, even if they are set up only

B is my choice.

Who does establish probable cause? Searcher!

Roadblocks on major holidays, even if they are set up only to check drivers’ licenses and seat belts, are spontaneous searches of every driver, even the ones who have committed no crime. Without establishing probable cause, I believe such searches should be illegal.

A Without establishing probable cause, I believe such searches should be illegal
Incorrect:"Without ... cause" in above is like a modifier. It modifies "I" , which
actually makes no sense. As "I" is not establishing the cause.
B Unless establishing probable cause, such searches, I believe, should be illegal
Incorrect: Same as A. But even more serious with non-restrictive "such searches"
C I believe such searches should be illegal, without establishing probable cause
Incorrect:The modifier is shifted to end of the statement, modifying "illegal"
D I believe such searches should be illegal, unless officers have established probable cause
Correct:This really makes sense. The format now is IC,DC=> IC,unless IC
And it is clear that "officiers" established a cause.
E I believe without establishing probable cause that such searches should be illegal
Incorrect:Odd. I believe without establishing .... I don't establish

I got the answer as D. Let me explain:

This is one of those in which we need to reduce ambiguity. First off, we should be able to establish that the author of the argument thinks that random searches without probable cause are illegal.

Without establishing probable cause, I believe such searches should be illegal
Without establishing probable cause, I believe
This tells us that author does not have a probable cause for his belief. Wrong meaning. NO.

Unless establishing probable cause, such searches, I believe, should be illegal
Unless establishing probable cause
This is a sentence fragment. For this sentence to be correct, the bold should have been "Unless probable cause is established, ....NO.

I believe such searches should be illegal, without establishing probable cause
Again, the meaning here is ambiguous, this sentence reads as if the author has not established probable cause. NO.

I believe such searches should be illegal, unless officers have established probable cause
This is the correct answer. It correctly addresses the authors concern, and we can clearly see who needs to establish the probable cause. YES.

I believe without establishing probable cause that such searches should be illegal
Again, it means the same wrong meaning as A and C, therefore not correct. NO.

Let me know if this helps

/


'Without' something happening...." " should be illegal does not sound right. 'Unless' fits in better!

There fore option A,C,E are out. Option B sounds awkward....Hence option E is the correct choice.

Hi,
can someone explain the meaning and the answer choice explanation in detail?

Regards,

Roadblocks on major holidays, even if they are set up only to check drivers’ licenses and seat belts, are spontaneous searches of every driver, even the ones who have committed no crime. Without establishing probable cause, I believe such searches should be illegal.

A Without establishing probable cause, I believe such searches should be illegal
- Who is performing the action of 'establishing' ? (A) does not mention the subject who commands the action of 'establishing'. Hence, eliminate (A)

B Unless establishing probable cause, such searches, I believe, should be illegal - The same error in (A):
Who is performing the action of 'establishing' ? (A) does not mention the subject who commands the action of 'establishing'. Hence, eliminate (B)

C I believe such searches should be illegal, without establishing probable cause - Same error as in (A): (C) has no clear subject that commands the action of 'establishing'. Hence, eliminate (C).

D I believe such searches should be illegal, unless officers have established probable cause - Here, we know exactly 'who' is commanding the action of 'establishing'. Additionally, the usage of 'unless' clearly indicates an exception to the general statement made by the author of the passage. (D) has no logical error or grammatical error. Hence, (D) is the right answer.

E I believe without establishing probable cause that such searches should be illegal - the pronoun 'that' is misplaced here. In (E), 'that' now modifies 'cause', a modifier action that does not make sense. Hence, eliminate (E).

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