That El Salvador is pervaded by violence and stark terror was reported

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Here is a detailed explanation to this question-

Meaning is crucial to solving this problem:
Understanding the intended meaning is key to solving this question; the intended meaning of this sentence is that the fact that violence and stark terror pervade El Salvador was reported by Joan Didion in a disturbing series of articles recording her impressions of the two weeks she spent in that small, remote nation.

Concepts tested here: Meaning + Modifiers + Pronouns+ Verb Forms + Awkwardness/Redundancy

• In modifying a noun, the past participle implies that the noun took an action that concluded in the past.
• The present participle (“verb+ing” – “recording”) in this sentence is used to refer to ongoing actions in any time period.
• "who/whose/whom/which/where", when preceded by a comma, refers to the noun just before the comma.

A: This answer choice incorrectly uses the past participle ("recorded" in this sentence) to refer to an action that is currently ongoing; please remember, present participle (“verb+ing”) is used to refer to ongoing actions in any time period, and in modifying a noun, the past participle implies that the noun took an action that concluded in the past. Further, Option A uses the passive voice construction "El Salvador is pervaded by violence and stark terror", leading to awkwardness and redundancy.

B: Correct. This answer choice uses the phrase "That violence and stark terror pervade El Salvador was reported", conveying the intended meaning - that the fact that violence and stark terror pervade El Salvador was reported by Joan Didion. Further, Option B avoids the pronoun error seen in Option E, as it employs no pronouns. Additionally, Option B correctly uses the present participle ("verb+ing" - "recording" in this sentence) to refer to an ongoing action. Besides, Option B is free of any awkwardness or redundancy.

C: This answer choice alters the meaning of the sentence through the clause "Violence and stark terror pervade El Salvador, and were reported"; the construction of this phrase illogically implies that violence and stark terror pervade El Salvador and as a separate action Joan Didion reported the abstract concepts of violence and stark terror; the intended meaning is that the fact that violence and stark terror pervade El Salvador was reported by Joan Didion. Further, Option C incorrectly uses the past participle ("recorded" in this sentence) to refer to an action that is currently ongoing; please remember, present participle (“verb+ing”) is used to refer to ongoing actions in any time period, and in modifying a noun, the past participle implies that the noun took an action that concluded in the past.

D: This answer choice incorrectly refers to "El Salvador" with "which was reported by Joan Didion", illogically implying that violence and stark terror pervade El Salvador and as a separate action Joan Didion reported the existence of El Salvador; the intended meaning is that the fact that violence and stark terror pervade El Salvador was reported by Joan Didion; please remember, "who/whose/whom/which/where", when preceded by a comma, refer to the noun just before the comma.

E: This answer choice suffers from a pronoun error, as the pronoun "it" lacks a logical referent.

Hence, B is the best answer choice.

All the best!
Experts' Global Team