Dear Friends,
Here is a detailed explanation to this question-
pra1785 wrote:
That El Salvador is pervaded by violence and stark terror was reported by Joan Didion in a disturbing series of articles recorded her impressions of the two weeks she spent in that small, remote nation.
A) That El Salvador is pervaded by violence and stark terror was reported by Joan Didion in a disturbing series of articles recorded
B) That violence and stark terror pervade El Salvador was reported by Joan Didion in a disturbing series of articles recording
C) Violence and stark terror pervade El Salvador, and were reported by Joan Didion in a disturbing series of articles recorded
D) Violence and stark terror pervade El Salvador, which was reported by Joan Didion in a disturbing series of articles recording
E) El Salvador is pervaded by violence and stark terror, and it was reported by Joan Didion in a disturbing series of articles recording
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
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