Bunuel
The explosion was accidental, and because of its sheer strength, it left no survivors alive.
A. The explosion was accidental, and because of its sheer strength, it left no survivors alive
B. Because of its sheer strength, the explosion left no survivors
C. No one survived the accidental explosion because of its sheer strength
D. The sheer strength of the explosion left no survivors
E. No survivors were left alive due to the sheer strength of the accidental explosion
OFFICIAL EXPLANATION
The explosion was accidental, and because of its sheer strength, it left no survivors alive.A. The explosion was accidental, and because of its sheer strength, it left no survivors alive
Incorrect.
This answer choice is stylistically flawed. The use of the word survivors with the word alive creates redundancy, since the word survivor already includes the meaning of alive.B. Because of its sheer strength, the explosion left no survivors
Incorrect.
This answer choice eliminates the redundancy in the original sentence, by omitting the word alive. However, the omission of another word - accidental - results in some meaning loss, as in the original sentence this word provides us with information about the explosion.
Do not automatically choose the shortest answer choice. Make sure that shorter answers contain everything that's been stated in the original sentence. If they don't convey the same information, they're probably incorrect answer choices.C. No one survived the accidental explosion because of its sheer strength
This answer choice removes the redundant phrase it left no survivors alive without losing any of the original sentence's meaning. Therefore, even though there are shorter answer choices, this one is actually the most concise.D. The sheer strength of the explosion left no survivors
Incorrect.
This answer choice is illogical. It is not the strength of the explosion that left no survivors, but the explosion itself.
Furthermore, this answer choice changes the meaning of the sentence by omitting information from the sentence. The fact that the explosion was accidental is not reflected in this answer choice.E. No survivors were left alive due to the sheer strength of the accidental explosion
Incorrect.
This answer choice is stylistically flawed and repeats the original mistake. The use of the word survivors with the word alive creates redundancy, since the word survivor already includes the meaning of alive.