OFFICIAL EXPLANATIONProject SC Butler: Sentence Correction (SC2)
THE PROMPTQuote:
The two modes of respiration used by
a mudskipper, instead of getting activated at different stages of the organism’s life cycle or under particular environmental conditions, used simultaneously and in all stages of its life.
• Notice that the pronoun in the nonunderlined part of the prompt:
itsThe noun
mudskipper must be singular, not plural.
THE OPTIONSQuote:
A) a mudskipper, instead of getting activated at different stages of the organism’s life cycle or under particular environmental conditions,
[VERB?]• FRAGMENT: no working verb
→ The two modes of respiration . . . do what? No verb exists for the subject
modes of respiration.
A fragment is a fatal error.
ELIMINATE A
Quote:
B) a mudskipper,
rather than getting activated at different stages of the organism’s life cycle or under particular environmental conditions,
instead are• rather than and instead [are] seem redundant
Be conservative.
Keep, but look for a better answer.
Quote:
C) a mudskipper do not get activated at different stages of the organism’s life cycle or under particular environmental conditions; instead, they are
• correct
• a semicolon correctly separates two independent clauses (semicolons must always be flanked by two independent clauses)
• the use of the word
instead conveys the contrast in the sentence
→ Compare C, now, to option B. Option C wins. In (C), no hint of redundancy exits.
ELIMINATE B
KEEP C
The sentence uses a semi colon to separate two independent clauses. The use of instead brings out the contrast inherent in the sentence.
Quote:
D)
mudskippers, rather than get activated at different stages of the organism’s life cycle or under particular environmental conditions, are
• noun/pronoun agreement
→ the nonunderlined portion uses the singular pronoun
its to refer to the animal under discussion
→ the plural
mudskippers does not match the singular pronoun
itsELIMINATE D
Quote:
E)
mudskippers,
not getting activated at different stages of the organism’s life cycle or under particular environmental conditions, are
• noun/pronoun agreement
→ the nonunderlined portion uses the singular pronoun
its to refer to the animal under discussion
→ the plural
mudskippers does not match the singular pronoun
its• the meaning is strange at best
→ what does the phrase
not getting activated mean?
How can things that are not even activated then be used simultaneously?
ELIMINATE E
The answer is C.
COMMENTSGreen2k1 (again) and
Adambhau , welcome to SC Butler.
Adambhau , you asked whether option B would be correct if
instead were removed.
The answer is yes.
GMAC likes to test redundancy.
As you saw, I kept option B until I found a better one.
I don't eliminate options on the basis of redundancy on the first run through.
Your question is good.
These answers range from very good to outstanding—especially those that explain.
Very nice work.
Stay safe.