The only way to detect a bacterial infection from Group A

Question

The only way to detect a bacterial infection from Group A streptococcus is  to perform a throat swab and culture and examine it  under a microscope.

А. to perform a throat swab and culture and examine it

B. to perform a throat swab and culture and examine the bacteria

C. to perform a throat swab and culture and examining the bacteria

D. if a throat swab and bacterial culture are performed, and they are examined

E. after performing a throat swab and culture to examine them

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hloonker · Answer

the answer is A. the word 'it' doesn't not have an antecedent. we need the word bacteria to come because and infection cannot be inspected under a micro scope.

marcominini · Answer

The only way to detect is TO PERFORM —> eliminate option D and E

Keep parallelism to perform AND examine —> eliminate option C (examining)

Option A: examine IT - dose IT have an antecedent? Swab? Culture?
Option B: examine the bacteria —> clear meaning to the sentence

IMO Answer is B

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Karon700 · Answer

The only way to detect a bacterial infection from Group A streptococcus is to perform a throat swab and culture and examine it under a microscope.

А. to perform a throat swab and culture and examine  it  
INCORRECT: We don know what is the it refers to

B. to perform a throat swab and culture and examine the bacteria
CORRECT: The reference is clear

C.  to perform  a throat swab and culture and  examining  the bacteria
INCORRECT: imparalle

Bunuel · Answer

OFFICIAL EXPLANATION

The only way to detect a bacterial infection from Group A streptococcus is  to perform a throat swab and culture and examine it  under a microscope.

А. to perform a throat swab and culture and examine it

Incorrect.

This answer choice is stylistically flawed. The pronoun  it  is ambiguous because it agrees with several nouns that appeared before it -  infection, streptococcus, swab,  and  culture .

What helps us identify this question as a Pronoun question as well as identify the mistake is the following Stop Sign:

Every pronoun in the underlined part of the sentence or after it

B. to perform a throat swab and culture and examine the bacteria

This answer choice corrects the Pronoun ambiguity mistake in the original question by replacing  it  with the noun  bacteria , which corresponds to the streptoccocus bacteria.

C. to perform a throat swab and culture and examining the bacteria

Incorrect.

While this answer choice corrects the Pronoun mistake in the original question by replacing  it  with the noun  bacteria , it is grammatically incorrect.

The construction A and B ( perform  and  examining ) requires that A and B belong to the same part of speech. In this case, A ( perform ) is a to V form, whereas B ( examining ) is a V+ing form.

What helps us identify this question as a Parallelism question as well as identify the mistake is the following Stop Sign:

A and/or/but B

When you identify this structure, make sure it follows these rules:

1. A and B must be of the same part of speech.
2. A and B must be logically parallel.

D. if a throat swab and bacterial culture are performed, and they are examined

Incorrect.

This answer choice is grammatically incorrect and stylistically flawed.

E. after performing a throat swab and culture to examine them

Incorrect.

This answer choice makes incorrect use of the pronoun  them .

The only way to detect a bacterial infection from Group A

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The only way to detect a bacterial infection from Group A

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