Answer: DQuote:
When a tunnel providing water to the city of Bogotá, Colombia, partially collapsed in 1997, it triggered a water shortage, the city government declared a public emergency and initiated a communication program to warn inhabitants of the threat of a crisis.
A) it triggered a water shortage, the city government declared a public emergency and initiated a communication program to warn inhabitants of the threat of a crisis.
'it' has no clear antecedent to refer back to. Moreover, the two clauses are not joined by any conjunction.
Eliminate A
Quote:
B) it triggered a water shortage, with the city government declaring a public emergency and initiating a communication program to warn inhabitants of the threat of a crisis.
'it' has no clear antecedent to refer back to. In a way sentence is constructed, it seems, 'with the city government...crisis' is an action to be considered along with water shortage, which obstructs the intended meaning.
Eliminate B
Quote:
C) triggering a water shortage, the city government declaring a public emergency and initiating a communication program to warn inhabitants of the threat of a crisis.
This sentence has no main action verb.
Eliminate C
Quote:
D) triggering a water shortage, the city government declared a public emergency and initiated a communication program to warn inhabitants of the threat of a crisis.
This one seems right on. Correctly uses declared and maintains parallelism with initiated.
Keep D
Quote:
E) triggering a water shortage, a public emergency was declared by the city government and a communication program initiated for warning inhabitants of the threat of a crisis.
This turns the tone into passive, which is alright, but it misses the doer of action for the communication program and thus distorts the intended meaning.
Eliminate E