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Difficulty: MediumParallel Structure

The giant sequoia tree survives harsh wildfire seasons not only by producing a thick, fire-resistant bark but also it stores vast amounts of water in its fibrous wood.

Which choice best maintains the parallel structure of the sentence?

  1. A
    NO CHANGE
  2. but also by storingAnswer
  3. C
    but also to store
  4. D
    but also it stored

Answer

but also by storing
The correct choice uses a prepositional gerund phrase ('but also by storing') that matches the grammatical structure of the first part of the correlative conjunction phrase ('not only by producing'). This maintains parallel structure in the sentence.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the parallel elements linked by the correlative conjunction 'not only... but also'.
The first element is the prepositional gerund phrase 'by producing a thick, fire-resistant bark'.
To maintain parallel structure, the second element must match this grammatical form.
2
Evaluate the underlined portion to check if it matches the grammatical structure of the first element.
The underlined portion 'but also it stores' contains a pronoun and a conjugated verb, which is not parallel to the prepositional gerund phrase 'by producing'.
This is a faulty parallelism error and must be corrected.
3
Review the answer choices to find the one that uses a prepositional gerund phrase after 'but also'.
The choice 'but also by storing' successfully uses 'by' followed by a gerund, perfectly matching 'by producing'.
This restores grammatical symmetry and satisfies the rule of parallel structure.

Key Concept

Parallel structure requires that coordinate elements in a sentence (especially those joined by correlative conjunctions like 'not only... but also') share the same grammatical form.
Estimated Time:45s
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Topics

Parallel Structure

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