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Difficulty: MediumEliminating Wordiness

In 1911, physicist Ernest Rutherford proposed a nuclear model of the atom based on his famous gold foil experiment. He observed that while most alpha particles passed straight through the foil, a small fraction was deflected at large angles. Due to the reason that the vast majority of the atom's mass is concentrated in a tiny nucleus, the deflective behavior surprised the scientific community. Which choice most clearly and concisely replaces the underlined portion of the sentence?

  1. A
    NO CHANGE
  2. Because the vast majority of the atom's mass is concentrated in a tiny nucleus,Answer
  3. C
    Because the vast majority of the atom's mass, which is concentrated in a tiny nucleus,
  4. D
    The vast majority of the atom's mass is concentrated in a tiny nucleus,

Answer

The option starting with 'Because' is the correct choice because it is the most concise phrasing that is grammatically correct and preserves the cause-and-effect relationship of the sentence.
The correct option provides the most direct and concise way to establish the cause-and-effect relationship. It replaces the wordy and redundant introductory phrase with the single conjunction 'Because' while keeping the clause grammatically complete.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the underlined portion for conciseness and redundancy.
The original phrase 'Due to the reason that' is wordy and redundant because 'due to' and 'reason' repeat the same concept of causality.
ACT English style requires selecting the most concise phrasing that preserves the intended meaning.
2
Evaluate the grammar of the remaining choices.
The choice using 'Because' is concise and maintains a complete dependent clause. The choice adding 'which is concentrated' removes the main verb of the clause, resulting in a fragment. The choice without a conjunction creates a comma splice by linking two independent clauses together with only a comma.
The correct option must be grammatically sound and avoid fragment or run-on errors.

Key Concept

Eliminating Wordiness
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Topics

Eliminating Wordiness

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