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Difficulty: HardEliminating Wordiness

In 1964, radio astronomers Arno Penzias and Robert Wilson were troubled by a persistent, low-frequency buzz that their horn antenna at Bell Labs kept picking up. Originally believing the interference was caused by urban noise or pigeon droppings, [they spent months cleaning the equipment in an effort to make it clean and free from debris.] Only after exhausting all possibilities did they realize they had detected the cosmic microwave background radiation, the ancient echo of the Big Bang.

Which choice most clearly and concisely expresses the information in the underlined portion of the sentence?

  1. A
    NO CHANGE
  2. they spent months cleaning the equipment.Answer
  3. C
    months were spent by them cleaning the equipment.
  4. D
    because they spent months cleaning the equipment.

Answer

they spent months cleaning the equipment.
The correct choice, 'they spent months cleaning the equipment.', is the most concise option that preserves the original meaning and maintains proper grammatical structure. The introductory modifier ('Originally believing...') correctly modifies 'they' as the subject of the main clause, and the active-voice verb 'spent' is direct. The other choices are either redundant, passive, or grammatically incorrect.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the underlined portion for redundancy.
The phrase 'in an effort to make it clean and free from debris' repeats the concept already established by the verb 'cleaning'.
Redundant synonyms and repetitive details must be eliminated to make the sentence concise.
2
Check the grammatically correct and concise alternatives.
The phrase 'they spent months cleaning the equipment.' is active, concise, and retains the complete intended meaning.
Evaluating choices helps find the most concise version that introduces no new grammatical errors.
3
Verify that the selected option maintains correct sentence structure.
The subject 'they' correctly aligns with the introductory modifying clause 'Originally believing...', avoiding a dangling modifier and completing the main clause.
Ensures that resolving wordiness does not introduce grammatical errors like dangling modifiers or fragments.

Key Concept

Eliminating Wordiness
Estimated Time:45s
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Topics

Eliminating Wordiness

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