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Difficulty: MediumIllogical and Incomplete Comparisons

The acoustic properties of modern concert halls, which are designed with advanced computer modeling, are far more predictable than nineteenth-century halls, they relied on trial-and-error construction methods.

Which of the following options best replaces the underlined portion of the sentence?

  1. A
    NO CHANGE
  2. those of nineteenth-century halls, whichAnswer
  3. C
    nineteenth-century halls, which
  4. D
    those of nineteenth-century halls; which

Answer

The correct option is the one stating 'those of nineteenth-century halls, which' because it corrects the illogical comparison and uses the relative pronoun 'which' to establish proper sentence structure.
The correct option correctly compares the 'acoustic properties' of modern halls to 'those of' (the acoustic properties of) nineteenth-century halls. Additionally, it uses the relative pronoun 'which' to introduce a dependent clause, maintaining correct sentence structure without a comma splice.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the elements being compared in the sentence.
The sentence attempts to compare the 'acoustic properties of modern concert halls' with 'nineteenth-century halls.'
To ensure logical comparison, a feature of one entity must be compared to the equivalent feature of the other entity, not to the entity itself.
2
Select a pronoun structure to make the comparison logical.
Use the plural pronoun phrase 'those of' to refer back to the plural noun 'acoustic properties.'
This establishes a parallel and logical comparison between the properties of modern halls and the properties of older halls.
3
Evaluate the grammatical link between the clauses to avoid run-on sentences or fragments.
The relative clause must be introduced with 'which' preceded by a comma.
Using a personal pronoun like 'they' after a comma creates an ungrammatical comma splice, while placing a semicolon before 'which' separates a dependent clause, creating a fragment.

Key Concept

Illogical and Incomplete Comparisons
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Topics

Illogical and Incomplete Comparisons

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