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Question

Difficulty: MediumMisplaced and Dangling Modifiers

While hiking through the dense canopy of the Ecuadorian rainforest, a rare orchid was discovered by the botanist that had never been documented before.

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

  1. A
    a rare orchid was discovered by the botanist that had never been documented before.
  2. the botanist discovered a rare orchid that had never been documented before.Answer
  3. C
    the botanist discovered a rare orchid, it had never been documented before.
  4. D
    the botanist discovering a rare orchid that had never been documented before.

Answer

the botanist discovered a rare orchid that had never been documented before.
The correct answer resolves the dangling modifier by placing the logical subject immediately after the introductory phrase. This makes it clear that the botanist was the one hiking, and it forms a grammatically correct, complete sentence.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the logical subject of the introductory modifying phrase.
The phrase 'While hiking through the dense canopy...' describes an action that must be performed by a person, which in this context is the botanist.
An introductory modifier must logically describe the subject that immediately follows the comma to avoid a dangling modifier.
2
Evaluate the options to find the one that places the logical subject immediately after the comma and forms a complete sentence without errors.
The option beginning with 'the botanist discovered' correctly associates the action with the subject and forms a complete independent clause.
The correct option must resolve the modifier error while maintaining correct punctuation and clause structure.

Key Concept

Misplaced and Dangling Modifiers
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Topics

Misplaced and Dangling Modifiers

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