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Difficulty: MediumIllogical and Incomplete Comparisons

The wing structures of dragonflies, which allow them to hover and fly backward with incredible agility, are far more complex than a housefly.

Which of the following options best replaces the underlined portion to make the sentence grammatically correct and logical?

  1. A
    NO CHANGE
  2. those of a houseflyAnswer
  3. C
    a housefly's, they are much less sophisticated
  4. D
    those of a housefly and how they fly

Answer

The correct option is 'those of a housefly', which correctly resolves the illogical comparison by comparing the plural noun 'wing structures' to the plural pronoun 'those' representing the wing structures of the other insect.
The correct answer correctly uses the plural pronoun 'those' to refer to the plural noun 'wing structures,' ensuring a logical and grammatically parallel comparison between the dragonfly's wing structures and the housefly's wing structures.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the two elements being compared in the sentence.
The sentence attempts to compare 'The wing structures of dragonflies' with 'a housefly'.
Comparison rules require that the compared items be equivalent in type and logically comparable.
2
Determine if the compared elements are grammatically parallel.
Comparing 'wing structures' (parts of an insect) directly to 'a housefly' (an entire insect) is grammatically incorrect and illogical.
To make the comparison logical, 'wing structures' must be compared to other 'wing structures' using a plural demonstrative pronoun like 'those'.
3
Evaluate the choices to find the one that establishes a logical, parallel comparison without introducing new grammatical errors.
The phrase 'those of a housefly' uses 'those' to refer to the wing structures, making the comparison logical and parallel, while avoiding the comma splice and parallelism errors found in the other choices.
This maintains complete grammatical correctness and clear sentence structure.

Key Concept

Illogical and Incomplete Comparisons
Estimated Time:1m 0s
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Topics

Illogical and Incomplete Comparisons

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