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Difficulty: MediumEliminating Redundancy

Originally built in the nineteenth century, the lighthouse has guided ships through the treacherous strait for generations. Currently at the present time, automated beacons have replaced the keepers, they no longer need to maintain the light manually.

Which choice best replaces the underlined portion to eliminate redundancy and maintain grammatical correctness?

  1. A
    Currently at the present time, automated beacons have replaced the keepers, they
  2. Currently, automated beacons have replaced the keepers, whoAnswer
  3. C
    Because automated beacons currently replace the keepers, who
  4. D
    Currently at this time, automated beacons have replaced the keepers, who

Answer

The correct option is the one starting with 'Currently, automated beacons have replaced the keepers, who'. It eliminates the redundant time phrasing and joins the clauses correctly using a relative pronoun.
The correct choice is the most concise option because it eliminates the redundant time words by using only 'Currently' instead of combining it with another temporal phrase. It also resolves the comma splice of the original sentence by changing the pronoun 'they' to the relative pronoun 'who', making the second clause dependent and creating a grammatically sound sentence.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify any redundant or repetitive phrasing in the underlined portion.
The phrase 'Currently at the present time' contains two expressions that mean the exact same thing. One of these must be eliminated to make the sentence concise.
ACT English requires eliminating unnecessary repetition to maintain clear and direct expression.
2
Examine the grammatical connection between the two clauses separated by the comma.
The clauses 'Currently... have replaced the keepers' and '[they] no longer need to maintain the light manually' are both independent. Joining them with just a comma and the pronoun 'they' creates a comma splice.
Independent clauses cannot be joined by a comma alone; they require a semicolon, a coordinating conjunction, or subordination.
3
Evaluate the choices to find the one that is both concise and grammatically correct.
The choice using 'Currently' and the relative pronoun 'who' successfully removes the redundant time phrasing and avoids a comma splice by subordinating the second clause.
This resolves all stylistic and grammatical issues.

Key Concept

Eliminating Redundancy
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Topics

Eliminating Redundancy

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