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Difficulty: HardEliminating Redundancy

In the damp, shaded understory of temperate rainforests, certain species of fungi emit a soft, greenish glow, this glowing illumination, which shines with light, serves to attract nocturnal insects that distribute the fungi's spores.

Which choice is the most concise and grammatically correct replacement for the underlined portion of the sentence?

  1. A
    this glowing illumination, which shines with light, serves
  2. B
    this glow serves
  3. which servesAnswer
  4. D
    which, shining with light, serves

Answer

The correct choice is the option that reads 'which serves', as it creates a grammatically correct relative clause that avoids a comma splice and eliminates all redundant repetition of the word 'glow'.
The correct option is the most concise and grammatically correct choice. By replacing the underlined portion with a relative clause starting with 'which', the sentence correctly joins the dependent clause to the main clause, avoiding a comma splice. Furthermore, it eliminates the redundant phrases 'glowing illumination' and 'shines with light' because the preceding clause already mentions a 'glow'.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the underlined portion for redundancy.
The phrases 'glowing illumination' and 'shines with light' are redundant because the sentence already describes the subject as a 'glow'.
Conciseness is a key rule on the ACT English exam; words or phrases that repeat information already established in the sentence must be removed.
2
Evaluate the sentence structure and punctuation.
The sentence consists of two independent clauses: the first ends with 'glow' and the second begins with the underlined portion. Joining these two clauses with a comma alone creates a comma splice.
To correct a comma splice, the clauses must be separated by a period, a semicolon, a coordinating conjunction, or one clause must be made dependent using a relative pronoun like 'which'.
3
Choose the option that resolves both the redundancy and the grammatical error.
The relative clause 'which serves' removes all redundant wording and correctly joins the clauses, resolving the comma splice.
The correct option must be both grammatically sound and free of unnecessary repetition.

Key Concept

Eliminating Redundancy
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Topics

Eliminating Redundancy

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