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Difficulty: MediumEliminating Redundancy

As global temperatures rise, many alpine glaciers are retreating backward in a reverse direction, and this movement leaves behind barren valleys of exposed rock.

Which of the following choices is the best edit to the underlined portion of the sentence?

  1. A
    retreating backward in a reverse direction, and this movement leaves
  2. retreating, leavingAnswer
  3. C
    retreating, they leave
  4. D
    retreating, which leaving

Answer

retreating, leaving
The correct option is the most concise choice because it removes the redundant synonyms 'backward' and 'in a reverse direction' (since 'retreating' already means moving back) and grammatically connects the clauses using the participle 'leaving' without creating a comma splice or fragment.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify any redundant expressions or unnecessary wordiness in the underlined portion of the sentence.
The words 'backward' and 'in a reverse direction' repeat the meaning already contained in the verb 'retreating' (which means to move back or withdraw).
Eliminating redundant synonyms is necessary to make the sentence concise and clear, which is a key requirement of the ACT English section.
2
Evaluate the remaining options for grammatical correctness and punctuation.
The option with the participial phrase 'leaving' is both concise and grammatically correct. The option that creates a comma splice and the option that creates an ungrammatical fragment are incorrect.
The correct choice must not only eliminate redundancy but also maintain proper sentence structure without introducing grammatical errors.

Key Concept

Eliminating Redundancy
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Topics

Eliminating Redundancy

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