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Difficulty: HardEliminating Redundancy

Using advanced X-ray phase-contrast tomography, researchers have successfully read ancient scrolls from Herculaneum without unrolling them. These scrolls, which were carbonized and turned to charcoal by the heat of Mount Vesuvius, contain lost works of Epicurean philosophy.

Which choice most effectively eliminates the redundancy in the underlined portion of the sentence?

  1. A
    NO CHANGE
  2. These scrolls, carbonized by the heat of Mount Vesuvius,Answer
  3. C
    These scrolls, which were carbonized by the heat of Mount Vesuvius, but they
  4. D
    These scrolls were carbonized by the heat of Mount Vesuvius, they

Answer

These scrolls, carbonized by the heat of Mount Vesuvius,
The correct choice removes the redundancy of having both 'carbonized' and 'turned to charcoal' (which have the same meaning in this context) and smoothly integrates the description as a participial phrase modifying the subject. This results in a concise, grammatically correct sentence.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the redundancy in the underlined portion of the sentence.
The words 'carbonized' and 'turned to charcoal' are synonyms that repeat the same idea, meaning one must be eliminated.
ACT English requires eliminating redundant words to ensure the text is as concise as possible while remaining grammatically correct.
2
Evaluate the options for conciseness and grammatical correctness.
The option containing 'carbonized by the heat' eliminates the repetition. Other choices introduce grammatical errors, such as fragments or comma splices.
Eliminating redundancy must not introduce new grammatical errors like fragments or run-on sentences.

Key Concept

Eliminating Redundancy
Estimated Time:45s
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Topics

Eliminating Redundancy

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