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Question

Difficulty: MediumModifier Placement

The passage below contains two blanks. Fill in each blank with the correct phrase from the choices provided to ensure the passage is grammatically correct and free of misplaced or dangling modifiers.

For blank 1, choose and type exactly one of the following:
* the city council renovated the historic theater
* the historic theater was renovated by the city council

For blank 2, choose and type exactly one of the following:
* which was designed in the 1920s and now shines brightly over the plaza
* which now shines brightly over the plaza designed in the 1920s

Answer:The historic downtown district had fallen into disrepair over the last decade. Hoping to attract more tourists, 【the city council renovated the historic theater】. The project focused on restoring the ornate marquee, 【which was designed in the 1920s and now shines brightly over the plaza】.

Answer

The correct passage reads: 'The historic downtown district had fallen into disrepair over the last decade. Hoping to attract more tourists, the city council renovated the historic theater. The project focused on restoring the ornate marquee, which was designed in the 1920s and now shines brightly over the plaza.'
In the first blank, the phrase 'the city council renovated the historic theater' is correct because the subject of the clause ('the city council') is the logical entity that is hoping to attract tourists. In the second blank, the phrase 'which was designed in the 1920s and now shines brightly over the plaza' is correct because it ensures the modifier 'designed in the 1920s' refers to the marquee, not the plaza.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the target of the introductory participial phrase 'Hoping to attract more tourists'.
The subject of the main clause must be the entity that actually performs the action of 'hoping' (the city council).
This prevents a dangling modifier where the 'historic theater' is illogically described as hoping to attract tourists.
2
Select the correct phrase for the first blank.
Choose 'the city council renovated the historic theater'.
This properly aligns the introductory modifier with its logical subject.
3
Determine the correct placement of the modifier 'designed in the 1920s'.
The modifier should be placed directly adjacent to 'ornate marquee' which it is describing, rather than 'plaza'.
This avoids a misplaced modifier that would suggest the plaza was designed in the 1920s.
4
Select the correct phrase for the second blank.
Choose 'which was designed in the 1920s and now shines brightly over the plaza'.
This ensures the relative clause clearly modifies the marquee.

Key Concept

Modifier Placement
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Topics

Modifier Placement

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