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Difficulty: HardEliminating Redundancy

Ancient Greek architects constructed theaters with a semicircular design; this intentional shape, which was planned on purpose, allowed sound waves to travel efficiently to the top rows.

Which choice most effectively eliminates the redundancy in the underlined portion of the sentence while maintaining correct grammar and punctuation?

  1. A
    design; this intentional shape, which was planned on purpose, allowed
  2. B
    design, this intentional shape allowed
  3. design; this intentional shape allowedAnswer
  4. D
    design. Because this intentional shape allowed

Answer

The choice that reads 'design; this intentional shape allowed' is the correct answer.
The correct answer removes the redundancy by eliminating the phrase 'which was planned on purpose,' as 'intentional' already expresses this idea. It also correctly uses a semicolon to separate the two independent clauses.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify any redundant expressions in the underlined portion.
The words 'intentional' and 'planned on purpose' express the same concept.
Conciseness is a key grammatical standard on the ACT; expressing the same concept twice is redundant.
2
Evaluate the sentence structure of the remaining choices.
The sentence consists of two independent clauses: one about the architects constructing theaters and one about the shape allowing sound waves to travel.
Two independent clauses must be joined by a semicolon or separated by a period, not a comma.
3
Select the option that corrects both issues.
Using a semicolon and removing the redundant phrase makes the sentence both grammatically correct and concise.
This resolves the redundancy while avoiding errors like comma splices or fragments.

Key Concept

Eliminating redundant words or phrases to ensure conciseness while maintaining proper sentence boundaries (avoiding fragments and comma splices).
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Topics

Eliminating Redundancy

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