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Question

Difficulty: HardMisplaced and Dangling Modifiers

To avoid a dangling modifier, the introductory phrase must logically modify the subject of the main clause. Complete the sentence by typing the grammatically correct clause in the blank. Choose from these exact phrases (do not include ending punctuation): 'the botanists successfully germinated the ancient seeds' or 'the ancient seeds were successfully germinated by the botanists'.

Answer:Having survived for centuries in the arid soils of the Atacama Desert, 【the ancient seeds were successfully germinated by the botanists】.

Answer

the ancient seeds were successfully germinated by the botanists
The introductory phrase 'Having survived for centuries in the arid soils of the Atacama Desert' describes the seeds. Therefore, the noun immediately following the comma must be 'the ancient seeds' to serve as the logical subject. This makes 'the ancient seeds were successfully germinated by the botanists' the correct choice.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the introductory modifying phrase and determine what it logically describes.
The phrase 'Having survived for centuries in the arid soils of the Atacama Desert' describes something that survived for centuries in dry desert soil.
Understanding the logical actor/subject of the modifier is necessary to determine which noun must immediately follow the comma.
2
Evaluate the choices to see which noun functions as the subject immediately following the comma.
In one option, the subject is 'the botanists'; in the other, the subject is 'the ancient seeds'.
The subject of the main clause must be the noun that is modified by the introductory phrase.
3
Determine which subject makes logical sense.
Botanists do not survive for centuries in desert soil, but ancient seeds do. Therefore, 'the ancient seeds' must be the subject.
Placing 'the botanists' as the subject creates a dangling modifier, whereas placing 'the ancient seeds' as the subject creates a logical, grammatically correct sentence.

Key Concept

Introductory modifying phrases must be immediately followed by the noun they logically describe to avoid creating a dangling modifier.
Estimated Time:1m 30s
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Topics

Misplaced and Dangling Modifiers

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