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Difficulty: MediumEliminating Redundancy

First discovered in 1977 near the Galápagos Rift, hydrothermal vents are fissures on the seafloor that release geothermally heated water. These vents support unique ecosystems that thrive in complete darkness, and they survive and exist independently of sunlight for energy.

Which of the following choices is the most effective and concise replacement for the underlined portion?

  1. A
    NO CHANGE
  2. existing independently ofAnswer
  3. C
    they exist independently, they do not rely on
  4. D
    which exist independently because they do not rely on

Answer

The most concise and grammatically correct option is 'existing independently of', which eliminates the redundant verbs and smoothly integrates into the sentence.
The correct answer is the option that reads 'existing independently of'. This option is the most concise and grammatically correct choice because it avoids repeating the redundant ideas of surviving and existing, which are already implied by the word 'thrive' earlier in the sentence. It also uses a participle phrase to cleanly modify the preceding clause without introducing comma splices or fragments.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the redundancy in the underlined portion.
The verbs 'survive' and 'exist' in 'and they survive and exist independently of' repeat the same concept of survival or existence, which is already established by 'thrive' in the sentence.
Redundancy must be eliminated to make the sentence concise and clear.
2
Evaluate the grammar and structure of each option.
The option containing 'they exist independently, they do not rely on' creates a comma splice. The option containing 'which exist independently because they do not rely on' is unnecessarily wordy and creates a clunky dependent clause fragment. The option 'existing independently of' is concise and uses a participle phrase that functions correctly as an adverbial modifier.
The correct option must be both grammatically correct and concise.

Key Concept

Eliminating Redundancy
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Topics

Eliminating Redundancy

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