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Difficulty: MediumEliminating Redundancy

In 1903, Mary Anderson was granted a patent for her window-cleaning device. Initially, local streetcar companies rejected the invention, this innovative and novel design eventually became standard equipment on all motor vehicles.

Which choice most effectively and grammatically completes the sentence while eliminating redundancy?

  1. A
    NO CHANGE
  2. but the designAnswer
  3. C
    this design
  4. D
    but because the design

Answer

The option that reads 'but the design' is the correct answer because it removes the redundant synonyms 'innovative' and 'novel' while correctly joining the two independent clauses with a coordinating conjunction, resolving the comma splice.
The choice that uses the coordinating conjunction 'but' before 'the design' is correct. It successfully eliminates the redundant synonyms 'innovative' and 'novel' from the original passage, and it resolves the comma splice by correctly joining the two independent clauses with a coordinating conjunction.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the redundancy in the underlined phrase.
The words 'innovative' and 'novel' both convey the idea of being new or original. Using both together is redundant, so one or both must be eliminated.
ACT English questions require removing repetitive words or phrases that do not add new meaning.
2
Identify the grammatical structure of the surrounding sentence.
The sentence consists of two independent clauses: 'Initially, local streetcar companies rejected the invention' and the second clause starting with the underlined portion. Joining them with only a comma creates a comma splice.
An effective correction must not only eliminate redundancy but also ensure the sentence is grammatically correct.
3
Evaluate the remaining choices to find the one that is concise and grammatically correct.
The option starting with the conjunction 'but' eliminates the redundancy and uses a coordinating conjunction to correctly join the independent clauses, resolving the comma splice.
The correct choice must satisfy both conciseness and grammatical correctness.

Key Concept

Eliminating redundancy requires removing words that express the same meaning twice, while ensuring the resulting sentence is grammatically correct and coherent.
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Topics

Eliminating Redundancy

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