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Question

Difficulty: EasyEliminating Wordiness

In 1928, Scottish biologist Alexander Fleming returned to his laboratory and noticed that a mold had contaminated one of his petri dishes. This mold was a substance that possessed the ability to destroy the surrounding bacteria, leading to the discovery of penicillin.

Which of the following is the most effective replacement for the underlined portion of the sentence?

  1. A
    NO CHANGE
  2. This mold destroyedAnswer
  3. C
    This mold, which destroyed
  4. D
    This mold destroyed and wiped out

Answer

The correct answer is the option stating 'This mold destroyed' because it expresses the action most concisely and directly without introducing redundancy or grammatical errors.
The option stating 'This mold destroyed' is the most direct and concise option. It correctly uses a simple active-voice verb to link the subject to its action without unnecessary words.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the relationship between the subject ('This mold') and the action ('destroying the bacteria').
The subject directly performs the action of destroying.
This helps determine if a direct active verb can replace the wordy phrasing.
2
Evaluate the choices for conciseness and grammatical correctness.
'This mold destroyed' is the shortest and most direct option, while others are wordy, redundant, or create a fragment.
ACT English tests reward the most concise option that is grammatically correct and preserves the original meaning.

Key Concept

Eliminating Wordiness
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Topics

Eliminating Wordiness

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