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Difficulty: HardEliminating Wordiness

In 132 CE, the Chinese polymath Zhang Heng presented the imperial court with a vessel designed to register earthquakes from afar. Due to the fact of the device's interior mechanism, which utilized a central pendulum that was suspended and hanging inside, it could detect the direction of a distant tremor. This invention allowed officials to dispatch aid to affected provinces immediately, long before messengers could arrive on foot.

Which choice is the most concise and grammatically correct version of the underlined portion of the sentence?

  1. A
    Due to the fact of the device's interior mechanism, which utilized a central pendulum that was suspended and hanging inside, it
  2. B
    The device's interior mechanism utilized a suspended central pendulum, it
  3. C
    A central pendulum, that was suspended inside the device,
  4. A suspended central pendulumAnswer

Answer

The option stating 'A suspended central pendulum' is the correct answer because it is the most concise grammatically correct choice and successfully preserves the meaning of the original sentence.
The correct choice, which reads 'A suspended central pendulum', provides the most direct and concise phrasing. It functions as the subject of the verb 'could detect' and avoids the wordy prepositional phrases and redundant modifiers found in the other choices.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the underlined portion for wordiness and redundancy.
The original phrasing uses the wordy construction 'Due to the fact of' and repeats similar meanings with the words 'suspended' and 'hanging inside'.
ACT English prioritizes conciseness and clarity, so redundant words must be eliminated.
2
Evaluate the grammar of each remaining choice when inserted into the sentence context.
Inserting the option with a comma splice ('utilized a suspended central pendulum, it') or the option with restrictive commas ('that was suspended inside the device,') creates new grammatical errors.
An option must not only be concise but also grammatically sound within the sentence structure.
3
Select the option that is both grammatically correct and the most concise.
The option stating 'A suspended central pendulum' acts as the subject of the clause and contains no grammatical errors or wordiness.
This provides a clear, direct, active-voice subject for the verb 'could detect'.

Key Concept

Eliminating Wordiness
Estimated Time:45s
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Topics

Eliminating Wordiness

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