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Difficulty: HardIllogical and Incomplete Comparisons

The root structures of mature redwood trees, which spread horizontally to lock with neighboring root systems, are shallower than most oak trees, which extend only a few feet deep.

Which of the following options best corrects the underlined portion of the sentence?

  1. A
    NO CHANGE
  2. those of most oak trees, whichAnswer
  3. C
    those of most oak trees, they
  4. D
    most oak trees; which

Answer

The correct option is 'those of most oak trees, which', which corrects the comparison and maintains proper sentence structure.
The correct option resolves the illogical comparison by introducing the plural pronoun 'those' to represent 'root structures', thus comparing the structures of one species of tree to the structures of another. It also maintains correct sentence structure by using a relative clause introduced by 'which'.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the elements being compared in the sentence.
The sentence is comparing the 'root structures' (plural noun) of redwood trees to 'most oak trees' (nouns representing the trees themselves).
This is an illogical comparison because a physical feature of one tree cannot be logically compared to the entirety of another tree.
2
Select the correct pronoun to represent the plural noun 'root structures'.
The plural pronoun 'those' is needed (as in 'those of most oak trees') to refer back to 'root structures'.
Using 'those of' establishes a logical comparison between the root structures of redwoods and the root structures of oaks.
3
Evaluate the punctuation and clause structure of the remaining options.
The option containing 'they' creates a comma splice because it attempts to connect two independent clauses with only a comma. The option containing a semicolon followed by 'which' creates a fragment because 'which' introduces a dependent clause.
Punctuation must correctly join the clauses without creating run-on sentences or sentence fragments.

Key Concept

Illogical and Incomplete Comparisons
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Topics

Illogical and Incomplete Comparisons

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