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Question

Difficulty: HardTone Consistency

By analyzing the microscopic air bubbles trapped in ancient ice sheets, glaciologists can reconstruct the atmospheric composition of Earth from hundreds of thousands of years ago. These ice cores serve as invaluable archives of historical climate data. Researchers must extract and store these samples under strict temperature controls, making sure they don't mess up the delicate chemical signatures preserved within.

Which choice best maintains the established tone of the passage?

  1. A
    NO CHANGE
  2. to prevent the degradation ofAnswer
  3. C
    to prevent against the degradation of
  4. D
    in order to forestall the catastrophic annihilation of

Answer

to prevent the degradation of
The correct answer maintains the objective, academic, and scientific tone established throughout the passage. The phrase is concise, formal, and grammatically sound.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the context and establish the tone of the passage.
The passage uses words like 'reconstruct,' 'atmospheric composition,' and 'invaluable archives,' establishing a formal, objective, and academic tone.
Identifying the established tone allows for the elimination of options that deviate from this register.
2
Evaluate the underlined phrase and the options for tone consistency.
The phrase 'making sure they don't mess up' is too informal, and 'in order to forestall the catastrophic annihilation of' is too dramatic and pretentious.
This narrows the choices to options that match the academic and scientific register.
3
Evaluate the remaining options for grammatical and idiomatic correctness.
The phrasing 'prevent against' is unidiomatic in English. The verb 'prevent' should act directly on the object ('prevent the degradation of').
Ensuring the selected choice is grammatically and idiomatically correct is necessary to find the right answer.

Key Concept

Tone Consistency
Estimated Time:1m 15s
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Topics

Tone Consistency

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