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Difficulty: HardEliminating Redundancy

Dendrochronologists compare these rings to a reference database; they establish a chronological timeline that pinpoints the exact year the wood was harvested.

Which of the following choices best replaces the underlined portion of the sentence to ensure the passage is clear, concise, and grammatically correct?

  1. A
    they establish a chronological timeline that pinpoints
  2. they establish a timeline that pinpointsAnswer
  3. C
    they establish a timeline, it pinpoints
  4. D
    because they establish a timeline that pinpoints

Answer

they establish a timeline that pinpoints
The correct choice removes the redundant adjective 'chronological' before 'timeline' while maintaining the necessary independent clause structure to follow the semicolon. Since a timeline is chronological by its very nature, using both words is repetitive.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify any redundant or wordy language within the underlined portion.
The phrase 'chronological timeline' is redundant because a timeline is, by definition, chronological.
Recognizing redundancy helps narrow the choices to those that are concise and clear.
2
Evaluate the remaining options for grammatical correctness within the sentence structure.
The clause following the semicolon must be independent. The option beginning with 'because' creates a dependent clause fragment, and the option with a comma before 'it' results in a comma splice.
Eliminating options with grammatical errors ensures the final selection is both concise and grammatically correct.

Key Concept

Eliminating Redundancy
Estimated Time:1m 0s
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Topics

Eliminating Redundancy

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