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Question

Difficulty: MediumMisplaced and Dangling Modifiers

While foraging for food in the subzero temperatures of the tundra, the thick fur of the arctic fox protects it from frostbite.

Which of the following options best resolves the grammatical error in the underlined portion of the sentence?

  1. A
    NO CHANGE
  2. the arctic fox relies on its thick fur for protectionAnswer
  3. C
    the arctic fox relies on its thick fur, it protects the animal
  4. D
    which means the arctic fox's thick fur protects it

Answer

the arctic fox relies on its thick fur for protection
The correct option replaces the underlined portion with a clause whose subject is 'the arctic fox'. This resolves the dangling modifier because 'the arctic fox' is the logical subject performing the action of 'foraging' in the introductory phrase.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the introductory phrase and the action it describes.
The introductory phrase is 'While foraging for food in the subzero temperatures of the tundra,' which describes the action of foraging.
Introductory modifier phrases must be followed immediately by the noun they logically describe.
2
Determine the logical subject of this action and check the options.
An arctic fox can forage, but its 'thick fur' cannot. Therefore, the main clause must begin with 'the arctic fox' to prevent a dangling modifier.
Matching the introductory modifier with the correct subject ensures grammatical clarity and logical sentence structure.
3
Evaluate the grammatical correctness of the remaining options starting with the correct subject.
The choice ending with 'it protects the animal' creates a comma splice, whereas the choice starting with 'the arctic fox relies on its thick fur for protection' forms a complete, grammatically correct sentence.
The correct choice must not only resolve the modifier error but also avoid introducing new errors such as comma splices or fragments.

Key Concept

Misplaced and Dangling Modifiers
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Topics

Misplaced and Dangling Modifiers

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