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Question

Difficulty: MediumModifier Placement

Bioluminescent fungi grow on decaying wood in damp forests, emitting a soft green glow that attracts nocturnal insects. Found primarily in tropical climates, mycologists have identified over one hundred species of these glowing mushrooms. The light is produced by a chemical reaction involving a compound called luciferin.

Which of the following is the most grammatically correct and effective version of the underlined portion?

  1. A
    NO CHANGE
  2. Mycologists have identified over one hundred species of these glowing mushrooms, which are found primarily in tropical climates.Answer
  3. C
    These glowing mushrooms are found primarily in tropical climates, mycologists have identified over one hundred species of them.
  4. D
    Found primarily in tropical climates, over one hundred species of these glowing mushrooms, in addition to various local ferns, has been identified by mycologists.

Answer

The correct answer is the option that places the modifying clause directly after the mushrooms: 'Mycologists have identified over one hundred species of these glowing mushrooms, which are found primarily in tropical climates.'
The correct choice resolves the dangling modifier by restructuring the sentence so that 'which are found primarily in tropical climates' clearly and logically modifies 'mushrooms' instead of 'mycologists'.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the underlined sentence to identify modifier issues.
The introductory participial phrase 'Found primarily in tropical climates' is followed immediately by the subject 'mycologists', creating an illogical modifier relationship.
Introductory modifiers must describe the subject that immediately follows the comma.
2
Evaluate the choices to find a version that resolves the modifier issue without introducing new errors.
Moving the modifier into a relative clause ('which are found...') directly following 'glowing mushrooms' clarifies that the mushrooms, not the mycologists, are in tropical climates.
Placing modifiers directly adjacent to the noun they modify ensures logical clarity.
3
Eliminate choices with secondary grammatical errors.
The option containing a comma splice and the option containing a subject-verb agreement error are eliminated.
Standardized tests require choices to be free of all grammatical errors.

Key Concept

Modifier Placement
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Topics

Modifier Placement

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