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Question

Difficulty: HardEliminating Wordiness

The following passage contains an underlined portion.

Mary Anning, a nineteenth-century British paleontologist, combed the cliffs of Lyme Regis to find fossils of prehistoric marine reptiles. Owing to the fact of her possessing a keen eye that was observant of small details, Anning discovered the first correctly identified ichthyosaur skeleton. Her findings challenged established scientific beliefs about the history of the Earth.

Which choice most effectively and concisely expresses the underlined portion of the sentence?

  1. A
    NO CHANGE
  2. B
    Anning possessed a keen eye, she discovered
  3. With her keen eye, Anning discoveredAnswer
  4. D
    Because Anning possessed a keen eye, which allowed her to discover

Answer

With her keen eye, Anning discovered
The correct choice is the most concise and direct phrasing that maintains grammatical correctness and preserves the meaning of the sentence. The phrase 'With her keen eye, Anning discovered' conveys the idea clearly without unnecessary words.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the underlined portion for wordiness, redundancy, and grammatical errors.
Identify that the phrase 'Owing to the fact of her possessing a keen eye that was observant of small details' contains unnecessary words like 'Owing to the fact of' and redundant expressions.
To determine if the original phrasing needs revision for conciseness.
2
Evaluate the alternative choices for clarity, conciseness, and grammatical correctness.
Eliminate wordy, run-on, or fragment options: the option with a comma splice ('Anning possessed a keen eye, she discovered') and the option creating a fragment ('Because Anning possessed a keen eye...').
To ensure the selected option is both concise and grammatically correct.
3
Confirm that the chosen concise option preserves the original meaning and fits the context.
The option 'With her keen eye, Anning discovered' is clear, grammatically sound, and significantly more concise than the original.
To finalize the best choice that meets the ACT standard for eliminating wordiness.

Key Concept

Eliminating Wordiness
Estimated Time:1m 0s
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Topics

Eliminating Wordiness

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