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Difficulty: MediumEliminating Redundancy

During his expedition to the Arctic in 1909, Robert Peary claimed to have reached the North Pole, a monumental achievement that was met with both skepticism and acclaim. At that period of time, many scholars disputed his measurements, leading to a decades-long debate.

Which option is the best replacement for the underlined portion of the sentence?

  1. A
    At that period of time, many scholars disputed
  2. Many scholars disputedAnswer
  3. C
    Because many scholars disputed
  4. D
    Many scholars disputed, they questioned

Answer

Many scholars disputed
The correct option is the most concise choice that avoids redundant phrasing. Since the preceding sentence already specifies the year 1909, repeating the timeframe with 'At that period of time' is unnecessary. Furthermore, 'period' and 'time' are repetitive synonyms. Simply starting the clause with the subject and verb provides a clear, grammatically sound sentence.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the underlined portion for redundant phrasing.
The phrase 'At that period of time' contains 'period' and 'time', which are redundant synonyms. Moreover, the context has already specified the year as 1909.
ACT English requires the most concise phrasing that preserves grammatical correctness and meaning.
2
Evaluate the grammar of the remaining choices to ensure they do not introduce new errors.
Removing the redundant phrase leaves 'Many scholars disputed', which is grammatically correct and forms a complete independent clause. Introducing 'Because' creates a fragment, and adding 'they questioned' creates a comma splice.
Eliminating redundancy must not come at the cost of sentence structure and punctuation rules.

Key Concept

Eliminating Redundancy
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Topics

Eliminating Redundancy

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