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Difficulty: MediumIllogical and Incomplete Comparisons

The chemical properties of synthetic diamonds are virtually identical to natural diamonds, making them nearly indistinguishable to the untrained eye.

Which choice makes the comparison logical and grammatically correct?

  1. A
    natural diamonds, making them
  2. those of natural diamonds, making themAnswer
  3. C
    those of natural diamonds, they are
  4. D
    those of natural diamonds and making them

Answer

The choice that reads 'those of natural diamonds, making them' makes the comparison logical and grammatically correct.
The correct choice is the option that replaces the underlined text with 'those of natural diamonds, making them'. The sentence compares the plural noun 'chemical properties' of synthetic diamonds to the properties of natural diamonds. The plural pronoun 'those' correctly refers to 'properties' to make the comparison logical. The participial phrase starting with 'making' is correctly joined to the main clause with a comma.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the two elements being compared in the sentence.
The sentence attempts to compare 'the chemical properties of synthetic diamonds' to 'natural diamonds'.
To form a logical comparison, properties must be compared to properties, not to physical objects.
2
Select the correct plural pronoun to represent 'properties'.
Since 'properties' is plural, the pronoun 'those' is used to refer back to it, yielding 'those of natural diamonds'.
This establishes a logical noun-to-noun comparison.
3
Assess the punctuation and structure of the remaining sentence.
Using a comma followed by the participial phrase 'making them...' correctly modifies the main clause.
Using 'they are' would create an ungrammatical comma splice, and adding 'and' before 'making' breaks parallel structure.

Key Concept

An illogical comparison occurs when a sentence compares two elements of different types. When comparing a feature of one thing to a feature of another, use 'that of' for singular nouns or 'those of' for plural nouns to maintain parallel and logical structure.
Estimated Time:1m 0s
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Topics

Illogical and Incomplete Comparisons

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