The chemical composition of interstellar dust in the Orion Nebula, which contains complex organic molecules, is far more difficult to analyze than a typical comet in our solar system.
Which choice best corrects the underlined portion of the sentence?
- ANO CHANGE
- that of a typical comet in our solar system.Answer
- Ca typical comet in our solar system, it has simpler chemical compounds.
- Danalyzing a typical comet in our solar system.
Answer
The correct answer is the option that replaces the underlined text with 'that of a typical comet in our solar system.' This corrects the illogical comparison by comparing the chemical composition of the dust to the chemical composition of a comet, rather than comparing a composition directly to a comet.
The correct option correctly uses the pronoun phrase 'that of' to refer back to the singular noun phrase 'the chemical composition'. This establishes a logical, parallel comparison between the chemical composition of interstellar dust and the chemical composition of a typical comet. Without this pronoun phrase, the sentence illogically compares a chemical composition to a physical comet.
Step-by-Step Solution
Key Concept
Illogical comparisons occur when a sentence compares two things that are not of the same type or cannot be logically compared. In English, singular nouns are compared using the pronoun 'that of' and plural nouns using 'those of' to maintain parallel structure and clarity.