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Question

Difficulty: HardStylistic Appropriateness

In 1856, eighteen-year-old chemist William Henry Perkin was attempting to synthesize quinine, a treatment for malaria, in his home laboratory. Instead of obtaining the expected clear liquid, he produced a dark, sticky sludge. Rather than discarding the failed experiment, Perkin washed the flask with alcohol and noticed a beautiful purple residue. This accidental discovery resulted in mauveine, the world’s first synthetic organic dye. Before Perkin’s breakthrough, purple textiles were exceedingly rare, as the color could only be extracted from expensive natural sources like marine snails. Consequently, Perkin's new dye became super popular and hit it big in the nineteenth-century fashion industry, transforming the worlds of chemistry and apparel design.

Given that all the choices are grammatically correct, which one best maintains the established tone and style of the passage?

  1. A
    NO CHANGE
  2. achieved widespread commercial successAnswer
  3. C
    initiated a massive, large-scale explosion of incredibly vast popularity that caught on everywhere
  4. D
    eventuated in an epoch-making ascendancy of unparalleled mercantile triumph

Answer

achieved widespread commercial success
The correct answer maintains the passage's neutral, historical, and academic tone. It is concise, direct, and matches the formal register established in the rest of the text.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the context and tone of the passage.
The passage is a historical and scientific account of the discovery of mauveine, written in a neutral, informative, and academic tone.
Understanding the established style helps identify which choice matches the tone of the surrounding text.
2
Evaluate the underlined phrase and the choices for stylistic appropriateness.
The underlined phrase 'became super popular and hit it big' is highly colloquial and informal, which is inappropriate. The wordy option introduces redundant phrasing. The overly ornate option introduces pretentious terminology that distracts from the narrative. The correct option is concise, clear, and maintains the proper academic register.
Eliminating options that violate tone, conciseness, or register guidelines leads to the correct choice.

Key Concept

Stylistic Appropriateness
Estimated Time:1m 0s
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Topics

Stylistic Appropriateness

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