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Difficulty: EasyIllogical and Incomplete Comparisons

The plumage of the male wood duck is much more colorful than the female wood duck, which has dull brown feathers for camouflage. Which of the following options is the best replacement for the underlined portion of the sentence?

  1. A
    the female wood duck, which
  2. that of the female wood duck, whichAnswer
  3. C
    the female wood duck; which
  4. D
    the female wood duck, it

Answer

The correct answer is the option that replaces the underlined text with 'that of the female wood duck, which' because it compares the plumage of the male wood duck to the plumage of the female wood duck.
The correct answer correctly uses the pronoun 'that' to refer back to 'plumage,' establishing a logical comparison between the plumage of the male wood duck and the plumage of the female wood duck.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the two elements being compared in the sentence.
The sentence attempts to compare 'The plumage of the male wood duck' with 'the female wood duck'.
To ensure the comparison is logical, the items being compared must be of the same type (plumage to plumage, rather than plumage to duck).
2
Select the option that corrects this illogical comparison and maintains proper punctuation.
Using 'that of the female wood duck' inserts the singular pronoun 'that' to represent 'the plumage', making the comparison logical.
This establishes a grammatically correct and logical parallel comparison without creating punctuation errors like fragments or comma splices.

Key Concept

Illogical comparisons occur when a sentence compares two things that are not of the same type, such as comparing a characteristic of an animal to the animal itself.
Estimated Time:40s
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Topics

Illogical and Incomplete Comparisons

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