Eliminating Wordiness

To prepare for the long hike, Sarah packed plenty of water, some snacks, and a first-aid kit in her backpack, which was a pack she carried on her back.

Which of the following options, if substituted for the underlined portion, makes the sentence most concise and grammatically correct?

Deep in the Mariana Trench, the Mariana snailfish thrives under extreme pressure that would easily crush most other marine organisms, due to the fact that it has bones that are flexible and cartilage-like.

Which of the following is the most concise and grammatically correct replacement for the underlined portion?

Modern conservationists use multi-spectral imaging to analyze ancient manuscripts, revealing text that has, over a long duration of time, become faded and worn down so that it cannot be seen.

Given the context of the sentence, which choice is the most concise and grammatically correct option for the underlined portion?

The museum curator carefully restored the ancient vase. She worked in a manner that was slow and cautious to avoid damaging the fragile clay.

Which choice is the most concise and grammatically correct replacement for the underlined portion?

During nocturnal hikes in the damp forests of southern Brazil, travelers often witness a glowing green light emanating from the forest floor. This eerie glow is produced by *Neonothopanus gardneri*, a species of bioluminescent mushroom. The reason why these mushrooms glow in the dark is due to the fact that they contain a chemical compound called luciferin, which reacts with oxygen to attract spore-spreading insects.

Which choice is the most concise and grammatically correct version of the underlined portion?

Originally built as a fortress in the late twelfth century, the Louvre Palace underwent numerous renovations. It was transformed into a museum, and this was done for the purpose of showing art to the public in 1793.

Which of the following is the best replacement for the underlined portion?

In the mid-nineteenth century, Samuel Morse developed the telegraph, which revolutionized long-distance communication. Before this invention, messages took days or even weeks to travel across the country by horse. With the introduction of the telegraph, which was a device that allowed for messages to be sent rapidly, communication became nearly instantaneous. This breakthrough transformed commerce, journalism, and personal correspondence.

Which of the following is the most effective replacement for the underlined segment?

Engineers studying ancient Roman architecture have long marveled at the durability of its concrete, which has survived for millennia. Recent chemical analyses reveal that the secret lies in 'lime clasts'—small, white mineral chunks that were once considered mere mixing defects. These tiny, white chunks of lime, which are small in size, actually allow the concrete to self-heal cracks when exposed to rainwater.

Which choice most concisely and clearly expresses the underlined portion?

In the early twentieth century, astronomer Henrietta Swan Leavitt analyzed photographic plates of variable stars in the Magellanic Clouds, calculating and computing the changing brightness of these stars, which varied in luminosity over time, she discovered the period-luminosity relation.

Which choice most effectively and concisely completes the sentence?

Aerogel, a synthetic ultralight material derived from a gel, consists of more than 99 percent air. Despite its light weight, it is remarkably strong and can support thousands of times its own mass. Because of its properties as an insulator, which insulate against heat, it is used by aerospace engineers for insulation in spacecraft.

Which choice most effectively and concisely expresses the information in the underlined portion?

In the mid-twentieth century, geologist Marie Tharp painstakingly plotted sonar data to map the ocean floor, revealing a massive rift valley running down the center of the Atlantic. This discovery supported the theory of continental drift, which had previously been dismissed by many scientists. Through her careful charting of the ocean floor, Tharp was able to create the first comprehensive map of the ocean bottom, which was a major breakthrough that transformed the field of oceanography.

Which choice, if substituted for the underlined portion, makes the sentence the most concise while remaining grammatically correct?

Although the summit of Mount Everest is the highest point on Earth, the climb is incredibly perilous. Due to the fact that the weather is extremely cold, climbers must wear specialized gear to prevent frostbite.

Which choice most effectively eliminates wordiness from the underlined portion of the sentence?

At Chichén Itzá, the Mayan pyramid known as El Castillo produces a striking acoustic effect: a handclap at the base of the stairs triggers a chirping echo that mimics the sacred quetzal bird. This unique chirping sound is believed by researchers to have been an intentional creation that the ancient architects planned on purpose by designing steps of varying depths.

Which choice most effectively and concisely expresses the underlined portion?

In 1856, eighteen-year-old chemist William Henry Perkin was attempting to synthesize quinine, a treatment for malaria, in his home laboratory. Instead of quinine, he produced a dark, sticky sludge that turned out to be the first synthetic aniline dye. He noticed that the sludge had a rich purple color when it was dissolved in alcohol, which was a purple color that had never been produced artificially before. Perkin quickly patented the process, launching the modern synthetic dye industry.

Which choice most effectively and concisely expresses the information in the underlined portion of the sentence?

Each autumn, millions of monarch butterflies undertake a massive journey from North America to the forests of central Mexico. Due to the fact that they are possessed of a need to escape the cold winter temperatures, they travel up to three thousand miles to reach their nesting sites.

Which choice is the most concise and grammatically correct replacement for the underlined portion of the sentence?

In 1964, physicists Arno Penzias and Robert Wilson were troubled by a persistent, low-frequency hum picked up by their Holmdel horn antenna. After ruling out interference from urban area signals, they meticulously cleaned the giant instrument, scrubbing away nests left by roosting pigeons. However, their efforts to eliminate the noise were unsuccessful, because the static was still heard by them, persistently continuing. Eventually, they realized they had stumbled upon the cosmic microwave background radiation, the remnant glow of the Big Bang.

Which of the following choices is the best replacement for the underlined portion of the sentence?

Although fireflies are best known for their glowing lanterns, not all species of these insects can actually produce light. Because of the reason that some species lack the chemical organs that are needed to glow, they rely on chemical scents called pheromones to find mates.

Which of the following is the best revision of the underlined portion of the sentence?

Discovered in 1901 off the Greek island of Antikythera, the ancient bronze device known as the Antikythera mechanism has long puzzled historians. Scholars, who study historical artifacts, have conducted investigations into the device's intricate system of gears, and their research has ultimately revealed that it functioned as a sophisticated astronomical calendar.

Which of the following versions of the underlined portion best produces a clear, concise, and grammatically correct sentence?

In 1912, Austrian physicist Victor Hess ascended in a balloon to measure radiation levels at high altitudes, expecting them to decrease. Instead, he discovered that ionizing radiation actually increased with altitude. Hess proved that radiation did not emanate from the Earth itself, which was a hypothesis that had been proposed by earlier scientists, but instead, it came from outer space.

Which choice most effectively and concisely expresses the information in the underlined portion of the sentence?

In 1912, German meteorologist Alfred Wegener proposed the theory of continental drift, but his ideas were initially rejected because he could not explain the mechanism by which the continents actually moved and traveled across the globe. Which of the following choices best replaces the underlined portion of the sentence to make it concise and grammatically correct?