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Replace the underlined portion with the answer choice that results in a sentence that is clear, precise, and meets the requirements of standard written English. One of the answer choices reproduces the underlined portion as it is written in the sentence.
The last time it snowed, that was in February, my dad lost control of his car and hit a tree.
This is a case in which we need to decide whether to use the word "which" or "that" to introduce the clause set apart from the rest of the sentence by commas. "That" is used to introduce information absolutely necessary to the sentence's meaning, whereas "which" is used to introduce information that would not change the sentence's meaning if it were removed from the sentence. Information that is not crucial to the sentence's meaning is usually set apart by commas.
In this case, the sentence "The last time it snowed, my dad lost control of his car and hit a tree" still makes sense, so we know that the information included between the commas isn't absolutely necessary to the sentence's meaning. Plus, the information in question is being set apart from the rest of the sentence by commas. So, we should use "which," and not "that."
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Replace the underlined portion with the answer choice that results in a sentence that is clear, precise, and meets the requirements of standard written English.
The weather forecast predicted snow for today, and it is raining.
Because the second independent clause contradicts the first in this compound sentence it is more correct to separate the two with the conjunction "but," not "and."
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Replace the underlined portion with the answer choice that results in a sentence that is clear, precise, and meets the requirements of standard written English.
He was never very happy during his school days, and his post-graduation depression was a completely different kind of problem.
The construction of this sentence makes it clear that the two parts of this compound sentence are contrasted with one another. This makes the use of the conjunction "and" to join the two a mistake, as the conjunction "but" is used to draw a sharp contrast between the two parts. As the only answer choice to use the correct conjunction, "his school days, but his post-graduation depression" is the correct answer choice.
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Replace the underlined portion with the answer choice that results in a sentence that is clear, precise, and meets the requirements of standard written English.
While evidence of the the growing influence of Punic identity in North Africa can be found in many of his writings, and it is most prominent in his many surviving letters.
In this case, no conjunction is needed between the two clauses. This is because the part of the sentence before the comma consists of a subordinate clause, not an independent clause. In other words, this part of the sentence cannot stand on its own. Commas followed by conjunctions are used to combine two independent clauses into a compound sentence, and since this sentence consists of a subordinate clause and an independent clause instead of two independent clauses, a comma is sufficient and the conjunction ("and") is not only unnecessary, but grammatically incorrect.
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Replace the underlined portion with the answer choice that results in a sentence that is clear, precise, and meets the requirements of standard written English.
Neither she faltered nor she hesitated when questioned under oath.
The example sentence begins with a negative word ("Neither") and uses the corresponding negative conjunction ("nor"); therefore, it must either be changed to begin with the subject, or changed to add a "do" verb immediately after "neither." In modern English it is considered smoother, and more common, to simply begin the sentence with the subject, and then treat the negative conjunction normally, rather than adding a "do" verb, but adding a "do" verb would also be grammatically correct. Of the options provided, the best solution to this conjunction error would be, "She neither faltered nor hesitated when questioned under oath."
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Replace the underlined portion with the answer choice that results in a sentence that is clear, precise, and meets the requirements of standard written English. One of the answer choices repeats the underlined portion as it is written.
She carefully reviewed her case notes, such as not to be surprised in court.
The example sentence makes use of an incorrect conjunction. "Such" is used to indicate a result, whereas "so" is used (as a conjunction) to indicate purpose. Because the sentence is discussing someone's precautionary measure, the correct conjunction here is "so". "She carefully reviewed her case notes, so as not to be surprised in court."
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Replace the underlined portion with the answer choice that results in a sentence that is clear, precise, and meets the requirements of standard written English.
While his new acquaintances always initially think that Daniel is a very shy person, but longtime friends know that he can be very outgoing in the right circumstances.
The original sentence is constructed in such a way that its two clauses are meant to contrast each other. In this instance, there is no need for any conjunction after the comma since the second clause stands in clear contrast to the first without one.
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Replace the underlined portion with the answer choice that results in a sentence that is clear, precise, and meets the requirements of standard written English.
Janice was the top student in her graduating high school class, but so the principal invited her to be valedictorian of the class.
The original sentence consists of two clauses, the second of which is the result of the first. "But" is therefore not an appropriate conjunction to use in this sentence, and the inclusion of the word "so" is enough to demonstrate cause and effect.
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Replace the underlined portion with the answer choice that results in a sentence that is clear, precise, and meets the requirements of standard written English.
Paul knew that summer was coming, and he hadn't confirmed any plans for vacation.
The second clause in the sentence is intended to stand in contrast to the first, so the best conjunction to use in this instance is "but."
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Replace the underlined portion with the answer choice that results in a sentence that is clear, precise, and meets the requirements of standard written English.
The international organization is currently updating its Human Index, which takes into account life expectancy, education, as well as income per person.
The problem with the original sentence is the list: It is missing an "and," and we must find the right place for it. We can only have a list in the vein of "a, b, and c" when we intend the items to have equal weight. Otherwise we can have a list such as "a and b, as well as c" to denote that the first two items are to be taken together. But we cannot have a combination of the two lists in the form of "a, b, as well as c." Nor can we have "a and b and c." This is answer is best, as it also avoids an unnecessary "its."
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Replace the underlined portion with the answer choice that results in a sentence that is clear, precise, and meets the requirements of standard written English.
Her father indicated his willingness to lend her the money and she hated the idea of being indebted to her father.
When connecting two independent clauses using a coordinating conjunction, one should use a comma after the word preceding the conjunction. When the sentences seem to contrast, it is most likely most appropriate to implement "but" rather than "and". The incorrect answers all show errors of this kind. Some of the incorrect answer choices also incorrectly use the relative pronoun "that" in place of the preposition "of," resulting in a syntactic error.
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Replace the underlined portion with the answer choice that results in a sentence that is clear, precise, and meets the requirements of standard written English.
He was instructed to create compelling questions for the exam, and what did she mean by compelling?
The central issue here is correctly joining the two clauses using an effective conjunction. The first clause contrasts with the second clause, making the conjunctions and modifiers "for," "when," "in which," and "where" irrelevant. The correct conjunction is "but"; it is the only answer choice which conveys the correct relationship between the clauses.
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Replace the underlined portion with the answer choice that results in a sentence that is clear, precise, and meets the requirements of standard written English.
Mark's conviction was laudable, and his behavior, however, was completely unprofessional.
In order to arrive at the correct answer, one must effectively combine the two independent clauses. Because they contrast in meaning, using the conjunctive adverb however after a semi-colon is appropriate. The other answers incorrectly implement conjunctions or punctuation to resolve the issue. Using a semi-colon to join two independent clauses that contrast will work when using a conjunctive adverb like "however" to convey the appropriate relationship between the clauses. Note that comma usage also comes into play here.
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