ACT English : Avoiding Ambiguity and Redundancy
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Example Questions
Example Question #41 : Avoiding Ambiguity And Redundancy
What, if anything, is incorrect about this following sentence?
Grover Cleveland was President of the United States around the late 1800s and is notable for serving two, nonconsecutive terms.
Grover Cleveland was not President in the late 1800s.
"and is notable for serving two, nonconsecutive terms" is an independent clause and should be separated from the first clause by a comma.
This sentence is grammatically correct and sufficiently detailed.
The sentence should cite the specific years of Grover Cleveland's terms.
The sentence should cite the specific years of Grover Cleveland's terms.
This sentence is needlessly ambiguous. President Grover Cleveland's terms have specific, verifiable dates, so the sentence should list those dates when talking about his Presidency.
Example Question #42 : Avoiding Ambiguity And Redundancy
Growing up, I used to find math very tedious. I abhorred algebra, couldn't stand geometry, and 1. was just hating trigonometry. I was sure calculus would be no different. 2. That was until I met, my calculus teacher, Ms. Sweed. 3. Calculus being the subject she taught, she used it to show me how 4. math makes our world go around.
5.Ms. Sweed was very educated, having two master’s and a PhD. 6. I can still remember one day that she talked to me after class after one of the first tests we took in class I had done not as well as I had wanted. When I went to talk to her after class, she told me that she thought I was very smart and could do better if I tried. I began to come to talk to her after class every day for extra study. 7. She only used these extra sessions to not help me understand the math, but showed how math can be used to apply to real life. She showed how math could be used to explain many natural phenomena. 8. However, she showed how math can be used to analyze patterns from studies. I never thought I would say math was my favorite subject, but with Ms. Sweed teaching, it was.
9. (1) Trying to use Mrs. Sweed’s wit, enthusiasm, and dedication, as I tried to inspire other students. (2) I even started to do well enough in math to start tutoring other students. (3) I never would have been able to do so without meeting Ms. Sweed. (4) I was soon one of the top tutors in our school, and I helped dozens of students increase their grades. [10] Thanks to her inspiration, I’ve decided to look into the field of engineering. 11. Now, an engineering major taking many math classes in college. I enjoy every single one of them. 12. Math is a subject everyone can enjoy.
Choose the answer that best corrects the underlined portion of the sentence. If the underlined portion is correct as written, choose "NO CHANGE."
She used calculus to show me how
She, being a calculus teacher, used it to show me how
Being a calculus teacher, she used calculus to show me how
Calculus being the subject she taught, it was used to show me how
NO CHANGE
She used calculus to show me how
The sentence has a misplaced modifier, as "she" is the subject of the sentence, and "calculus" is the subject of the modifier, since it is in the passive voice (which is another error). Also, we can eliminate any mention of Ms. Sweed being a calculus teacher, as this is already established and redundant to restate. The correct choice shows the most concise and clear way to express the original sentence.
Example Question #43 : Avoiding Ambiguity And Redundancy
For decades large American corporations have outsourced (1) its workers, (2) especially in the manufacturing realm, in order to save money that could be spent paying American workers for the same job. Workers in foreign countries, especially those that contain a highly populated urban population as in Eastern Asia, are willing to work much longer hours for far less money than American workers. In addition,these foreign workers are not protected by as many labor laws. If a company’s primary desire is to maximize profit, (3) so outsourcing jobs is the most obvious and convenient solution. That is, until stories of unfair labor practices (4) begin circulating. Technological advancements in mass media communication (5) having been able to facilitate the process of raising awareness of important issues, including violation of basic human rights in the workplace.
Choose the answer that best corrects the bolded and underlined portion of the passage. If the bolded and underlined portion is correct as written, choose "NO CHANGE."
especially in the manufacturing realm;
especially having to do with the manufacturing realm,
NO CHANGE
most especially with respect to the realm of manufacturing,
NO CHANGE
The original text is the least wordy and contains the correct punctuation. A semi-colon separates two distinct ideas that on their own could be separated into different sentences.
Example Question #252 : Revising Content
Choose the answer that best corrects the underlined portion of the sentence. If the underlined portion is correct as written, choose "NO CHANGE."
Elaine Watson's new novel is the most unique example of stream-of-consciousness narrative I have encountered since I read William Faulkner's novels in college.
an unrivaled example
NO CHANGE
the most incomparable example
one of the most distinctive examples
the most singular example
one of the most distinctive examples
Since the words unique, singular, incomparable, and unrivaled mean "one of a kind" they cannot be quantified with words like most.
Example Question #253 : Revising Content
Choose the answer that best corrects the underlined portion of the sentence. If the underlined portion is correct as written, choose "NO CHANGE."
Because our school has instituted a strict dress code is the reason why there have been protests every day at lunch time.
NO CHANGE
there have been protests every day at lunch time.
is why there have been protests every day at lunch
is the reason for the protests every day at lunch.
explains the reason for the protests every day at lunch.
there have been protests every day at lunch time.
The word "because" in the first clause establishes the cause-and-effect relationship between the two clauses. Words like "the reason" and/or "why" create redundancy.
Example Question #254 : Revising Content
Choose the answer that best corrects the underlined portion of the sentence. If the underlined portion is correct as written, choose "NO CHANGE."
If you are looking for a fast and speedy processor, this is the best laptop I can recommend!
If you are looking for a rapid and speedy processor, this is the best laptop I can recommend!
If you are looking for a fast, speedy processor, this is the best laptop I can recommend!
NO CHANGE
If you are looking for a fast, high-speed processor, this is the best laptop I can recommend!
If you are looking for a fast processor, this is the best laptop I can recommend!
If you are looking for a fast processor, this is the best laptop I can recommend!
This question asks you to correct redundancy in a sentence. The words "fast" and "speedy" convey the same meaning, so it is not necessary to use both. Eliminating the word "speedy" makes the sentence more concise without changing its meaning.
Example Question #255 : Revising Content
Choose the answer that best corrects the underlined portion of the sentence. If the underlined portion is correct as written, choose "NO CHANGE."
Theodore Roosevelt ran as a third-party candidate for President in 1912, which caused serious divisions in the Republican party and may have been the cause of Woodrow Wilson's eventual victory in the general election.
a decision that
this
that
it
NO CHANGE
a decision that
"Which" is ambiguous since it could refer to his decision to run, the fact the it was Roosevelt who was running, or the year in which he ran.
"This" and "It" both create main clauses, resulting in comma splices.
Example Question #256 : Revising Content
Choose the answer that best corrects the underlined portion of the sentence. If the underlined portion is correct as written, choose "NO CHANGE."
This new law is going to create big, huge, sweeping changes in our state.
This new law is going to crate big, huge changes in our state.
This new law is going to create big, huge, and sweeping changes in our state.
This new law is going to create sweeping changes in our state.
This new law is going to create big and huge changes in our state.
NO CHANGE
This new law is going to create sweeping changes in our state.
This question asks you to eliminate redundancy and excess wordiness in a sentence. The words "big," "huge," and "sweeping" all convey the same meaning in the context of this sentence, so it is not necessary to use all of them. The word "sweeping" conveys the sentence's meaning concisely, without any unnecessary words.
Example Question #260 : Revising Content
Coupons
Are you trying to stick to a budget? Using coupons for [61] purchases, also known as “couponing” is a great way to save money on groceries. [62] Coupons are a little piece of paper that can give you a discount on what you buy. You will be amazed at the [63] great bargains and amazing savings you can get!
It’s easy to get started. [64] When you open up your daily newspaper, one might find a glossy insert full of coupons. [65] Some of the coupons will be for things you don’t buy, some will be for things you buy all the time. Go through the coupons and [66] chop out the ones you can use.
The key to successful couponing is getting multiple copies of coupon circulars. Ask [67] your friends, your neighbors, and family if they have any extras. Some coupon users even go through the recycling at their office to find more coupons! [68] Completely devoted, these circulars help coupon users to get even more savings.
Couponing might sound like hard work, but for [69] many people, it’s also a hobby. Not only does it help them save hundreds of dollars per year, [70] but instead it gives them a fun challenge every time they do their shopping.
Is there perhaps a greater value to a life lived without constant counting, penny-pinching, and miserliness? [71] But of what value are such savings? [72] At the end of the day; money is a construct, invented by the elite for the sole purpose of controlling the populace. [73] If we accept this fundamental truth, it behooves one to question the monetary structures that control our lives. Indeed, from this perspective, the very practice of couponing might seem a venial distraction from the valuable human endeavor of personal philosophical consideration. [74]
The papers we pore over should be in our books; the pennies we save should be in the currency of our happiness; [75] the budget we have made should have been a budget of our contentment.
A sort of couponing of the soul might ultimately be the solution.
Choose the answer that best corrects section [63].
NO CHANGE
amazing, great bargains and savings
great bargains
amazing bargains and great savings
great bargains
This question asks you to eliminate redundancy in a sentence. The phrases “great bargains” and “amazing savings” have the exact same meaning in this context, so it is not necessary to use both. Simply using “great bargains” conveys the same meaning without the unnecessary redundancy.
Example Question #311 : Writing And Revising Effectively
Choose the answer that best corrects the underlined portion of the sentence. If the underlined portion is correct as written, select “NO CHANGE.”
Julia wanted to buy the fastest car on the market, one which could go faster than any other car.
a car faster than any other car, the fastest car on the market.
the fastest car on the market
a fast car.
NO CHANGE
the fastest car on the market, one which could go the fastest any other car.
the fastest car on the market
This questions asks you to address redundancy in a sentence. The phrase "the fastest car on the market" already makes it clear that this car will be "faster than any other car," so the use of the second phrase is redundant and unnecessary. Shortening the phrase to simply "a fast car," however, changes the sentence's meaning: Julia does not just want any fast car, she wants the fastest one that exists. Therefore, the best answer is "Julia wanted to buy the fastest car on the market."
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