Marathon racing (has become) increasingly popular among amateur athletes in the last few years.
Why is this sentence correct? Isn’t “last few years” past, not present perfect?
In addition to (being) a talented pianist and composer, Bartok was a respected musicologist.
The answer is no error. But since “was” indicates past tense, why isn’t “being” changed to “having been”?
Dr. Skolnick believes that the rise in food allergies may be explained in part by (us having become too hygienic of a society)
Correct answer: (the fact that we have become too hygienic a society)
Why is the original incorrect?
During the Spanish Civil War, many Catalan writers were forced into exile and, with the exception of Salvador Espriu, ceased to publish new works until after democracy (had been) established.
Answer is No Error. Why? I thought “had been” needed to be changed to “was” because the sequence is:
1) Catalan writers ceased to publish new works
2) Democracy was reestablished.
Since (2) occurred after (1), shouldn’t it be “was” instead of “had been”?
Despite being an expert, Jobs was also a perfectionist.
Should this sentence above be revised to maintain parallelism, though it would become wordier (see revised sentence below)?
Despite the fact that he was an expert, Jobs was also a perfectionist.
The “common people,” as Plato so charitably calls them, are drawn to “peevish and diverse” characters-such as Odysseus and other heroes in the Odyssey-who (to Plato, anyway) engage in such questionable displays of emotion as “spinning out a long melancholy lamentation” or “disfiguring themselves in grief.”
Which of the following best describes Plato’s view of the heroes mentioned in line 27?
A) Distrust
B) Contempt
Why is Distrust incorrect? I thought “questionable” would indicate distrust.
The whole city is a postcard panorama. Like being inside a grade-school civics text. Today, at least, the monument-flanked boulevards flow with people of all races.
Lines 20-21 (“the whole .. text”) suggest which of the following about Delia’s reaction to the city?
C) She sees an idealized version of the city.
E) She is amazed by the sheer size of the city.
Why is the correct answer C?
Why is E wrong? I thought she would feel awe at the “postcard panorama” size city.
The tiles are sorted not only by their surface appearance but also by their hardness and (their) capacity for conducting heat.
Is the “their” in parentheses necessary to maintain parallelism?
A correctly written sentence: A possible first step (in developing) a nonsexist vocabulary with which to analyze the works of the nineteenth-century writer Elizabeth Gaskell would be (to stop) referring to her as “Mrs. Gaskell.”
I know the sentence has no errors, but shouldn’t “in developing” be changed to “to develop” in order to be parallel with “to stop”?
In the early songs of the Beatles, one hears melodies that would seem to be more (a product of rural southern America than that of an English industrial city.)
Correct: a product of rural southern America than of an English industrial city.
Why is the original incorrect? Doesn’t the comparison starts immediately after “more”? So if you have “a product” right after “more” on one side, you must have “a product” on the other. Thus, A PRODUCT of a place is compared to A PRODUCT of another place?
“Joe is funded by sponsors of anonymous citizens.”
Are the “sponsors” sponsoring Joe or the anonymous citizens?
The positive integer n is not divisible by 7. The remainder when n^2 is divided by 7 and the remainder when n is divided by 7 are each equal to k. What is k?
He records the most influential songs, (which includes) such classics as “Rave On” and Peggy Sue.”
Should “includes” be changed to “include” since it is referring to the plural “songs”?
Because she had mistakenly assumed that the disputes between the parties could be successfully ——-, the attorney had not prepared herself for the ——- of a long, drawn-out public trial.
A) mediated..eventuality
B) eased..probability
E) foreseen..inevitability
I understand why choice A is correct, but why are choice B and E incorrect?
Correctly written sentence:
The proposed methods for controlling pollution were presented (more as temporary remedies than as) permanent solutions to the problem.
Why would this answer choice be wrong?: (as more temporary remedies than)