ACT english grammar help

Test Preparation
1

<p>The words/phrases in brackets are MY answers; the book answers are included afterward. Please provide an explanation for these errors. Since these sentences are not in context, I just want to know if they are grammatical as is. Sometimes, however, I think the book, Mcgraw-Hill, might be wrong.</p>

<p>test 10
19) In fact, Giant Pandas [ are by nature ] extremely solitary animals, usually avoiding direct contact with other animals.</p>

<p>ans: [ ,are by nature, ]</p>

<p>20) In [their dense] habitat, the black and white coat of the Giant Pandas may help make them more conspicuous to each other.</p>

<p>I think this is wrong because "in their dense habitat" modifies "the black and white coat." But I'm not sure because the first phrase is a prepositional phrase so maybe this sentence is genuine.</p>

<p>47) A new subdivision of homes [ building on ] a once thickly wooded plot of land often devastates the natural beauty of the area.</p>

<p>[ built on ], i know built on works, but does building on work as well?</p>

<p>50) Many builders take great care to maintain as much of the natural landscape as possible by keeping mature trees untouched [whenever possible ].</p>

<p>[omit], the reason the book provides is that "whenever possible" is redundant because "as possible" is there. what?</p>

2

<p>I believe that #19 is an independent clause, which would require the use of commas. I'm not sure about #20. In #47, building on wouldn't work due to the fact that it suggests that the act of building is continually in progress. For #50, whenever possible is definitely redundant.</p>

3

<p>19) In fact, Giant Pandas [ are by nature ] extremely solitary animals, usually avoiding direct contact with other animals.</p>

<p>ans: [ ,are by nature, ]</p>

<p>y would it need commas? cuz if u took out the clause it would read: In fact, Giant Pandas extremely solitary animals, usually avoiding direct contact with other animals. -> verb missing!</p>