grammar experts... I don't do this very often but...WRITING QUESTIONS!

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<p>Hello! I have some writing questions.</p>

<p>Usually, I search any writing questions I have so I don't clutter the threads, but there are some questions I have that I just do not understand. An explanation for them would be nice. :)</p>

<p>Here they are:</p>

<p>5) This morning, just as the professor was leaving for his lecture tour, a panel of distinguished scientists (had issued a report confirming) his most recent findings.
A - had issued a report confirming
B - issued a report confirming
Answer: B
Why not A?</p>

<p>9) (Concerned about possible damage to) the atmosphere's ozone layer, laws in many countries now prohibit the use of fluorocarbons as propellants in aerosol cans.
A - Concerned about possible damage to
B - Concerned about possibly damaging
Answer: B
Why not A?</p>

<p>11) The poetry of Wallace Stevens is seldom taught to the average high school student because (of its difficulty in understanding).
A - of its difficulty in understanding
B - it is difficult to understand
Answer: B
Why not A?</p>

<p>17) (Mohandas Gandhi's influence has had a great effect on many later reformers who followed him), including the American civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr.
A - Mohandas Gandhi's influence has had a great effect on many later reformers who followed him
B - Mohandas Gandhi's influence has been great on many later reformers
C - Mohandas Gandhi greatly influenced many later reformers
D - The influence of Mohandas Gandhi's was great on many later reformers
Answer: C
Why not A, B, or D?</p>

<p>20) With the current difficulty in (filling) seats on juries, (some) argue that jurors should be compensated (for lost wages), particularly given the (increasing) length of trials.
Answer: E
Why not D?</p>

<p>21) The development of telescopes of greater power and resolution (has given) astronomers hope that glimpses of distant solar system bodies even (smaller than) Pluto (will soon) (be possible).
Answer: E
Why not B?</p>

<p>25) (To stand in) Persepolis in modern Iran and look out, as Darius the First (must have done), at the immense (sweep of fields and mountains) is (to grasp) the vastness of the ancient Persian Empire.
Answer: E
Why not B?</p>

<p>27) If pressed (hard enough), (all but the most) naive people probably (would admit) that complete political freedom is an ideal (rather than being) a reality.
Answer: D
Why?</p>

<p>32) (Neither) the ancient theory of yin and yang nor the modern (investigation of) endorphins (adequately explains) why acupuncture is so effective (with) relieving pain.
Answer: D
Why?</p>

<p>33) (Such a) bold stroke would transform the city's two railroad terminals (into) through stations (and might also) be the signal for competing railroads (to work as) a team.
Answer: E
Why not C?</p>

<p>34) Pictures of vipers (drawn on) the walls of caves (suggest) that prehistoric hunters (may have used) snake charms (for bringing) good luck.
Answer: D
Why?</p>

<p>Thanks!</p>

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<p>5) “this morning” & “had issued” don’t work together. I’m sure there’s some rule regarding participles and time frames that you can search up, but this one is easiest to go by how it “sounds right.” That said, you wouldn’t say you had done something today, you would say you did something today.
9) A is correct, although both are technically wrong because laws aren’t concerned about anything.
11) Poetry has no difficulty in understanding stuff; it’s the students who have difficulty.
17) D uses a double possessive, the others are too wordy and repetitive, albeit awkward.
20) The length is increasing, so it’s used as an adjective here. Nothing wrong.
21) It’s a correct comparison. “Smaller than” compares 2 things, the bodies and Pluto.
25) Hard to explain, but it’s grammatically correct. More or less moderate usage of “must have done”.
27) bad parallel structure + “being” = wrong
32) Incorrect idiom. “Effective at”
33) There’s nothing wrong with it…correct transitions…etc.
34) Idiom “to bring”</p>

<p>That said, whichever book you got these questions from is a bad source of questions. Use bluebook.</p>

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<p>Actually, the correct answer for number 9 is “Because of concern about…” (D). A and B are both wrong because laws aren’t concerned about anything.
I did this question once and the correct answer is definitely D. I suggest you check again.</p>

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<p>5) Basic verb tense. Professor “WAS leaving” (past tense), and panel of scientists issued the report at the same time (“as”), so you can’t just change verb tense to past perfect just because it feels nice or whatever.</p>

<p>9) I believe you didn’t recreate the entire answer choices—both of these answers contain a modifier error (“laws” can’t be “concerned about” things).</p>

<p>11) A means the poetry has trouble understanding things. </p>

<p>17) A is redundant (“later” and “who followed him”). B is non-idiomatic (“influence has been great on” is a no-go). D has a double possessive (common in spoken English but unacceptable on SAT).</p>

<p>20) What do you think is wrong with D? It’s an adjective modifying a noun (“length”) and is fine.</p>

<p>21) Again, what do you think is wrong with B? Why not B? Because it’s fine—it’s a perfectly normal comparative.</p>

<p>25) Jebus, man, WHAT DO YOU THINK IS WRONG WITH B? It’s fine.</p>

<p>27) “Being” is almost always wrong, in this case because of poor parallelism. D must be parallel to “an ideal,” so D should read “rather than”.</p>

<p>32) “Effective at” is the correct idiom.</p>

<p>33) Because C is perfectly correct.</p>

<p>34) Idiom. Use A to verb. They used snake charms TO BRING good luck.</p>

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<p>Thank you very much for the help! Btw, I got all these questions from past QAS tests.</p>