Help! Hard writing questions!

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<li>American journalist [Harriet Quimby, the first woman to pilot a plane across the English channel, doing it] just nine years after the Wright brothers' first powered flight. </li>
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<p>Two answer choices that I got stuck between:</p>

<p>Harriet Quimby became the first woman to have piloted a plane across the English channel and did it (I chose this, because it sounded perfectly fine)</p>

<p>Harriet Quimby became the first woman to pilot a plane across the English Channel, accomplishing feat (the right answer) (I did not choose this because it seems to mangle with the original meaning)</p>

<ol>
<li>[Although the English artist William Blake never having painted portraits, he regarded them] as merely mechanical reproductions that, despite their popularity, lacked true creativity.</li>
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<p>The problem:
Ok, the original sentence obviously does not make sense at all. So, on an occasion like this, how are you suppose to know what the original sentence is really trying to mean (so I do not mangle with the original meaning)?</p>

<p>The answer is:
The English artist William Blake never painted portraits because he regarded them (Shouldn't it say ",because regarded them"?)</p>

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<li>The reason first novels are so often their writers' best best work is that it draws upon all the experiences of childhood.</li>
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<p>The answer is:
is that these first efforts draw upon (Isn't this way too wordy? "first efforts".. Is it necessary?)</p>

<p>I chose:
is that it draws upon (sounds fine to me, why is this wrong?)</p>

<ol>
<li>Although the politician was initially very sensitive to [be criticized] by the press, he quickly became more confident about responding to reporters' sometimes pointed questions. No error.</li>
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<p>I chose No error because everything sounded grammatically correct. How is the bracketed part grammatically wrong? </p>

<p>Much Thanks.</p>

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<ol>
<li> “became the first woman to have piloted” makes absolutely no sense because “to have” doesnt fit with “became.” it should be “became the first woman to pilot” because “to pilot” is an infinitive and that fits in succession with “became”. besides, “became the first woman” and “have piloted” refer to two different kinds of past forms (became = simple past, have piloted = present perfect). look up “simple past” and “present perfect” if you dont understand what i just said</li>
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<p>the right answer doesnt mangle with the original meaning because “accomplishing feat” is a fact supported by the original sentence, even though if the sentence was taken from a passage the very next sentence could very well be “But this was not really a feat”… just take it as it is</p>

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<li><p>what do you mean it should be “because regarded them”? it should be “because he regarded them” because you need the pronoun “he” (or “she” if the subject was a female). you can tell what the original sentence was supposed to mean because it has two distinct comparisons: that he never painted portraits, and that he regarded them as something he didnt like (hence “merely” and “lacked true creativity”). logically you would put these together with “because” - he didnt paint portaits because he didnt like them, not although he didnt like them</p></li>
<li><p>first of all the original sentence is wrong because “it” (singular) cant refer to “novels” (plural). second of all “first efforts” is not too wordy because that is the point of the sentence: that writers’ first novels AND first efforts are significant. “these first efforts” pertains to “first novels”</p></li>
<li><p>one can only be sensitive to a thing (correct: i am sensitive to the light), not an action (incorrect: i am sensitive to be lighted)</p></li>
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<p>it should be “sensitive to being criticized,” where “being criticized” is a thing</p>

<p>you would say “sensitive to be” in cases like “Am I too sensitive to be a social worker?” because you wouldnt be saying you were sensitive TO something, but sensitive “TO BE” something</p>

3

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<li><p>“it” is an ambiguous pronoun. What is this “it” that Harriet Quimby is doing? The plane? The English Channel? The ambiguous pronoun makes your answer choice incorrect.</p></li>
<li><p>

</p></li>
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<p>Who regarded the portraits as mechanical reproductions? “Because regarded them” makes no sense.</p>

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<li><p>“it” is a singular pronoun incorrectly replacing a plural antecedent (novels). In addition, you have an ambiguous pronoun. Referring to the novels as “first efforts” removes the ambiguity.</p></li>
<li><p>The man is “sensitive to criticism,” not “sensitive to be criticized.” This is an idiom that you must learn.</p></li>
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