One Grammar Question

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1

<p>1.) In the novel, Jane Eyre must make many difficult choices, like when she forces herself to leave the house of Mr. Rochester, the married man she loves.</p>

<p>(C) for example, by forcing
(D) as exemplified by when she forces
(E) including forcing</p>

<p>Answer: E
My Question: I understand why E is correct, but my question is about C and D. This is what collegeboard book explains:</p>

<p>*Choice (C) results in awkward phrasing. The prepositional phrase "by forcing . . .," meaning "through means of forcing . . ." cannot be an example of the "many difficult choices" that Jane Eyre had to make. At the least, the preposition "by" should be deleted.</p>

<p>Choice (D) results in awkward phrasing and an inappropriate verb form. The phrase "when she forces" cannot be an example of the "many difficult choices" that Jane Eyre had to make. To fix this problem, the gerund "forcing" would have to used, and the possessive ("her") would be necessary ("by her forcing . . .").*</p>

<p>Since choice C is incorrect because the preposition "by forcing" cannot be an example of the "many difficult choices", how can the "by her forcing" in the choice D explanation be correct? NOTE: I am referring to the explanation of choice D, in the last sentence where collegeboard offers a possible fix to choice D.</p>

2

<p>Does anyone have an answer?</p>

3

<p>Honestly, the answer is very clear if you go through the process of elimination. C and D are outrageously erroneous and unclear for either one of them to be the correct answer. “By forcing herself to leave the man she loves”, where’s the continuation of this sentence? Usually, it’s followed by a result. “By forcing herself to leave the man she loves, she fell into depression.” And D is wordy, whereas E conveys the meaning more concisely and briefly.</p>

4

<p>I got the question right, but I was confused about college board’s explanation of D</p>

<p>The BB says, "To fix this problem, the gerund “forcing” would have to used, and the possessive (“her”) would be necessary (“by her forcing . . .”), yet they claim earlier that, “The prepositional phrase “by forcing . . .,” meaning “through means of forcing . . .” cannot be an example of the “many difficult choices” that Jane Eyre had to make.”</p>