<p>Hey guys I have a couple writing questions that have been bugging me recently for some reason. I got these questions right but I still need some clarification as to what the rules are.</p>
<p>may 2011 qas</p>
<ol>
<li>The development of Cameras so small that they can be swallowed by patients (have made diagnosing certain diseases much easier.)</li>
</ol>
<p>A. have made diagnosing certain diseases much easier
B. has made it much more easier to diagnose certain diseases
C. has made certain diseases much easier to diagnose
D. make diagnosing certain diseases much easier
E. are making it much easier to diagnose certain diseases</p>
<ol>
<li>Katarina could not be certain wether the voice she heard on the recording was her (uncle or someone else) who speaks with a heavy German accent.</li>
</ol>
<p>A. uncle or someone else
B. uncle or that of someone else
C. uncle's or someone else
D. uncle's or that of someone else
E. uncle's or someone else's</p>
<ol>
<li><p>The combination of the refined and rudimentary (were reflected) in the medieval castel, (where) rooms (hun) with rich tapestries were poorly heated and (furnished with) plain beaches.</p></li>
<li><p>Spotting Kim and I looking at the giant pandas, Brianna (carefully) maneuvered through the crowd and squeezed (between us) to get a look (at them) herself.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Answers</p>
<ol>
<li><p>I got this one correct. It was C. However, I had a difficult time between B and C. Is it because much more easier is incorrect?</p></li>
<li><p>I got this one correct as well. It was D. D made more sense to me but what is wrong with someone else's?</p></li>
<li><p>Got this one as well and it should be A. But im confused on when to make the verb singular or plural. For example in the this sentence "Missing from the play were the actor and stagewright." Why is it was here instead of were. Is it because the verb comes before in this sentence while it comes after in the one above??</p></li>
<li><p>Okay I got this one wrong. I had it between A and E but I thought the subjective case was fine. Usually my method is to test the sentence alone so I would read "I was looking at the large pandas" in my head. But its wrong so when do you use the objective and when do you use the subjective.</p></li>
</ol>
<ol>
<li>The development of cameras so small that they can be swallowed by patients (have made diagnosing certain diseases much easier.)</li>
</ol>
<p>A. have made diagnosing certain diseases much easier (wrong because the subject is singular)
B. has made it much more easier to diagnose certain diseases (wrong because “it” does not have an antecedent)
C. has made certain diseases much easier to diagnose (correct)
D. make diagnosing certain diseases much easier (wrong because the subject is singular)
E. are making it much easier to diagnose certain diseases (wrong because the subject is singular and because “it” does not have an antecedent)</p>
<ol>
<li>Katarina could not be certain whether the voice she heard on the recording was her (uncle or someone else) who speaks with a heavy German accent.</li>
</ol>
<p>A. uncle or someone else (wrong because “the voice” cannot be equated with “uncle”)
B. uncle or that of someone else (wrong because “the voice” cannot be equated with “uncle”)
C. uncle’s or someone else (wrong because “the voice” cannot be equated with “someone else”)
D. uncle’s or that of someone else (correct)
E. uncle’s or someone else’s (wrong because “who” needs a noun/pronoun as an antecedent, not a possessive)</p>
<ol>
<li>The combination of the refined and rudimentary (were reflected) in the medieval castle, (where) rooms (hung) with rich tapestries were poorly heated and (furnished with) plain benches.</li>
</ol>
<p>The subject is “combination”, which is singular. Therefore, choice A should be changed to “was reflected”. Any word in a prepositional phrase cannot be the subject.</p>
<p>Spotting Kim and (I) looking at the giant pandas, Brianna (carefully) maneuvered through the crowd and squeezed (between us) to get a look (at them) herself.</p>
<p>-ing words without “am/is/are”, “was/were”, or “be/been” cannot function as verbs. Both “Spotting” and “looking” are part of participial phrases. Nouns in any participial phrases must be objects.</p>
<p>So the corrected sentence is
“Spotting Kim and me looking at the giant pandas, Brianna carefully maneuvered through the crowd and squeezed between us to get a look at them herself.”</p>
<p>Great explanations. Now I will make sure to drill these in my head.</p>
<p>Also how about this one…</p>
<ol>
<li>When I learned that both events were scheduled for the same evening, I found it difficult to chose between going to the basketball game (or attend) the rock concert.</li>
</ol>
<p>A. or attend
B. or to attend
C. or attending
D. and attending
E. and to attend</p>
<p>For this one I will let you guys try it out. I had it down to the right answer and one other answer just because of parallelism but the and/or part threw me off. This was surprisingly a level 5 question.</p>
<p>That is most definitely a level 5 question, it throws a lot of people off - there are 2 errors that must be corrected.</p>
<p>The answer is D. First of all, you can never say “choose between x or y.” It is unidiomatic (or just straight up wrong) to use “or” after between. It will always be “choose between x and y”. I’m pretty sure (someone confirm) that “between” always comes with “and”…</p>
<p>Now that we know that, the best answer is D because “attending” is parallel with “going”.</p>
<p>Another one (from October 2011) for writing gurus out there:</p>
<p>New Zealand had fostered<a href=“A”>/u</a> a thriving local music scene for decades<a href=“B”>/u</a>, but it was not until the late 1990s when<a href=“C”>/u</a> New Zealand musicians began to reach<a href=“D”>/u</a> international audiences. (E)</p>
The development of cameras so small that they can be swallowed by patients (have made diagnosing certain diseases much easier
A. have made diagnosing certain diseases much easier
B. has made it much more easier to diagnose certain diseases
C. has made certain diseases much easier to diagnose
D. make diagnosing certain diseases much easier
E. are making it much easier to diagnose certain diseases
For B, why does "it" need an antecedent if "to diagnose certain diseases" is already there?