<ol>
<li>By failing to resolve the city's fiscal crisis is why the mayor lost his bid for reelection.</li>
</ol>
<p>(A) By failing to resolve the city's fiscal crisis is why
(B) Because he failed to resolve the city's fiscal crisis,
(C) Due to his failure at resolving the city's fiscal crisis,
(D) He failed to resolve the city's fiscal crisis is the reason that
(E) His failure to resolve the city's fiscal crisis resulted in that</p>
<p>Why is the answer (B) and not (C)? I narrowed it down to both of them when I was taking the test, but ended up going with C. They seem identical.</p>
<ol>
<li>In 1966 Brian Wilson began writing and recording songs for the Beach Boys’ experimental album Smile but eventually abandoning the project, perhaps out of fear that the music was too strange to be commercially successful.</li>
</ol>
<p>(C) Smile but, perhaps out of fear that the music was too strange to be commercially successful, eventually abandoned the project
(E) Smile, however, the project was eventually abandoned, perhaps out of fear that the music was too strange to be commercially successful</p>
<p>The same deal here, I narrowed it down to (C) and (E). Why is the answer (C) and not (E)? They seem identical again.</p>
<p>“Due” is an adjective; “because” is a conjunction. Adjectives modify nouns: “The paper is due next week.” Conjunctions connect clauses.</p>
<p>Here is how “because of” should be used: “It is raining because the clouds are releasing accumulated, heavy water vapor.” “Because” modifies “it is raining,” which is a clause. What follows the conjunction is the reason that “it is raining.”</p>
<p>“Due to” cannot substitute “because of”: “It is raining due to the clouds . . .” is incorrect. “Due” is an adjective and has to modify a noun–there is no real noun in the phrase “it is raining.” You could, however, say, “Raining is due to the clouds. . . .” You cannot say, “Raining is because . . .” because “raining” is not a clause.</p>
<p>Similarly, you cannot say that the mayor lost his bid for reelection due to his failures, but you can say that he did so because of his failures, or because he failed; or that his loss was due to his failures.</p>
<p>For the second one, E is grammatically incorrect because it uses a comma splice and the passive voice.</p>
<p>1- A comma splice occurs when you use a comma to divide two independent clauses: “I ate an apple, I drank a soda.” To fix a comma splice, you would have to use either a period (to form two separate sentences) or a semicolon (to connect two separate but related ideas). Some conjunctions, called correlative conjunctions, can link two separate ideas with a comma; the best example is and: “I ate an apple, and I drank a soda.” (The comma is optional in this case.) “However” is not a correlative conjunction, so you can’t say, “I drank a soda, however, I was still thirsty afterward.” You would either use a period (“I drank a soda. However, I was still thirsty afterward.”) or use a semicolon (“I drank a soda; however, I was still thirsty afterward.”) A similar word that IS a correlative conjunction would be but, which CAN be used with a comma: “I drank a soda, but I was still thirsty afterward.”</p>
<p>2- The passive voice is used when you avoid stating the subject, or the doer, of an action. It is when you say that the boat has docked instead of that the docker docked the boat; in this case, it is better to use the passive voice because there is no point in referring to or introducing the docker. The passive voice is unfavorable and wrong in some if not most cases on the SAT because it is frequently used for no reason. It is a stylistic thing. You don’t say, “He began the project, but the project was eventually abandoned.” It is better to say, “He began the project, but he eventually abandoned it,” or, “He began the project but eventually abandoned it.”</p>
<p>Thank you very much CrazyBandit. </p>
<p>I have always used “Due to the fact” in my writings, so that threw me off.</p>