ACT English: Sentence Structure (Drill 3)

Question 1. Which choice makes the sentence most grammatically acceptable?

• A) No Change (the research team immediately applied for approval from the federal regulatory agency.)
• B) the research team, immediately applied for approval from the federal regulatory agency.
• C) and the research team immediately applied, for approval from the federal regulatory agency.
• D) so the research team immediately applied for approval from the federal regulatory agency. ✓

Explanation: Choice D is correct. The original (Choice A) is a comma splice, two independent clauses joined only by a comma. "The vaccine trials produced promising results" and "the research team immediately applied for approval" are both complete independent clauses. Choice D adds the coordinating conjunction "so," which both corrects the splice and signals the cause-and-effect relationship between the two events. Choice B adds a comma after "team," which does not fix the splice and instead incorrectly separates the subject from its verb. Choice C adds "and" but also inserts an illogical comma that separates "applied" from its prepositional phrase "for approval," disrupting the sentence's meaning.

Question 2. Which choice makes the sentence most grammatically acceptable?

• A) No Change (Exhausted by the long journey and eager to rest, the hotel lobby felt like a welcome refuge), as the sentence presents it
• B) Exhausted by the long journey and eager to rest, the travelers found the hotel lobby to be a welcome refuge ✓
• C) Being exhausted by the long journey and eager to rest, the hotel lobby was a welcome refuge
• D) The hotel lobby felt like a welcome refuge, exhausted by the long journey and eager to rest,

Explanation: Choice B is correct. The opening participial phrase "Exhausted by the long journey and eager to rest" must logically modify the subject of the main clause. In Choice A, the subject is "the hotel lobby", a lobby cannot be exhausted or eager. This is a dangling modifier. Choice B correctly makes "the travelers" the subject, so the phrase logically modifies them. Choice C retains the same dangling modifier error with "Being exhausted." Choice D moves the participial phrase to the end but still attaches it to "the hotel lobby" as the subject, so the dangling modifier problem persists.

Question 3. Which choice makes the sentence most grammatically acceptable?

• A) No Change (tracking animal migrations, to document feeding behaviors, and the photographing of rare species in remote habitats.)
• B) tracking animal migrations, documentation of feeding behaviors, and photographing rare species in remote habitats.
• C) tracking animal migrations, documenting feeding behaviors, and photographing rare species in remote habitats. ✓
• D) to track animal migrations, documenting feeding behaviors, and to photograph rare species in remote habitats.

Explanation: Choice C is correct. The verb "spent" takes an object describing how time was spent; the most natural construction uses gerunds ("-ing" forms). The first element "tracking" sets the pattern. Choice C gives all three elements the same gerund form: "tracking," "documenting," and "photographing", perfectly parallel. Choice A mixes a gerund ("tracking"), an infinitive ("to document"), and a noun phrase ("the photographing"), which is not parallel. Choice B mixes a gerund ("tracking"), a noun ("documentation"), and a gerund ("photographing"), the second element breaks the pattern. Choice D mixes infinitives and a gerund across the three elements, breaking parallel structure.

Question 4. Which choice makes the sentence most grammatically acceptable?

• A) No Change (Unless the city council approves additional funding, the renovation project will be suspended indefinitely.) ✓
• B) Without the city council approving additional funding, and the renovation project will be suspended indefinitely, as the sentence is written.
• C) Unless the city council approves additional funding; the renovation project will be suspended indefinitely.
• D) The city council must approve additional funding, unless the renovation project will be suspended indefinitely.

Explanation: Choice A (No Change) is correct. The original is a well-formed complex sentence: "unless" introduces a conditional subordinate clause, a comma follows it, and the main clause states the consequence. This is standard and correct. Choice B replaces "Unless" with "Without...and," which inserts the coordinating conjunction "and" between the introductory phrase and the main clause, a conjunction has no logical role here and produces a broken sentence. Choice C replaces the comma with a semicolon, which is incorrect because a semicolon cannot separate a dependent clause from the main clause it modifies. Choice D moves "unless" to the middle of the sentence, but this placement distorts the logic: it now sounds as if the council must act in order to prevent itself from suspending the project, rather than expressing the conditional relationship correctly.

Question 5. Which choice makes the sentence most grammatically acceptable?

• A) No Change (Having studied all night, the exam seemed easy to Maria.)
• B) Having studied all night, Maria found the exam easy. ✓
• C) The exam, having studied all night, seemed easy to Maria.
• D) Having been studied all night, the exam seemed easy to Maria.

Explanation: Choice B is correct. A participial phrase at the start of a sentence must modify the grammatical subject of the main clause. In the original (Choice A), "Having studied all night" is followed by "the exam" as the subject, but exams cannot study. The modifier dangles. Choice B fixes this by making Maria the subject, so the opening phrase correctly modifies her. Choice C moves the phrase next to "exam" in a different position but doesn't fix the logic, the exam still can't study. Choice D changes "having studied" to "having been studied," which is nonsensical in context.