Multiple choice

Directions: This question presents a sentence, all or part of which is underlined. Beneath the sentence you will find five ways of phrasing the underlined part. The first of these repeats the original; the other four are different. If you think the original is best, choose the first answer; otherwise choose one of the others.

In reference to the recent spate of hate crimes, the Prime Minister of the Australian State of Victoria had expressed concern that foreign students would get scared away by the negative publicity.

  1. In reference to the recent spate of hate crimes, the Prime Minister of the Australian State of had Victoria expressed concern that

  2. Referring to the recent spate of hate crimes, the Prime Minister of the Australian State of Victoria expressed concern that

  3. Recent spate of hate crimes have caused the Prime Minister of the Australian State of Victoria to express concern that

  4. The Prime Minister of the Australian State of Victoria, referring to the recent spate of hate crimes, had expressed concern that

  5. While referring to the recent spate of hate crimes, concern had been expressed by the Prime Minister of the Australian State of Victoria that
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

The option removes the Error of Tense Usage by using Simple Past to refer to the Prime Minister's comment on 'recent spate of hate crimes' Also, 'referring to' is more concise and appropriate than 'in reference to'.

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