Multiple choice

Direction: The following sentence test correctness and effectiveness of expression. Part of each sentence or the entire sentence is underlined; beneath each sentence are five ways of phrasing the underlined material. Choice A repeats the original phrasing; the other four choices are different. If you think the original phrasing produces a better sentence than any of the alternatives, select choice A; if not, select one of the other choices.

Gripping a tray of tea glasses, with one hand and having balanced a plate of snacks with another, fourteen year old Tom, paused in front of the second floor office in the multi–storied building.

  1. Gripping a tray of tea glasses, with one had and having balanced a plate of snacks with another,

  2. Having grip of a tray of tea glasses with one hand and having balanced a plate of snacks with another,

  3. gripping a tray of tea glasses and balancing a plate of snacks with another,

  4. Being gripped a tray of tea glasses with one hand and balancing a plate of snacks with the other,

  5. Gripping a tray of tea glasses with one hand and balancing a plate of snacks with the other,

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
E Correct answer
Explanation

(E): The correct option is (E). The problem lies in faulty parallelism. Since two actions are being described in the sentence, so both the actions should be in the same grammatical form. (E) option best maintains it by following the above rule.

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