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. Modern man is heir to the caveman who made his first fire, flaked the first stone tools, living on the flesh of the mammoth.

  1. flaked the first stone tools, living on the flesh of the mammoth

  2. flaking the first stone tools, and living on the flesh of the mammoth

  3. flaked the first stone tools, and had to live on the flesh of the mammoth

  4. flaked the first stone tools, and lived on the flesh of the mammoth

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

Explanation for (1): The use of gerund form 'living' tempers with the parallel construction of the sentence (made…flaked).

Explanation for (2): This option fails to correct the error of parallelism. (made…flaking… living).

Explanation for (3): This option fails to correct the error of parallelism. (made…flaked… had to live).
Justification for (4): The use of gerund form 'living' tempers with the parallel construction of the sentence. This is rectified only in (4) (made…flaked… lived). Explanation for (5): This option fails to correct the error of parallelism. (made…flaked… used to live).