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.

Having failed to qualify the entrance test thrice, the decision was taken by her not to try again.

  1. Having failed to qualify the entrance test thrice, the decision was taken by her not to try again.

  2. Having failed to qualify the entrance test thrice, she took the decision not to try again.

  3. Because of having failed to qualify the entrance test thrice, she took the decision not to try again.

  4. Her failure to qualify the entrance test thrice led her to take the decision not to try again.

  5. Having failed to qualify the entrance test thrice led her to take the decision not to try again.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Explanation for (1): Error of dangling modifier. It is not clear who has failed to qualify the entrance test. 

Justification for (2): Error of dangling modifier. It is not clear who has failed to qualify the entrance test.  This option corrects the error of modifier by inserting 'she'. This makes it clear that she failed to qualify entrance test and she took the decision.

Explanation for (3): Though this option rectifies the error of modifier, it incorrectly uses redundant phrase (because of).
Explanation for (4): The option is grammatically correct but unnecessarily changes the whole structure of the sentence. Explanation for (5): The option is ungrammatical.

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