noboru wrote:
A star will compress itself into a white dwarf, a neutron star, or a black hole after it passes through a red giant stage, depending on mass.
(A) A star will compress itself into a white dwarf, a neutron star, or a black hole after it passes through a red giant stage, depending on mass.
(B) After passing through a red giant stage, depending on its mass, a star will compress itself into a white dwarf, a neutron star, or a black hole.
(C) After passing through a red giant stage, a star’s mass will determine if it compresses itself into a white dwarf, a neutron star, or a black hole.
(D) Mass determines whether a star, after passing through the red giant stage, will compress itself into a white dwarf, a neutron star, or a black hole.
(E) The mass of a star, after passing through the red giant stage, will determine whether it compresses itself into a white dwarf, a neutron star, or a black hole.
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Official ExplanationLogical predication; Rhetorical constructionThe sentence attempts to convey the idea that a star will compress itself into one of three forms after it passes through the red giant stage: a white dwarf, a neutron star, or a black hole. The sentence also indicates that which one of these three forms the star will compress itself into is determined by the star's mass. As worded, these ideas are not clearly and unambiguously conveyed. For example, it is not clear what the modifying phrase
depending on mass is supposed to modify. Because of its placement, it appears to modify
red giant stage; it should, however, modify
star. Given this problem, the sentence fails to convey its intended meaning clearly.
A. As indicated above, this version fails to convey its intended meaning clearly.
B. The referent of the pronoun its is unclear. Given that
red giant stage is the only noun before
its, the sentence would seem to indicate that
red giant stage is the referent, but the meaning would be correct only if
its refers to
star. Furthermore, the modifying statement
depending on its mass appears to modify
red giant stage rather than
star.
C. The modifying phrase
After passing through a red giant stage modifies
a star's mass but it should describe the star itself. Given that the mass is not what passes through the red giant stage, this is incorrect.
D. Correct. In this version, it is clear that the sentence is saying that the star itself passes through the
red giant stage and that the star will ultimately compress itself into one of the three listed options:
white dwarf, neutron star, or black hole.
E. The pronoun
it refers to
the mass of a star, rather than
a star, as intended. Likewise, the star itself passes through the red giant stage, not its mass.
The correct answer is D.