SAT Writing

Category - Improving Sentences

Choose the answer which best rewords the italicized portion. If you think the original wording is best, choose option A.

There are a group of islands located in the East China Sea that are the subject of a dispute between two nations.
  1. There are a group of islands located in the East China Sea that are the subject of a dispute between two nations.
  2. There are a group of islands, located in the East China Sea, that are the subject of a dispute between two nations.
  3. A group of islands located in the East China Sea that is the subject of a dispute.
  4. A group of islands located in the East China Sea is the subject of a dispute between two nations.
Explanation
Answer: D - The best choice is “A group of islands located in the East China Sea is the subject of a dispute between two nations.”

Wordiness can affect sentence clarity and cause confusion. Setting aside unnecessary words and phrases can strengthen a sentence. Removing inappropriate commas and “there are” and “that” do not change the sentence’s meaning. The phrase “between two nations” is necessary because it tells readers “who” is disputing the islands.
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