Toppercracker
♫
Now Playing
Ambient Radio
♫

Keep Learning?

Sign in to continue practicing.

Sentence Correction 12 / 50

Choose the option that best corrects the grammatical or logical error in the underlined fragment.

Having meticulously analyzed the historical data, the conclusion drawn by the researchers was that economic cycles exhibited predictable patterns.

A. (No change)
B. the researchers concluded that economic cycles exhibited predictable patterns
C. it was concluded by the researchers that economic cycles exhibited predictable patterns
D. economic cycles were concluded by the researchers to exhibit predictable patterns

1. Identification of Error: Dangling Participial Phrase/Misplaced Modifier.
2. Grammatical Rule: A participial phrase at the beginning of a sentence must logically modify the subject of the main clause that immediately follows it. The implicit subject performing the action of the participle must match the explicit subject of the main clause. In the original sentence, 'Having meticulously analyzed' implies an agent, but 'the conclusion' cannot perform the action of analyzing.
3. Option Elimination:
A. Incorrect — The participial phrase 'Having meticulously analyzed' dangles because 'the conclusion' did not perform the analysis.
B. Correct — This option correctly identifies 'the researchers' as the subject who performed the analysis and then drew the conclusion, thus resolving the dangling modifier.
C. Incorrect — While grammatically passable, 'it was concluded' is passive and does not explicitly link 'it' (an impersonal pronoun) as the subject performing the action of 'analyzing' in the introductory phrase, making the modifier still dangle implicitly.
D. Incorrect — 'economic cycles' cannot perform the action of 'analyzing historical data', so the modifier still dangles.

← →