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Sentence Correction 23 / 50

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

Scientists argued that the unexpected and severe ecological disruption was primarily due to unrestricted industrial expansion, and thus, the only viable recourse for conservationists were to urge to return back to stringent regulatory oversight.

A. (No change)
B. the only viable recourse for conservationists was to urge a return to
C. the only viable recourse for conservationists were to urge returning to
D. the only viable recourse for conservationists was to urge to return back

1. Identification of Error: The fragment contains both a Subject-Verb Agreement error and a redundancy (tautology). The singular subject "recourse" is incorrectly paired with the plural verb "were." Additionally, "return back" is redundant, as "return" inherently signifies going or coming back.
2. Grammatical Rule: Subject-verb agreement dictates that a singular subject must take a singular verb. The word "recourse" is singular, requiring a singular verb. In written English, redundancy should be avoided to maintain precision and conciseness; "return" fully encompasses the meaning of restoring something to its previous state or place, making "back" unnecessary.
3. Option Elimination:
A. Incorrect — Retains both the Subject-Verb Agreement error ("recourse were") and the redundancy ("return back").
B. Correct — Corrects the Subject-Verb Agreement by using "was" with "recourse" and eliminates the redundancy by replacing "urge to return back" with the more concise and grammatically correct "urge a return to."
C. Incorrect — Retains the Subject-Verb Agreement error ("recourse were").
D. Incorrect — Corrects the Subject-Verb Agreement ("recourse was") but still includes the redundancy ("return back").

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