Sentence Correction #8
Saturday, July 15, 2006
A huge flying reptile that died out with the dinosaurs some 65 million years ago, the Quetzalcoatlus had a wingspan of 36 feet, believed to be the largest flying creature the world has ever seen.
(A) believed to be
(B) and that is believed to be
(C) and it is believed to have been
(D) which was, it is believed,
(E) which is believed to be
Note: Post your answer along with an explanation if required. Highlight this note to check your answer. Answer: C
2 Comments:
i think that 9e0 is correct because that is used for living things
D and E incorrect use of relative pronoun “which” immediately after comma indicating winspan and not the reptile. A has misplaced modifier “believed to be” modifies the “wingspan of 36 feet” and not “the Quetzalcoatlus”, B has pronoun reference “that” in the final clause “and that is believed to be” illogical and illegal reference to “wingspan of 36 feet” and not “the Quetzalcoatlus”
In C, the personal pronoun clearly and correctly refers to "the Quetzalcoatlus.", The relative pronouns (that, which, who, what, when, where) refer to the nearest antecedent noun. This restriction is not in play for personal pronouns. The rule for them is that they must clearly refer to a logical antecedent. That rule is observed in this construction.
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