Question 207·Hard·Form, Structure, and Sense
After analyzing data collected over thirty years, _____
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
For sentence-intro questions with a phrase like "After ... ," or "Because ... ," always match the introductory phrase to the first noun after the comma: that noun must be the one doing the action described in the opening phrase. Quickly plug each answer into the sentence, ask "Who did this action?" and eliminate any option where the subject is illogical (like objects or abstract nouns doing human actions) or where the sentence becomes wordy or awkward. Among remaining choices, prefer the one that is clear, concise, and uses an active, logical subject.
Hints
Focus on the phrase before the comma
Look carefully at "After analyzing data collected over thirty years,". Ask yourself: who actually did that analyzing?
Match the subject to the action
Check that the first noun after the comma could logically perform the action in the introductory phrase. Is it a person, or is it something that cannot literally analyze data?
Prefer clear and direct wording
If more than one choice seems grammatically possible, choose the one that is the most straightforward and least wordy or awkward.
Step-by-step Explanation
Identify what the opening phrase is describing
Look at the beginning: "After analyzing data collected over thirty years,". This is an introductory phrase that tells us what happened before the main action. The word or phrase that comes right after the comma must be the thing (usually a person) that did the analyzing.
Check who appears immediately after the comma in each choice
Mentally plug each answer into the blank and ask: Who analyzed the data?
- In A, the subject right after the comma is "average global temperatures".
- In B, it is "the climatologist's new report".
- In C, it is "the conclusion".
- In D, it is "the climatologist". Only a person (or group of people) can reasonably analyze data.
Eliminate choices with illogical or unclear subjects
Reject any choice where a non-person is treated as if it did the analyzing or where the sentence becomes wordy and awkward:
- A suggests that temperatures analyzed the data.
- B suggests that a report analyzed the data.
- C suggests that a conclusion analyzed the data and is also unnecessarily wordy and clunky. These all create what is called a dangling modifier: the opening phrase doesn't clearly attach to the right subject.
Select the clear, concise sentence with a logical subject
The remaining option is the one where the subject after the comma is the person who could have analyzed the data and the sentence is direct and clear. That is choice D: "the climatologist concluded in a new report that average global temperatures have risen by 1 degree Celsius."