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SAT verbal question

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The following sentence contains either a single error or no error at all. If the sentence contains an error, select the one underlined part that must be changed to make the sentence correct. If the sentence contains no error, select choice E.

(A) *It weaves* across a strip of tropical land (B) *where*
the Isthmus of Panama (C) *narrows* in the shape of a
long flattened letter S, the Panama Canal (D) *links*
the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. (E) *No error*
 
not a huge fan of the "it weaves..., the panama canal" construction. i might switch "it weaves" with "weaving."
 
It's 100% A. I got a perfect on the grammatical section of the SAT, so if you need more help, feel free to hit me up.
 
It is A, which is probably the only answer the examiners will accept. But what about D? For example:

"It weaves across a strip of tropical land where the Isthmus of Panama narrows in the shape of a long flattened letter S, the Panama Canal linking the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans."

Which is really just rearranging:

"The Panama Canal linking the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans weaves across a strip of tropical land where the Isthmus of Panama narrows in the shape of a long flattened letter S."
 
It is A, which is probably the only answer the examiners will accept. But what about D? For example:

"It weaves across a strip of tropical land where the Isthmus of Panama narrows in the shape of a long flattened letter S, the Panama Canal linking the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans."

Which is really just rearranging:

"The Panama Canal linking the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans weaves across a strip of tropical land where the Isthmus of Panama narrows in the shape of a long flattened letter S."

You can't just rearrange them like that. For one, that last sentence is a run-on sentence which either needs to be fixed by rephrasing or inserting some commas. Two, in a construction like "It weaves..., the Panama Canal linking..." It and the Panama Canal should be different entities, but the intended meaning has them be the same thing.
 
I would think of it this way:

The Panama canal is obviously "It" but the sentence, as written, would rather lend itself to a sort of Shakespearean dramatic irony ;)

The reader would be left wonder what "It" is until midway through the sentence. Is "It" a boat? a sea monster? only to discover "It" is itself.

Consider replacing "It" with "The Panama Canal" :

" The Panama Canal weaves across a strip of tropical land where the Isthmus of Panama narrows in the shape of a long flattened letter S..."
 
The reader would be left wonder what "It" is until midway through the sentence. Is "It" a boat? a sea monster? only to discover "It" is itself.

That's not a problem: the same thing occurs in the corrected version according to A:

Weaving across a strip of tropical land where the Isthmus of Panama narrows in the shape of a
long flattened letter S, the Panama Canal links the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
 
Precisely -- this is a rather well known example of a palindrome.

The first pair of palindromes ever uttered could have been:

--> "Madam, I'm Adam."
--> "Eve."
 
The following sentence contains either a single error or no error at all. If the sentence contains an error, select the one underlined part that must be changed to make the sentence correct. If the sentence contains no error, select choice E.

(A) *It weaves* across a strip of tropical land (B) *where*
the Isthmus of Panama (C) *narrows* in the shape of a
long flattened letter S, the Panama Canal (D) *links*
the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. (E) *No error*

Actually, I'd bet this is not from an actual SAT, but rather from an "SAT practice" book published outside the US.
As others have told you, the answer is most probably A.
I think they are just testing your knowledge of rudimentary grammar, and I don't believe the actual SAT tests grammar.

"It weaves across a strip of tropical land where the I. of P. narrows in the shape of a long flattened letter S"

This is a full sentence. It has a subject (it), a verb (weaves), and a subject (albeit a complex subject modified with prepositions and qualified with adjectives--the rest of the sentence).

Full sentences are always followed with a period (or a full-stop, if you are British). It is not followed by a comma, as here.

What follows after the comma is also a full sentence by itself.

If you want to join what would otherwise be two separate present tense sentences with a comma, the former clause must be turned from a sentence (in this case written in present perfect) to a clause written in the present participle.

To turn the sentence into a clause in the present participle, you would change "It weaves" to "weaving", as others have pointed out.

Anywho....change study books. This one doesn't seem too good...SAT doesn't test grammar.
 
Not always.
yeah, you're right--it can also be followed by a question mark, exclamation point, etc etc.
i should have said sentences written in present perfect (as in this case) are followed by a period--except simple sentences in present perfect but connatating commands, subjunctives, sarcsm, poetic license, etc etc. :)
 
yeah, you're right--it can also be followed by a question mark, exclamation point, etc etc.
i should have said sentences written in present perfect (as in this case) are followed by a period--except simple sentences in present perfect but connatating commands, subjunctives, sarcsm, poetic license, etc etc.

Not even then.
 
Anywho....change study books. This one doesn't seem too good...SAT doesn't test grammar.
There's an entire writing section................................................................. even a two second google search makes that obvious...
 
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