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Less than 400 Sumatran rhinos survive on the Malay peninsula and on the islands of Sumatra and Borneo, and they occupy a small fraction of the species’ former range.

 

Meaning Analysis

• Less than 400 Sumatran rhinos survive on
  • the Malay peninsula and
  • on the islands of Sumatra and Borneo,

The sentence starts by saying that very few Sumatran rhinos now exist in certain places. Reading further:

• and they occupy a small fraction of the species’ former range.

Giving us more information about the survival status of the animal, this part of the sentence states that these animals currently occupy only a small portion of their original habitat range.

 

To sum up, the author intends to present the survival status of a particular animal, the Sumatran rhino. Accordingly, we get to know:

1. that very few of these rhinos now exist in their natural habit, and
2. that they now live on a very small portion of their original habitat range

Error Analysis

 

 

Idiom Error

 

Use of the comparison word less to refer to 400 rhinos is incorrect because rhinos can be counted. The word less is used for noun entities that cannot be counted. The sentence must use the comparison word fewer to refer to rhinos.

 

POE

Incorrect

 

This choice is incorrect for the reason stated in the error analysis.

Incorrect

 

1.  Idiom Error

 

This choice repeats the idiom error of Choice A.

 

2.  Meaning Error

 

Usage of verb-ing modifier surviving on… conveys that there are certain number of Sumatran rhinos that survive in the mentioned peninsula and islands and that these rhinos occupy a small portion of their original range. This opens up the possibility that these Rhinos could be elsewhere too. However, we know from the meaning analysis that the original sentence intends to convey that the Sumatran Rhinos exist only in the mentioned places and not anywhere else. Therefore, this option introduces a meaning change too.

Incorrect

 

Modifier Error

 

The opening verb-ing modifier occupying… illogically modifies the subject of the following main clause the Malay peninsula and the islands of Sumatra and Borneo.

Correct

 

This choice corrects the idiom error present in the original sentence. There are no modifier errors in the sentence. Therefore, this choice is the correct answer.

Incorrect

 

1.  Idiom Error

 

This choice repeats the idiom error of Choice A.

 

2.  Meaning Error

 

This choice repeats the meaning error present in Choice B. because of the usage of the opening verb-ing modifier surviving…..