The ability of scientists to provide models of the atmosphere’s complex responses to changing conditions, like seasonal and daily cycles or different planetary conjunctions, have become ever more accurate.
(A) The ability of scientists to provide models of the atmosphere’s complex responses to changing conditions, like seasonal and daily cycles or different planetary conjunctions, have become ever more accurate.
(B) The ability of scientists has become ever more accurate in providing models of the atmosphere’s complex responses to changing conditions, such as seasonal and daily cycles or different planetary conjunctions.
(C) Scientists have become able to provide ever more accurate models of the atmosphere’s complex responses to such changing conditions as seasonal and daily cycles or different planetary conjunctions.
(D) Scientists have become ever more accurate in their ability for providing models of the atmosphere’s complex responses to changing conditions, like seasonal and daily cycles or different planetary conjunctions.
(E) Scientists’ ability to provide models of the atmosphere’s complex responses to such changing conditions as seasonal and daily cycles or different planetary conjunctions have become ever more accurate.
What does this question test?
This question tests your ability to infer logical meaning from a sentence that does not communicate logical meaning. It also tests your knowledge of idiomatic construction for presenting examples. In addition, it tests your knowledge of idiomatic construction for the idiom – ability to verb.
What does the sentence mean?
The ability of scientists to provide models of the atmosphere’s complex responses to changing conditions, like seasonal and daily cycles or different planetary conjunctions, have become ever more accurate. This sentence does not communicate logical meaning. It talks about ability of scientists to provide certain models – the models of atmosphere’s complex responses to changing conditions. It states that the ability of scientists to provide models has become more accurate. This is where the sentence does not make logical sense. It does not make sense to say that ability has become more accurate. It would however make sense to say that models have become more accurate.
What are the errors in the original sentence?
This sentence has two errors:
1: Meaning Error: As discussed in the meaning discussion above, the sentence does not communicate logical meaning. The SV pair, ability has become more accurate, does not make sense.
2: Idiom Error: Such as should be used to express examples. “Like” is used incorrectly in this sentence to present examples of changing conditions.
Answer Choice Analysis
Choice B – Meaning error as in choice A.
Choice C – No Error. Note here that the construction – scientists have become able to provide – may be considered wordy. But this choice is the best-worded choices among all the other choices. It does not have any grammatical errors and it communicates the logical meaning.
Choice D – This choice has three errors.
1. Meaning Error: As in choice A. Scientists have become more accurate in their ability – does not make logical sense.
2. Idiom Error: such as vs like: As in choice A.
3. Idiom Error: “ability for providing” is not idiomatically correct expression. The correct expression is “ability to provide”.
Choice E – Meaning error as in Choice A.
Thus, choice C is the correct answer.
What are the key take-away messages?
- If the original sentence does not communicate logical meaning, then the correct answer should be the one that is grammatically correct and that communicates a logical meaning.
- “Such as” should be used to present examples. “Like” should not be used to present examples.
- “Ability for verb-ing” is an idiomatically incorrect expression. The correct expression is “ability to verb”.
