BB2 Writing question: pg 411 / #32

candescence
Mon, 19 Jul 2010 23:08:32 +0000

b** A castle is not the same thing as a palace, though some people use the terms “castle” and “palace” interchangeably. b** Castles are fortified dwellings, built by feudal lords of the Middle Ages. b** Their stone walls, moats, iron gates, and drawbridges were designed to ward off marauding plunderers and hostile armies. b** Small windows in castle walls allowed archers to shoot at intruders from positions of comparative safety. b** But even welcomed guests would have found castles less than inviting. b** In royal palaces there were to be found many comforts that medieval castles did not offer. b** These had dark dungeons and damp, drafty living quarters instead.

…(etc)

32. In context, which of the following is the best way to combine sentences 6 and 7?

“In royal palaces there were to be found many comforts that medieval castles did not offer. These had dark dungeons and damp, drafty living quarters instead.”

b** Because medieval castles had dark dungeons and damp, drafty living quarters, royal palaces offered many more comforts than could be found there.

b** Lacking many comforts compared to royal palaces, medieval castles instead offered dark dungeons and damp, drafty living quarters.

b** While medieval castles offered only dark dungeons and damp, drafty living quarters, many comforts were to be found in royal palaces.

b** Unlike medieval castles, royal palaces offered many comforts not found in dark dungeons and damp, drafty living quarters.

b** With their dark dungeons and damp, drafty living quarters, medieval castles offered few of the comforts to be found in royal palaces.

Both B and E seem correct. What is your reasoning why one is better than the other?