Can someone explain this writing question?

Chenryy
Wed, 25 Aug 2010 12:08:04 +0000

Here is an Improving Sentences question from Collegeboard:

Around 230 million years ago, the west coast of what is now Europe and the bulge of northwestern Africa began to collide slowly with the east coast of North America, the coming together of the landmasses to form the supercontinent Pangea.

(A) the coming together of the landmasses to form the supercontinent Pangea
(B) the landmasses coming together to form the supercontinent Pangea
(C) and with the landmasses coming together to form the supercontinent Pangea
(D) the supercontinent Pangea to be formed from the coming together of the landmasses
(E) forming the supercontinent Pangea by the landmasses coming together

ANSWERS AND EXPLANATIONS

Skill Group: Managing phrases and clauses in a sentence

Explanation for Correct Answer B :

Choice (B) is correct because it properly constructs an absolute phrase (or nominative absolute) with a noun and a participial phrase.

Explanation for Incorrect Answer A :

Choice (A) improperly constructs an absolute phrase by using an infinitive verb form (“to form”) instead of the necessary participle.

Explanation for Incorrect Answer C :

Choice (C) creates dangling phrases. The conjunction “and” suggests that the prepositional phrase (“with…together”) and the infinitive phrase that follows it (“to…Pangea”) connect to the rest of the sentence, but there is no apparent connection of ideas.

Explanation for Incorrect Answer D :

Choice (D) improperly constructs an absolute phrase by using a passive verb (“to be formed”) instead of an active participle.

Explanation for Incorrect Answer E :

Choice (E) involves an error in case. Since the noun “landmasses” precedes a gerund (“coming”), the noun should be in possessive case.

I don’t see how (B) is the right answer. It sounds completely wrong, and the explanation doesn’t help at all because Collegeboard thinks that students, like me, who aren’t smart enough to get the right answer, understand words like “nominative absolute.”