Serving Life

Although banana plants are grown primarily for its fruit, the plants' large, flexible leaves are used in many ways, including as umbrellas and as wraps for packages. No error

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Correct Answer: Second Option

The second option is correct. The possessive pronoun "its" should be "their" because the antecedent for it is the plural noun "banana plants."

A volcano is an opening, or rupture, in a Planet's surface that allows hot, molten rock, ash, and gases to escape from below the surface. No error

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Correct Answer: First Option

The first option is correct. The noun "planet" does not require capitalization, and neither does its possessive form.

Technically speaking , under the right set of circumstances, almost any shelled mollusk can produce some kind of "pearl," though most molluscan "pearls" lack the iridescence for which high-quality oyster pearls are valued. No error

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Correct Answer: Fifth Option

The fifth option is correct. The sentence contains no errors in grammar or usage.

It is hard to judge when people first began to cultivate lime trees, since the oldest surviving relevant documents do not clearly distinguish limes with other citrus fruits. No error

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Correct Answer: Fourth Option

The fourth option is correct. One distinguishes something "from" something else, not "with" something else.

Many fiction writers refer to real places and events in their work, but what distinguishes Gabriela's stories are the complex interaction between fact and fiction. No error

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Correct Answer: Fourth Option

The fourth option is correct. The verb "are" should be "is," as the corresponding subject is the singular noun "interaction."

The first bridge to be constructed across the river Thames, at the site where London Bridge later stood, were built of wood by the Romans around C.E. 60. No error

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Correct Answer: Third Option

The third option is correct. The verb "were" should be "was," as the corresponding subject is the singular noun "bridge."

Although the reporter was determined to finish her story by the deadline, she could not , despite her intentions, get nothing done because of the interruptions from incessant phone calls. No error

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Correct Answer: Third Option

The third option is correct. "She could not . . . get nothing done" contains a double negative; "nothing" should be "anything."

Beginning in C.E. 700 and for nearly a thousand years thereafter, the Republic of Venice was governed by a chief magistrate called "the doge," a title derived from the latin word dux, meaning "leader." No error

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Correct Answer: Fourth Option

The fourth option is correct. "Latin," the proper noun that refers to the ancient language of Rome, should be capitalized.

Astronomers have noted that Pluto's moon Charon , appears to be covered with active volcanoes spewing ammonia-rich water from the moon's deep interior. No error

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Correct Answer: Second Option

The second option is correct. The use of a comma after "Charon" is unwarranted and inappropriate, providing an illogical break between subject and verb.

Since ancient Egyptian religion emphasized continuity between this world and an afterlife, the pharaoh's tombs were outfitted with food, furniture, and all else needed for their comfort in eternity. No error

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Correct Answer: Second Option

The second option is correct. The apostrophe in "pharaoh's" belongs after the final "s" because the possessive pronoun "their," which appears later in the sentence and is not underlined, indicates that more than one pharaoh is being referenced.

Rubber balloons filled with helium typically retain their buoyancy for only a day or so because the enclosed helium atoms escaped through tiny pores in the latex. No error

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Correct Answer: Third Option

The third option is correct. The verb "escaped" should be in the present tense to be parallel with the verb "retain," which appears earlier in the sentence and is not underlined.

As early as the thirteenth century , miners in Europe began to use magnetic compasses in order to find their way around in underground mines and to define the sometimes competing claim of various mining companies. No error

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