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Hi there,

Mass determines whether a star, after passing through the red giant stage, will compress itself into a white dwarf, a neutron star, or a black hole.

If you notice, this sentence has two clauses:
Cl 1: Mass determines
Cl 2: whether a star, after passing through the red giant stage, will compress itself into a white dwarf, a neutron star, or a black hole.
Now, “Mass” is the subject of the first clause that has the verb “determines”. “star” is the subject of the dependent clause that has the verb “will compress”. So, the action of compressing is associated with its subject “star” and not with the subject of the first clause “Mass”.
So, the meaning conveyed by this sentence is clear.

Hope this helps.
Thanks.
Shraddha

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Hi there,
I guess I did not get your question in the first go. I guess you are to see that the original sentence starts with “A star”, the subject of the sentence, but the correct answer begins with “Mass”, a completely different subject. So how this transition is possible?
If this indeed is your confusion, then let us first understand the meaning of the sentence and then then see how Choice D makes sense in this case.

A star will compress itself into a white dwarf, a neutron star, or a black hole after it passes through a red giant stage, depending on mass.



The sentence means that a star can compress itself into a white dwarf, a neutron star, or a black hole after it passes through a red giant shape. Now what this star compresses itself into depends upon the mass of the star.



Error Analysis

The verb-ing modifier “depending on mass” is placed after a comma. This means that it modifies the preceding clause. Now there are two clauses in this sentence before this modifier. It is really ambiguous which clause is this modifier referring to. From the meaning of the sentence we know that it should modify the first clause. But the way this modifier is placed, it leads to an ambiguity. This is the error in this sentence.

POE:

Choice A: A star will compress itself into a white dwarf, a neutron star, or a black hole after it passes through a red giant stage, depending on mass. Incorrect for the reason stated above.

Choice B: After passing through a red giant stage, depending on its mass, a star will compress itself into a white dwarf, a neutron star, or a black hole. Incorrect. There are two modifiers in the beginning of the sentence that are not connected properly. Also the verb-ing modifier preceded by a comma should modify the preceding clause. Here there is no clause before the comma.

Choice C: After passing through a red giant stage, a star’s mass will determine if it compresses itself into a white dwarf, a neutron star, or a black hole. Incorrect. The opening modifier is illogically modifying “a star’s mass”. It is not “a star’s mass” that passes through a red giant star but a star does that.

Choice D: Mass determines whether a star, after passing through the red giant stage, will compress itself into a white dwarf, a neutron star, or a black hole. Correct. This sentence correctly conveys the meaning that the mass of the star determines what the star will compress itself into after it passes though the red giant stage.

Choice E: The mass of a star, after passing through the red giant stage, will determine whether it compresses itself into a white dwarf, a neutron star, or a black hole. Incorrect. The sentence illogically seems to suggest that the mass of the star passes through the red giant stage.

Hope this helps.
Shraddha

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