Sentence Correction

31.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.
(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.
(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.
(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.
(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.
(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.

OA is D

How to attack this ques? what is essential and what is not essential part in the sentnce. How to determine whether "passing thorugh a red giant phase" or "mass" is essential in the above sentence?

In the original sentence, the antecedent of "it" is unclear.

For the others, it needs to be clear what precisely is passing through the red giant stage. Here it is the star, not the mass. Only D gets that right.

(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. Modifer issue. "depending on mass" should be closer to "star"
(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. Modifer issue. "depending on mass" should be closer to "star"
(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. Modifer issue. "passing through a red giant state" should modify star not mass
(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
(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. Pronoun reference error. "it" is referencing to "mass". Mass can't compress itself into a white dwarf.

I think there has to be a clarity in

1) What is passing through the red giant stage, and
2) What is determining this compression?

The correct answer will be (D).

Tani Wolff - Kaplan wrote:In the original sentence, the antecedent of "it" is unclear.

For the others, it needs to be clear what precisely is passing through the red giant stage. Here it is the star, not the mass. Only D gets that right.

(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.

in this option "depending on its mass" is non essential, so even if we remove it sentence makes sense and it is clear that star passes through a red giant stage.

shreeman wrote:
(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.

in this option "depending on its mass" is non essential, so even if we remove it sentence makes sense and it is clear that star passes through a red giant stage.

Nope. In fact depending on its mass is the most essential part of the sentence and cannot be removed.

The problem is that depending on its mass in choice B is a squinting modifier. It seems to modify both the phrase After passing through a red giant stage and the clause a star will compress itself into a white dwarf, a neutron star, or a black hole.

D corrects this anomaly.