Sentence Correction

Regarded by opponents as ineffective and meddlesome and by supporters as a conserver of life and energy, the fight over the speed limit continues in our legislatures and on our freeways.

(A) Regarded by opponents as ineffective and meddlesome and by supporters as a conserver of life and energy, the fight over the speed limit continues in our legislatures and on our freeways.

(B) Regarded by opponents as ineffective and meddlesome and by supporters as a conserver of life and energy, the speed limit continues to be fought over in our legislatures and on our freeways.

(C) Regarded by opponents as ineffective meddling and by supporters as the conservation of life and energy, the speed limit continues to be fought over in our legislatures and on our freeways.

(D) The fight over the speed limit, regarded by opponents as ineffective and meddlesome and by supporters as a conserver of life and energy, continues in our legislatures and on our freeways.

(E) The fight over the speed limit, a measure regarded by opponents as ineffective and meddlesome and by supporters as a conserver of life and energy, continues in our legislatures and on our freeways.

Between A and E, which one to choose?

GmatKiss wrote:Regarded by opponents as ineffective and meddlesome and by supporters as a conserver of life and energy, the fight over the speed limit continues in our legislatures and on our freeways.

(A) Regarded by opponents as ineffective and meddlesome and by supporters as a conserver of life and energy, the fight over the speed limit continues in our legislatures and on our freeways. (opponents do not regard fight as ineffective, rather they consider 'speed limit' as ineffective)

(B) Regarded by opponents as ineffective and meddlesome and by supporters as a conserver of life and energy, the speed limit continues to be fought over in our legislatures and on our freeways.

(C) Regarded by opponents as ineffective meddling and by supporters as the conservation of life and energy, the speed limit continues to be fought over in our legislatures and on our freeways. (use of 'conservation' - changes the meaning; AND missing between ineffective & meddling ==> overall, this choice changes the meaning)

(D) The fight over the speed limit, regarded by opponents as ineffective and meddlesome and by supporters as a conserver of life and energy, continues in our legislatures and on our freeways. (generally 'verb+ed = regarded' modifies immediately preceding noun; however use of comma before regarded intends to show that it can modify either THE FIGHT or THE SPEED LIMIT; Had this not been the case author would not have used comma before REGARDED ==> ambiguity)

(E) The fight over the speed limit, a measure regarded by opponents as ineffective and meddlesome and by supporters as a conserver of life and energy, continues in our legislatures and on our freeways.

Between A and E, which one to choose?

I do not find any grammatical issue in[spoiler] B & E;[/spoiler] However, B is passive and therefore pick E

Regarded by opponents as ineffective and meddlesome and by supporters as a conserver of life and energy, the fight over the speed limit continues in our legislatures and on our freeways.

(A) Regarded by opponents as ineffective and meddlesome and by supporters as a conserver of life and energy, the fight over the speed limit continues in our legislatures and on our freeways.

(E) The fight over the speed limit, a measure regarded by opponents as ineffective and meddlesome and by supporters as a conserver of life and energy, continues in our legislatures and on our freeways.

E makes it clearer by using active voice and adding 'measure' to effectively show and maintain parallelism

E

Here speed limit is considered ineffective/meddlesome/conserver of life and energy, not the fight over speed limit. So A , D & E are eliminated.

C: Considering speed limit as "ineffective meddling" and "the conservation of life and energy" is wrong

So correct answer is B. Though probably not the best, it is the most appropriate of the lot.

Kind of agree with zaarathelab. Any expert comment?

IMO B

This is modifier related problem.
The fight over speed cannot be conserver.. so, only B and C remain. Rest have modifier issue.

Between B and C, B is better.

This is a modifier problem. Between A and E, E is the best.
A : Regarded by opponents as ineffective and meddlesome and by supporters as a conserver of life and energy, the fight - Wrong modification
E : The fight over the speed limit, a measure regarded - Its right. the flight over speed limit is a measure that is regarded by opponents as ineffective.

I second need720+.

What exactly is being described by "Regarded by opponents as ineffective and meddlesome and by supporters as a conserver of life and energy" ? The fight over the speed limit or the speed limit itself?

IMO (B). Experts, can you help?

badpoem wrote:I second need720+.

What exactly is being described by "Regarded by opponents as ineffective and meddlesome and by supporters as a conserver of life and energy" ? The fight over the speed limit or the speed limit itself?

IMO (B). Experts, can you help?

As per the meaning of the sentence, I think that
1. the fight can be ineffective and meddlesome but it cannot be a part of Legislature. ( So A is wrong )
2. the speed limit or the "measure" ( max. speed or min. speed ) can be a part of any legislatur that can be regarded as ineffective by the opponent because its failed its purpose.

Between B and E, I will go for E as the other sentences ( C and D ) have other problem even the modifier used is correct.
B also uses correct modifier but : "the speed limit continues to be fought over in our legislatures and on our freeways" is somewhat awkward. its better to say :
the fight over the speed limit, ( modifier ), continues............. ( exactly what E is )

What is the OA ?

Yes... B is AWKWARD.. "Speed limit continues to be fought over" ... Doesn't sound good..

E gives clarity to the sentence by adding "a measure"..

IMO E.

How can "fight over speed limit" be conserver of life and energy

+1 for B
Expert pls reply

Regarded by opponents as ineffective and meddlesome and by supporters as a conserver of life and energy, the fight over the speed limit continues in our legislatures and on our freeways.

A. Regarded by opponents as ineffective and meddlesome and by supporters as a conserver of life and energy, the fight over the speed limit continues in our legislatures and on our freeways.
B. Regarded by opponents as ineffective and meddlesome and by supporters as a conserver of life and energy, the speed limit continues to be fought over in our legislatures and on our freeways.
C. Regarded by opponents as ineffective meddling and by supporters as the conservation of life and energy, the speed limit continues to be fought over in our legislatures and on our freeways.
D. The fight over the speed limit, regarded by opponents as ineffective and meddlesome and by supporters as a conserver of life and energy, continues in our legislatures and on our freeways.
E. The fight over the speed limit, a measure regarded by opponents as ineffective and meddlesome and by supporters as a conserver of life and energy, continues in our legislatures and on our freeways.

In A, regarded is incorrectly modifying the fight. The intended meaning of the sentence is that the speed limit is regarded as ineffective. Eliminate A.

In C, the speed limit cannot be regarded as the conservation. The intended meaning of the sentence is that the speed limit is a conserver of life. Eliminate C.

In D, it is unclear whether regarded is modifying the fight or the speed limit. Eliminate D.

In B, the preposition over is not followed by a clear object. Over what exactly? Eliminate B.

The correct answer is E.

Why E is better than D:

In D, regarded is an adjective that could refer either to the speed limit or to the fight, but in E, a measure clearly refers to the speed limit. No reader would ever construe that a measure refers to the fight.

Why E is better than B:
A preposition generally should be followed by an object:

Awkward: the movie that everyone is talking about. (No object follows the preposition about.)
Better: the movie about which everyone is talking. (Which is the object of the preposition about.)

I would be skeptical of an answer choice that offers a preposition not followed by a clear object -- especially when another answer choice avoids this issue and is free of errors. In B, over is not followed by an object; in E, over is directly followed by its object, the speed limit.

Also, the speed limit continues TO BE FOUGHT OVER (the phrasing in B) conveys a strange meaning: how can the speed limit continue an action that is being performed by others? The meaning conveyed by E makes more sense: the FIGHT over the speed limit CONTINUES.