mankey wrote:Please help.
A fire in an enclosed space burns with the aid of reflected radiation that preheats the fuel, making ignition much easier and flames spreading more quickly.
flames spreading
flame spreads
flames are caused to spread
causing flames to spread
causing spreading of the flames
Thanks.
The modifiers "making ignition much easier and flames spreading more quickly" are actually modifying the clause "THAT PREHEATS THE FUEL".
Fuel preheating is Making ignition much easier and
"flames spreading" more quickly.
With this understanding, IMO: we need an underlined phrase that is parallel with "Making ignition much easier". Sentence intend to trick us by showing parallelism between PREHEATS & SPREADS. But that is not the case - moreover had that been the case there would have been a comma before AND.
Therefore, Drop B/C - they are clauses (we need phrase that is parallel with "Making ignition..").
Drop A - as Preheating is making ignition easier, so we need a phrase that shows PREHEATING IS doing 2nd activity also. Can PREHEATING OF FUEL SPREAD FLAMES? In this case, it means, preheating is spreading flames - that is not a correct intent. We can say 'Preheating is causing spreading of ...'.
D vs E
In E use of THE FLAMES is very definite when original sentence is very generic in nature. Moreover, it appears awkward.
IMO D
