962, 1000SC

[isisalaska]

962. Contrary to the scholarly wisdom of the 1950’s and early 1960’s that predicted the processes of modernization and rationalization would gradually undermine it, ethnicity is a worldwide phenomenon of increasing importance.
(A) would gradually undermine it
(B) to be a gradual undermining of it
(C) would be a gradual undermining of ethnicity
(D) to gradually undermine ethnicity
(E) gradually undermining it

The OA is A) but I don't see it. What does "it" refer to? etnicity has not been introduced yet...
I woudl have chosen C or D...
What do you think?

[f2001290]

I will go with A.

Since the 1st clause modifies ethnicity, it refers to this noun.

There are similar examples in OG.

[jayhawk2001]

962. Contrary to the scholarly wisdom of the 1950’s and early 1960’s that predicted the processes of modernization and rationalization would gradually undermine it, ethnicity is a worldwide phenomenon of increasing importance.
(A) would gradually undermine it
(B) to be a gradual undermining of it
(C) would be a gradual undermining of ethnicity
(D) to gradually undermine ethnicity
(E) gradually undermining it

The OA is A) but I don't see it. What does "it" refer to? etnicity has not been introduced yet...
I woudl have chosen C or D...
What do you think?

I'm pretty sure I would have chosen D even though it uses
"to gradually" incorrectly. Argh...

Also, won't it sound better if the "that" is after "predicted" ?

Is there a rule to be followed here when the subject is not present
in the clause but is being referred to by "it". The exceptions to the
pronoun rule is driving me wild.

f2001290, can you point some examples from OG (just the question
number will do).

[discreet]

Yes,even I chose "D" assuming that "it" is ambigous though the noun it modifes touches\follows "it"
I was a little confused between A and D but chose D !

One reason I can think of is that "predicted" needs "would" ???

[f2001290]

His right hand and arm crippled by a sniper's bullet during the First World War,Horace Pippin,a Black American painter, worked by holding the brush in his right hand and guiding its movements with his
left.

"His" in the underlined portion refers to Horace Pippin.
Example from OG-10 Q86

[peter.p.81]

Agree with A