Question

advanced paragraph correction 3
directions: read the passage below. then answer questions about errors in the passage.
edward murphy was a member of an air force team that performed complicated experiments during the 1) 1940s his work required much preparation and perfect execution. murphy has become renowned for 2) \murphys’ law,\ which states that \if anything can go 3) wrong it will.\ this 4) somewhat funny observation has spawned a plethora of 5) corrollaries, such as hofstadter’s law: \it always takes longer than you expect, even when you take hofstadters law into account.\ 6) these smart comments on the perceived perversity of daily life have been published in 7) several books. some of the volumes are general in 8) scope; some pertain to technical careers in aerospace or professional areas such as medicine or law.
1)
a. 1940’s, his
b. 1940s. his
c. 1940s! his
d. 1940’s – his
e. correct as is
2)
a. \murphy’s law,\
b. murphy’s law,”
c. \murphy’s law\,
d. \murphys law,\
e. correct as is
3)
a. wrong, it will\.
b. wrong it, will.”
c. wrong, it will.”
d. wrong it will,”
e. correct as is
4)
a. hilarious
b. lofty
c. comical
d. laughable
e. tenuous
5)
a. corollaries
b. corolaries
c. corollarries
d. corroleries
e. correct as is
6)
a. witty musings
b. complex phrases
c. detrimental utterances
d. sophisticated sayings
e. harmless annotations
7)
a. several books, but some
b. several books: some
c. several books, some
d. correct as is
8)
a. scope some
b. scope. some
c. scope & some
d. scope, while others

Explanation:

1. The correct way to write the decade is "1940s" and a period should follow it, and "His" should be capital - ized as it starts a new sentence.
2. The possessive form of "Murphy" for "Law" is "Murphy's", and the correct punctuation for a title within quotes is used in option A.
3. A comma is needed to separate the conditional clause "if anything can go wrong" from the main clause "it will", and the period should be inside the closing quotation mark.
4. "Somewhat funny" can be replaced with a more appropriate synonym like "comical". "Hilarious" is too strong, "lofty" is unrelated, "laughable" has a negative connotation, and "tenuous" means weak or flimsy.
5. "Corollaries" is the correct spelling.
6. "Smart comments" can be better described as "witty musings". "Complex phrases" doesn't capture the essence, "detrimental utterances" is negative, "sophisticated sayings" is a bit too formal, and "harmless annotations" is not relevant.
7. The original is correct. The semicolon is used appropriately to separate two related independent clauses.
8. The original is correct. The semicolon separates two related statements about the scope of the volumes.

Answer:

1. B. 1940s. His
2. A. “Murphy’s Law,”
3. C. wrong, it will.”
4. C. comical
5. A. corollaries
6. A. witty musings
7. D. Correct as is
8. D. Correct as is