Question

wet plate photographers essentially create their own film. the process can be dangerous, given that it requires the use of several volatile chemicals. 25 to take a wet plate photograph, photographers usually first arrange or pose 26 it’s subjects before mixing collodion (a viscous, light - sensitive chemical solution) with bromide, iodide, or chloride and applying the mixture to a clean, polished glass plate. dried collodion is unusable, 27 so once the photo is snapped with a massive, tripod - mounted
25 at this point, the writer is considering adding the following sentence.
it’s also labor - intensive, involving several intricate steps.
should the writer make this addition here?
a) yes, because it serves as an effective transition by reiterating the main idea of the previous paragraph.
b) yes, because it sets up the paragraph’s outline of the process of wet plate photography.
c) no, because it blurs the paragraph’s focus on the dangers involved in wet plate photography.
d) no, because it provides an opinion in a paragraph that is focused on facts.
26
a) no change
b) its
c) there
d) their
27
a) no change
b) but
c) and
d) for

Explanation:

Question 25

The original text's paragraph before the insertion point talks about the danger of wet plate photography (volatile chemicals). The proposed sentence is about it being labor - intensive. The focus of the paragraph is on the dangers, and adding a sentence about labor - intensity would blur that focus. Option A is wrong as it doesn't reiterate the danger (main idea of previous part). Option B is wrong as the paragraph is about the dangerous process, not outlining the whole process. Option D is wrong as the sentence is a fact, not an opinion. So the answer is C.

We need a possessive pronoun for "photographers" (plural) to refer to "subjects". "It's" is "it is" or "it has", so A is wrong. "Its" is singular possessive, so B is wrong. "There" is not a possessive pronoun, so C is wrong. "Their" is the plural possessive pronoun for "photographers", so D is correct.

The first part says "Dried collodion is unusable", and the second part explains the consequence (once the photo is snapped...). "So" is used to show a cause - effect relationship, which fits here. "But" shows contrast, "and" shows addition, "for" is used to give a reason (usually after the main clause). So "so" is correct, and the answer is A.

Answer:

C) No, because it blurs the paragraph’s focus on the dangers involved in wet plate photography.

Question 26