Question

Jessica Mitford wrote The American Way of Death, a best-selling book that led eventually to an official investigation of the funeral industry.
Replace the underlined portion with the answer choice that results in a sentence that is clear, precise and meets the requirements of standard written English

• A. that led eventually
• B. that had led eventually
• C. that eventually led
• D. which eventually led

Answer 1

The Correct Option is C

The sentence provided is: "Jessica Mitford wrote The American Way of Death, a best-selling book that led eventually to an official investigation of the funeral industry." We need to choose the option that results in a sentence that is clear, precise, and meets the requirements of standard written English.

Let's examine the options:

1. That led eventually: This option uses the correct sequence of a relative pronoun "that" followed by the verb "led," but placing "eventually" after "led" can disrupt the flow of the sentence.
2. That had led eventually: The use of the past perfect tense "had led" is unnecessary here, as it implies a sequence of events that is not required in this context.
3. That eventually led: This option places "eventually" before "led," which ensures that the adverb clearly modifies the verb, creating a more fluent and direct sentence structure.
4. Which eventually led: Using "which" instead of "that" makes the clause non-restrictive; however, since the clause is essential to understanding which book is being referred to, "that" is preferred.

Given these options, "that eventually led" is the most suitable choice. This placement makes the sentence clearer and more precise by directly linking the adverb to the verb it modifies.

The modified sentence is: "Jessica Mitford wrote The American Way of Death, a best-selling book that eventually led to an official investigation of the funeral industry."

This sentence is now clear, precise, and adheres to standard written English conventions.