ACT Flashcards
Passage
A Low-Light Camera in Oak Crossing At Oak Crossing, Priya Shah, a software engineer, began calibrating a low-light camera after a routine review exposed a stubborn gap. Earlier reports treated the problem as a single mistake, but a library of test scenes suggested that several small decisions had accumulated. Some colleagues wanted an immediate replacement. Priya argued that the existing system should first be observed under ordinary conditions, because a quick fix might hide the source of the inconsistency. The team completed 4 trials over 2 weeks, isolating one variable at a time. They recorded time, cost, and the point at which each result began to drift. The first trial looked promising, yet a second run under a busier schedule produced a different pattern. Instead of discarding the result, the team narrowed the claim and repeated the comparison with one variable changed at a time. The final report recommended a more reliable image model. It did not claim that the method would solve every related problem. Instead, it explained which evidence supported the recommendation, which conditions remained uncertain, and what should be measured next. That restraint made the report more useful: readers could act on a practical finding without mistaking a local test for a universal rule.
Which choice avoids a run-on sentence in the account of the Oak Crossing project?
A. The first approach was faster, but the second produced more consistent results.
B. The first approach was faster the second produced more consistent results.
C. The first approach was faster, the second produced more consistent results.
D. The first approach was faster but, the second produced more consistent results.
Rationale
Sentence Structure. A comma plus the coordinating conjunction but correctly joins the two independent clauses. Applied to the sentence or passage purpose, that rule makes (A) the correct revision. Checking the sentence boundary, grammatical role, and stated purpose prevents a familiar editing rule from being applied in the wrong place. Wrong: (B) It fuses two independent clauses. (C) It creates a comma splice. (D) It puts the comma after the conjunction.
Use arrow keys to navigate and space to flip.