Question 17

He taught himself to juggle and by the age of six could juggle three balls perfectly.

Revising the sentences to "He taught himself to juggle and by the age of six could juggle three balls perfectly" effectively combines the ideas into a single, clear statement that maintains the original meaning.

A) to juggle and by the age of six could juggle three balls perfectly.

This option correctly combines the two sentences into a single statement, clearly indicating that he taught himself to juggle and achieved the ability to juggle three balls perfectly by the age of six. The structure flows well and preserves the original information.

B) to juggle; he juggles three balls perfectly by the age of six.

While this option attempts to connect the ideas, it improperly shifts the verb tense and uses "juggles" instead of "could juggle," which changes the meaning. The use of a semicolon is also incorrect since it suggests a more independent relationship between the clauses than intended.

C) to juggle three balls perfectly; they did it by the age of six.

This option introduces "they," which is inaccurate as it alters the subject from the original sentences. Additionally, the semicolon creates an incorrect separation between the clauses, disrupting the flow and clarity of the ideas.

D) juggling, and they juggled three balls perfectly by the age of six.

The use of "they" in this option inaccurately changes the subject and the phrase "juggling" does not effectively connect the two original thoughts. This results in a lack of clarity and coherence, making the sentence less effective.

Conclusion

The selected option A is the most effective because it accurately combines the two original sentences while maintaining the same subject and clarity of meaning. Options B, C, and D fail to preserve the original intent and structure, either by altering the subject or introducing awkward phrasing and incorrect grammatical forms.