Determine whether the underlined portion of the sentence below is correct or whether it needs to be revised. Choose the correct option.

Determine whether the underlined portion of the sentence below is correct or whether it needs to be revised. Choose the correct option.

McCarthyism was an ideology and an applied pursuit that arose in the middle of the twentieth century and targeted communists in the United States state department.
A . McCarthyism was an ideology and an applied pursuit that arose in the middle of the twentieth century and targeted communists in the United States state department
B . McCarthyism was an ideology, an applied pursuit that arose in the middle of the twentieth century, targeted communists in the United States state department
C . McCarthyism was an ideology and an applied pursuit that arose in the middle of the twentieth century and targeted Communists in the United States state department
D . McCarthyism will be an ideology and an applied pursuit that arose in the middle of the twentieth century and targeted communists in the United States
E . McCarthyism was an ideology and an applied pursuit that arose in the middle of the twentieth century and targeted communists in the United States State department

View Answer

Answer: E

Explanation:

The original choice is wrong strictly for the lack of capitalization of “State Department.” Choice “McCarthyism was an ideology, an applied pursuit that arose in the middle of the twentieth century, targeted communists in the United States state department” complicates problems more than “McCarthyism was an ideology and an applied pursuit that arose in the middle of the twentieth century and targeted communists in the United States state department” by deleting certain words that turn the sentence into a run-on sentence. Choice “McCarthyism was an ideology and an applied pursuit that arose in the middle of the twentieth century and targeted Communists in the United States state department” fails to capitalize “State Department” (it needs to be capitalized because it is a proper noun ― the United States State Department, not just “a state department”). Although choice “McCarthyism will be an ideology and an applied pursuit that arose in the middle of the twentieth century and targeted communists in the United States” corrects the capitalization error, it changes “was” to “will be,” which is an illogical verb tense (i.e. future) because later in the sentence it is stated that the ideology arose “in the middle of the twentieth century,” which has already passed. Choice “McCarthyism was an ideology and an applied pursuit that arose in the middle of the twentieth century and targeted communists in the United States State department” corrects the capitalization error and leaves the sentence as it is. Sometimes just minor changes are needed.