In 1852 Robert Angus Smith published a detailed report of the chemistry of rain in a large area around the city of Manchester, England, noting that the closer one came to town, the more the city air would become increasingly acidic. (A) That the closer one came to town, the more the city air would become increasingly acidic (B) That the city air became increasingly acidic the closer one came to town (C) That coming closer to town, the city air became increasingly acidic (D) That the more the city air became increasingly acidic, the closer one was to town (E) The city air becoming increasingly acidic as one would come closer to town

Answer: (B) that the city air became increasingly acidic the closer one came to town

Explanation

(A) The comparatives used in A are 'the closer ... the more. The correct way of writing this would be the more one came ... the more the city air became ... '

Another mistake in A is redundancy - 'more' and 'increasingly'.

(B) that the city air became increasingly acidic the closer one came to town

No redundancy. Conveys the meaning well.

(C) that coming closer to town, the city air became increasingly acidic. (example of dangling modifier)

(D) that the more the city air became increasingly acidic, the closer one was to town. (It is the example of inverse cause-effect.)

(E) the city air becoming increasingly acidic as one would come closer to town (use of would come is wrong here)