According to Italy's top anti-Mafia prosecutor

by **Luci** Tue Aug 07, 2007 3:43 pm

According to Italy's top anti-Mafia prosecutor, <<the ailing mobster came to take refuge in Corleone, a town famous because of the "The Godfather" and near to those he most trusted.>>

A- the ailing mobster came to take refuge in Corleone, a town famous because of "The Godfather" and near to those he most trusted
B- famous because of "The Godfather," the ailing mobster came to take refuge in Corleone, a town near to those he most trusted
C- the ailing mobster, famous because of "The Godfather," came to take refuge in Corleone, a town near to those he most trusted
D- near to those he most trusted, the ailing mobster came to take refuge in Corleone, a town famous because of "The Godfather"
E- Corleone, famous because of "The Godfather," was the town that the ailing mobster came to take refuge in because it was near to those he most trusted

I understand A could be right, but I dont understand why C is wrong. I think C is gramatically correct, right? It is the sentence Famous because of "The Godfather," which causes the trouble here. Can it be modifying the mobster or it is the town Corleone which MUST be modified by this sentence?

It seems to me that the mobster could also be famous because of the film, it doesnt have to be town obligatorily, but I might be wrong.

Thanks

by **dbernst** Thu Aug 09, 2007 10:08 am

Luci, will all of the commas, this is obviously a question that tests modifiers and clarity of meaning. Answer choice C has at least two questionable grammatical constructions. The sentence separates the phrase the ailing mobster by commas. By doing so, this phrase becomes a modifier that could reasonably describe Italy's top anti-Mafia prosecutor. Second, assuming the previously described interpretation, the he in the sentence seems to describe the prosecutor rather than the ailing mobster.

Hope that helps!
-dan

According to Italy's top anti-Mafia prosecutor, <<the ailing mobster came to take refuge in Corleone, a town famous because of the "The Godfather" and near to those he most trusted.>>

A- the ailing mobster came to take refuge in Corleone, a town famous because of "The Godfather" and near to those he most trusted
B- famous because of "The Godfather," the ailing mobster came to take refuge in Corleone, a town near to those he most trusted
C- the ailing mobster, famous because of "The Godfather," came to take refuge in Corleone, a town near to those he most trusted
D- near to those he most trusted, the ailing mobster came to take refuge in Corleone, a town famous because of "The Godfather"
E- Corleone, famous because of "The Godfather," was the town that the ailing mobster came to take refuge in because it was near to those he most trusted