ACT English 2.14 Passage Drill

Having the wrong introductory phrase can throw a sentence out of whack.

These types of phrases are supposed to set the stage for the sentence to come,

and if they set the stage in a confusing way, nobody knows what’s going on.

Choice (A) is a good example of an introductory phrase gone wrong.

“Unwilling to accept the truth”

fails because the sentence doesn’t reference any truth that the writer is unwilling to accept.

The author is well aware that the cat hates bathing, but bathes it anyway.

Harsh, but necessary we suppose.

Choice (B) gives us the modifier “sympathizing,” which supposedly describes the way the author

feels as he or she washes the cat despite its protests. Unless the writer is some kind

of sadist, there’s a good chance that he or she does feel bad for the cat.

However, “sympathizing” doesn’t groove with the rest of the sentence. If the writer

were overwhelmed with sympathy, he or she would probably stop bathing the cat. Instead,

the author continues the hated bath. Hm, maybe he or she is a sadist.

Next, we’ll take a look at choice (C), which offers the phrase “feeling cowed.”

In case anybody is wondering, the word “cowed” has nothing to do with our bovine friends--unless

they’re being bullied by the big cow on the block.

When someone has been “cowed,” it means that they’ve been intimidated into submission.

This, of course, doesn’t describe the author’s disposition. The author is making this bath

happen even though the cat is putting up a serious fight.

The correct answer is (D). The phrase “refusing to accept defeat” sets us up to hear the

rest of the sentence, and it functions as a transition from the cat's extreme reaction

to the writer's own fairly drastic action of turning on the shower.

We could think of a few more drastic actions, but the Humane Society would probably disapprove.