Question

the following is a draft of a student essay. it may contain errors.
preparing to become a veterinarian
by malana francis
(1) if you think you might be interested in becoming a doctor of veterinary medicine (dvm) - someone who specializes in animal medicine - dont be a slacker. (2) the application process for veterinary school is quite competitive. (3) so, it is wise to take certain steps in the right direction while in high school.
(4) grades and courses matter for students who are interested in going to veterinary school. (5) cultivating good study habits, take math and science courses that go beyond basic diploma requirements, and maintain a good grade point average are all important. (6) also, veterinary schools expect applicants to have quite a bit of experience with animals. (7) for example, the top veterinary school in the united states says that their incoming students have, on average, 2,000 hours of hands - on experience documented as part of their application. (8) this means interested students should be keeping a log of their animal - contact hours while do
which choice is the best revision of sentence 5?
a. cultivating good study habits, take math and science courses that go beyond basic diploma requirements, and maintain a good grade point average are all important things to consider
b. cultivating good study habits, math and science courses that go beyond basic diploma requirements, and a good grade point average are all important.
c. cultivating good study habits, taking math and science courses that go beyond basic diploma requirements, and maintaining a good grade point average are all important.
d. cultivating good study habits, take math and science courses that go beyond basic diploma requirements and maintain a good grade point average

Explanation:

In sentence 5, the original has a lack of parallel structure. The verbs should all be in the -ing form (cultivating, taking, maintaining) to create parallelism. Option C corrects this by using "taking" and "maintaining" which match the -ing form of "cultivating". Option A has an awkward "are all important things to consider" ending. Option B lacks the parallel verb forms (should be "taking" instead of just "math and science courses..."). Option D also lacks the parallel verb forms (should be "maintaining" instead of "maintain").

Answer:

C. Cultivating good study habits, taking math and science courses that go beyond basic diploma requirements, and maintaining a good grade point average are all important.