SAT Question of the Day #23

Which of the following are the best fit for this sentence?

Although Jimmy practiced for the driving test for months, ___________________ on test day.

A.  passing it by only one point
B.  he passed it by only one point
C.  but he passed it by only one point
D.  and he did pass them by only one point
E.  yet passing it by only one point

The answer is:   B.  he passed it by only one point

How to get to this answer:  As written, the original sentence has a dependent clause (because it’s introduced by “although”) and a phrase that is intended to be the independent clause but has no subject or verb.  (B), (C) and (D) all add the subject “he” which correctly refers to “Jimmy,”but only (B) is correct.

(C) adds the contrasting transition word “but,” which is redundant with a first clause using “although.”
(D) adds the conjunction “and,” which isn’t required or logical, and the verb tense is needlessly complex.
(E) doesn’t correct the original error and adds a second contrasting transition word “yet.”