Question

The emerging field of architectural climatology centers on the potential of as-yet-undeveloped architecture and landscaping to alter, redirect, or dissipate weather systems; for instance, hurricanes prevented from forming by artificial "reefs" of precisely shaped marine platforms.
A. systems; for instance, hurricanes prevented from forming by artificial "reefs" of precisely shaped marine platforms B. systems; for example, artificial "reefs" of precisely shaped marine platforms that could prevent hurricanes from forming C. systems, such as hurricanes, which artificial "reefs" of precisely shaped marine platforms prevent forming D. systems, such as artificial "reefs" of precisely shaped marine platforms that can prevent hurricanes from forming E.systems; for example, hurricanes could be prevented from forming by artificial "reefs" of precisely shaped marine platforms

Answer 1

Answer: the correct one is E .systems; for example, hurricanes could be prevented from forming by artificial "reefs" of precisely shaped marine platforms

Explanation:

(A) The portion after the semi-colon (for instance, ... platforms) is not a complete sentence.

(B) The portion after the semi-colon (for example, ... forming) is not a complete sentence.

(C) Which ... "reefs" ... prevent forming is unidiomatic; from is needed between prevent and forming. Prevent appears in the present tense, illogically implying that the artificial reefs—which don't yet exist, according to the earlier part of the sentence—already prevent the formation of hurricanes.

(D) The construction such as artificial "reefs" illogically implies that artificial reefs are weather systems. Additionally, the use of can in the present tense (as opposed to could) illogically implies that the artificial reefs—which don't yet exist, according to the earlier part of the sentence—do already exist.

(E) CORRECT. The semicolon is properly used to separate two complete sentences. Could is correctly used to describe a hypothetical consequence.