Question

The following sentences test correctness and effectiveness of expression.

She was concerned about how Hank would react to the incident, but in searching his face, he did not seem to be at all embarrassed or troubled.

• A. In searching his face, he did not seem to be
• B. By searching his face, it showed that he was not
• C. A search of his face showed that he seemed not
• D. Searching his face, he did not seem to be
• E. His face being searched showed that he was not

Answer 1

The correct option is C A search of his face showed that he seemed not

The underlined phrase is completely ungrammatical: "searching" does not correspond with "concerned" (because of incorrect tense); the use of 'he' seems out of context as it would have been better to say "in searching his face, she did not find anything to be concerned about" (if 'searching was to be used at all"). In the given context, only option C seems to be the correct fit- it has a completely grammatical construct where the meaning is conveyed quite clearly. Thus C is the answer.