Question

Unlike the conviction held by many of her colleagues that genes were relatively simple and static, Barbara McClintock adhered to her own more complicated ideas about how genes might operate, and in 1983, at the age of 81, was awarded a Nobel Prize for her discovery that the genes in corn are capable of moving from one chromosomal site to another.

• A. Unlike the conviction held by many of her colleagues that genes were
• B. Although many of her colleagues were of the conviction of genes being
• C. Contrary to many of her colleagues being convinced that genes were
• D. Even though many of her colleagues were convinced that genes were
• E. Even with many of her colleagues convinced of genes being

Answer 1

Answer: (D)

Even though many of her colleagues were convinced that genes were

Here, option A is incorrect because it compares 'convictions' with the person Barbara McClintock- 'Unlike the convictions' is a beginning modifier that creates comparison with the subject of the main clause, Barbara McClintock. Option B uses the incorrect idiomatic phrase 'were of the conviction' and 'conviction of genes' is illogical as it would mean that conviction belonged to genes. Option C is unclear about the respective ideas of Barbara McClintock and her colleagues. Instead it creates a comparison between the persons and not the ideas. E creates the same distortion in structure as B with 'convinced of genes' and the contrast necessary between the ideas of Barbara McClintock and the ideas of her colleagues is unclear. However, D is grammatically correct and the necessary contrast comes out clearly as well clearly