Question

The following question has been taken from a past ACT English section.

Automated figurines would appear in the pagoda's doorways and ring bells to announce hours, sunsets, seasons, and other chronological events.
Which of the following alternatives to the underlined portion would NOT be acceptable?
O bells, which served to announce
O bells, they announced
bells that announced
O bells, announcing

Answer 1

O bells, which served to announce

Step-by-step explanation:

Answer 2

Step-by-step explanation:

The alternative "O bells, which served to announce" would NOT be acceptable because it changes the meaning of the sentence. The original sentence describes automated figurines ringing bells to announce events, but this alternative implies that the bells themselves served to announce events, not the figurines.