Sound can travel through water for enormous distances, prevented from dissipating its acoustic energy as a result of boundaries in the ocean created by water layers of different temperatures and densities.
A. prevented from dissipating its acoustic energy as a result of
B. prevented from having its acoustic energy dissipated by
C. its acoustic energy prevented from dissipating by
D. its acoustic energy prevented from being dissipated as a result of
E. preventing its acoustic energy from dissipating by
In-depth Explanation and Correct Answer Below (so you don’t see it while reviewing the question)
Sound can travel through water for enormous distances… Explanation
Sound can travel through water for enormous distances, prevented from dissipating its acoustic energy as a result of boundaries in the ocean created by water layers of different temperatures and densities.
(A) prevented from dissipating its acoustic energy as a result of
“prevented from…” implies that the sound itself is being prevented from something. However, it’s the acoustic energy that is prevented from dissipating.
(B) prevented from having its acoustic energy dissipated by
Is it the boundaries themselves that can dissipate the acoustic energy? This is the opposite of the intended meaning. The boundaries are helping sound keep energy.
(C) its acoustic energy prevented from dissipating by
The correct answer makes it clear that the acoustic energy is prevented from dissipating and that it is the boundaries that prevent the dissipation.
(D) its acoustic energy prevented from being dissipated as a result of
“as a result of” doesn’t work. The energy is actually prevented from dissipating by the boundaries. It’s not dissipated as a result of the boundaries.
(E) preventing its acoustic energy from dissipating by
This one seems to indicate that the sound itself is doing the “preventing.”
Correct Answer: C
For some SC guidance, here’s a link to a breakdown of GMAT sentence correction.