0
Stenka25 Posted 11 years ago
Vocabulary
Which is the exact antecedent of ‘that’?
Which is the exact antecedent of ‘that’?
The passage below is from ‘the Blank Slate’ by Steven Pinker.
http://evolbiol.ru/blankslate/blankslate.htm
One version of the gene IGF2R is associated with high general intelligence, accounting for as many as four IQ points and two percent of the variation in intelligence among normal individuals. If you have a longer than average version of the D4DR dopamine receptor gene, you are more likely to be a thrill seeker, the kind of person who jumps out of airplanes, clambers up frozen waterfalls, or has sex with strangers. If you have a shorter version of a stretch of DNA that inhibits the serotonin transporter gene on chromosome 17, you are more likely to be neurotic and anxious, the kind of person who can barely function at social gatherings for fear of offending someone or acting like a fool.
In this passage I want to ask which is the exact antecedent of the underlined ‘that.’
It seems to refer to ‘a stretch of DNA’ in a way, but I cannot exclude the possibility of ‘a shorter version’ being the antecedent.
Regards.
The passage below is from ‘the Blank Slate’ by Steven Pinker.
http://evolbiol.ru/blankslate/blankslate.htm
One version of the gene IGF2R is associated with high general intelligence, accounting for as many as four IQ points and two percent of the variation in intelligence among normal individuals. If you have a longer than average version of the D4DR dopamine receptor gene, you are more likely to be a thrill seeker, the kind of person who jumps out of airplanes, clambers up frozen waterfalls, or has sex with strangers. If you have a shorter version of a stretch of DNA that inhibits the serotonin transporter gene on chromosome 17, you are more likely to be neurotic and anxious, the kind of person who can barely function at social gatherings for fear of offending someone or acting like a fool.
In this passage I want to ask which is the exact antecedent of the underlined ‘that.’
It seems to refer to ‘a stretch of DNA’ in a way, but I cannot exclude the possibility of ‘a shorter version’ being the antecedent.
Regards.
Top answer
It seems like he is describing a stretch of DNA which has a certain inhibitory function. If a person has a shorter version of this area, they might be neurotic.
- It seems like he is describing a stretch of DNA which has a certain inhibitory function.
- If a person has a shorter version of this area, they might be neurotic.
Get the Weekly English Kit 📬
New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.
3 Answers
0
It seems like he is describing a stretch of DNA which has a certain inhibitory function.
If a person has a shorter version of this area, they might be neurotic.
If a person has a shorter version of this area, they might be neurotic.
00
AS has said it anyway, but I think the antecedent must be "a stretch of DNA". It would be too vague, I think, if it referred to "a shorter version".
00
Related Questions