HSA 2006 English Item 38

Read these sentences related to the essay “High Tide in Tucson.”

1. The author went to the Bahamas for a vacation.
2. She picked up shells on the beach.
3. She found a hermit crab in one of the shells.

Which of these most effectively combines the ideas into one sentence?

1. The author found a hermit crab in a shell she had picked up on the beach while vacationing in the Bahamas.
2. A hermit crab was found by the author while on vacation picking up shells on the beach in the Bahamas.
3. A hermit crab in a shell found on the beach in the Bahamas was picked up by the author when she was vacationing there.
4. The author picked up shells on the beach and went to the Bahamas for a vacation when she found a hermit crab.