which 的指代

Apolloemma

Marconi's conception of the radio was as a substitute for the telephone, a tool for private conversation: instead, it is precisely the opposite, a tool for communicating with a large, public audience.
(A) Marconi's conception of the radio was as a substitute for the telephone, a tool for private conversation; instead, it is
(B) Marconi conceived of the radio as a substitute for the telephone, a tool for private conversation, but which is
(C) Marconi conceived of the radio as a tool for private conversation that could substitute for the telephone; instead, it has become
(D) Marconi conceived of the radio to be a tool for private conversation, a substitute for the telephone, which has become
(E) Marconi conceived of the radio to be a substitute for the telephone, a tool for private conversation, other than what it is,

Rhetorical construction; Logical predication
The main point of this sentence is to explain that while Marconi felt the radio would substitute for the phone as an instrument of private communication, in fact it has become an instrument of mass communication. It is less wordy to use Marconi as the subject of the active verb conceived than to use the subject conception with the static verb was. The pronoun it positioned as the subject of the final verb has become refers back to radio. Versions of the sentence that use the relative pronoun which indicate that the telephone has become a mass medium.
A    The nominalized subject, conception, leads to a wordy and awkward sentence.
B    The reference for the relative pronoun which is ambiguous; the sentence as a whole is awkward.
C    Correct. An active verb makes the first clause more concise; it in the second clause clearly refers to the radio.
D    Conceived of... should be followed by as rather than to be.
E     Conceived of... should be followed by as rather than to be; other than what it is is awkward, wordy, and redundant, overlapping the meaning of precisely the opposite

我有些不明白OG的这句话：
Versions of the sentence that use the relative pronoun which indicate that the telephone has become a mass medium.

BD 选项，which 和 telephone很不相同的，B有一个插入语，也能指代 the telephone吗？

......  
（自己动手丰衣足食。）

某语法书说到：

先行词+其他定语+定语从句
先行词+状语+定语从句
先行词+谓语+定语从句。

在先行词和关系词之间插入其他的定语，这种情形最常见。这是由于先行词同时带有多个定语，其中包括定语从句。定语从句和其他定语相比，一般比较长，结构也比较复杂。因此，按照英语的尾重原则（Principle of end weight）结构复杂的从句置于其他定语后面，从而造成与先行词被隔离。

另，
Manhattan 中一个正确句子：
Mary buys cookies made with SugerFree, an artificial sweetener, which tastes as sweet as the corn syrup that her brother loves but which contains fewer calories than does an equaivalent amount of corn syrup.
which cluase 和 an artificial sweetener 都是修饰前面的SugerFree的。

所以,
多修饰成分是是可以一块出现，简单的修饰语排在前面，复杂修饰语（比如, that 从句，which 从句）排在后面，都是修饰同一个核心词。这样的时候，也就出现了我看到的 that 和 which 跳跃指代问题。

回到原题的BD选项，
跳跃同位语，我是确定不了which 是要修饰哪个名词，
B. Marconi conceived of the radio as a substitute for the telephone, a tool for private conversation, but which is
     which 到底修饰哪个？？？？
    似乎 把 the radio as a substitute for the telephone, 变成一个句子，即：
               The radio substitutes for the tehlephone.
   还是能说 which 指代 the telephone.
   然而 一个独立句子变成B的表达，还这样好指代吗？？

D. Marconi conceived of the radio to be a tool for private conversation, a substitute for the telephone, which has become
    这里的指代就是很难说清楚了，明显按照尾重原则，which 指代不上D表达中的 the telephone.

综上所述：
我了解了尾重原则（简单在前，复杂在后），以及因这尾重原则而出现which 从句 和 that 从句的跳跃指代。所以，选项C that的表达是合理的。
Marconi conceived of the radio as a tool for private conversation that could substitute for the telephone; instead, it has become
that 修饰的是 the radio.
我还能从这个题目得到一个不是很站得住叫的解释： 就是同位语的跳跃性没有which, that强。

。。。。。。。
关于which 和that 的跳跃指代问题，还有一点就是在跳跃指代的时候，位于核心名词和 which/that之间的修饰语应该是很简洁，很简单的（比如，这个简洁的修饰是同位语）。如果位于中间的修饰语和which/that 从句的都是很复杂的情况，还是想怎么调整句式结构吧。 调整句式的方式有：

1. 将两个修饰成分用 and 来连接
2. 将两个修饰语变成一个修饰语
3. 就是讲其中一个修饰语独立出来，变成absolute phrase.

如：

Wrong： Citizens of many countries are expressing concern about the enviromental damage caused by the widespread release of greenhouse gases that may be impossible to reverse.
         
这个句子里面 that man be impossible to reverse 很难说成是在修饰 the enviromental damage 吧

chineuro

这题确实非常难……我没法排除E。C的it不仅有模糊指代的问题，而且it这里指代radio——radio has become precisely the opposite?有这样说话的吗？
回到你的问题，我认为OG的解释The reference for the relative pronoun which is ambiguous意思不是which指代哪个名词不清楚，而是which原本就不该指代前面出现的任何一个名词，但它又不能指代它想要指代的东西。
which has become precisely the opposite这里的which用任何一个名词（conception，radio，substitute，toll，甚至conversation）代替都不能表达正确意思。找一个合适的词应该是the use of radio (has become precisely the opposite).

Apolloemma

chineuro 发表于 2013-6-26 21:46
这题确实非常难……我没法排除E。C的it不仅有模糊指代的问题，而且it这里指代radio——radio has become pr ...

嗯，谢谢呀。这个解释是对。

关于it 指代 the radio, 我也觉得很奇怪。 还没看到处在主格的代词能指代处在宾格的先行词的情况。这次，真是开眼了。