Read the excerpt from The Building of Manhattan.

Question

It was a monumental task: to design the world's tallest building, create as much usable rental space as possible, plan so it could be built within 18 months, and still have a handsome building. In the end, architect William Lamb worked on fifteen designs before his plan "K" was finally chosen.

Which words cannot be changed when paraphrasing this text?

A. “monumental task”
B. “handsome building”
C. “fifteen designs”
D. “usable rental space”

Answer 1

In the context of paraphrasing, the words that cannot be changed due to their specific meanings and importance in the passage are:

C. “fifteen designs”

This phrase includes a specific quantity ("fifteen") which conveys a precise detail that cannot be altered without changing the intended meaning. While terms like "monumental task," "handsome building," and "usable rental space" are important phrases, they can be paraphrased into synonyms or similar expressions without losing the overall meaning.