Explanation
Creating a filter: as we cut our way through the original
sentence, we can see that it's not actually grammatically a sentence. There are
two independent clauses without a conjunction joining them. We'll look for this
error in the other answer choices.
Applying the filter: choice (B) has the same problem.
Choice (D) sets up an illogical comparison between "construction" in the answer
choice and "countries" after the answer choice. Choices (C) and (E) are similar
to each other. Their main difference is in the meaning conveyed; (C) conveys
that Panama constructed the canal without Colombia, and (E) conveys that the
two countries constructed it together. The sentence says that these two
countries otherwise continued on similar courses, as indicated by the
words "but other than." That means they didn't continue on similar courses with
respect to the canal. Choice (E), therefore, doesn't fit the logic of the
sentence. The correct answer is (C).
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