Detail Stripping

In this passage we are going to talk about using detail stripping

Put simply subordinate clauses are bits of a sentence that add extra details to the main idea. Due to this they are unecessary for grasping the biggest picture ideas within a paragraph. It isn’t that the extra details that subordinate clauses provide isn’t important, they are and many questions will ask you to extract information from them it’s that they make it harder to pull out the main ideas. Rather than going on a long discussion of why this is the case go ahead and read the two excerpts below.

Here is the first one…

Although ancient Mesopotamian religion, which played a pivotal role in shaping the social and political structures of early civilizations, often perplexed historians due to its intricate pantheon of gods and complex rituals, it has, upon deeper analysis by scholars who dedicated their careers to the study of ancient cultures, revealed critical insights into the development of early human societal norms and legal systems, insights that continue to influence modern understanding of historical progression.

…and now the second

Ancient Mesopotamian religion shaped the social and political structures of early civilizations. Scholars’ analysis of this religion has provided insights into the development of early human societal norms and legal systems.

Even though both paragraphs are pretty understandable it is much easier to “get through” the second one. The difference between these two paragraphs is that a substantial portion of the subordinate clauses have been removed.