Web Activity 9.3 When do ambiguities pose processing problems?

Rate the processing difficulty of each of the following sentences on a scale of 1 to 3, in which 1 is “perfectly smooth to process,” 2 is “somewhat awkward to process,” and 3 is “definitely difficult to process.”

• The assault victim recognized the suspect with the moon-shaped scar.
• Before Donald sewed the blouse with the fancy ruffles fell to the ground.
• The flowers delivered to the office were from a mysterious admirer.
• The student admitted her paper was plagiarized.
• All of last year, Loren was writing a novel and a collection of short stories sat untouched.
• The lawyer obtained the documents when he met with his client.
• The beauty queen accepted the prize was awarded by a corrupt jury.
• Joanna planted a fig tree and Cassy dug out the rhododendron bush.
• Carefully, the thief pried open the door with a heavy hinge.
• Francey told the boss she recently made some fresh donuts the story of her first marriage.
• The students passed the first time should have felt grateful.
• As daylight dwindled the party-goers dispersed.
• Biljana gave the daughter she loved a locket.
• The journalist claimed the falsified report when she collected her files from the office.

Look back at your scored sentences. Are there some pairs of sentences that have a similar structure, but to which you assigned different scores? If so, try to generate some ideas about why one sentence was easier/harder than the other.