Dear Friends,
Here is a detailed explanation to this question-
GMATBLACKBELT wrote:
A collection of 38 poems by Phillis Wheatley, a slave, was published in the 1770s, the first book by a Black woman and it was only the second published by an American woman.
A. it was only the second published by an American woman
B. it was only the second that an American woman published
C. the second one only published by an American woman
D. the second one only that an American woman published
E. only the second published by an American woman
Meaning is crucial to solving this problem:Understanding the intended meaning is key to solving this question; the intended meaning of the crucial part of this sentence is that a collection of 38 poems by Phillis Wheatley was the first book by a Black woman and only the second published by an American woman.
Concepts tested here: Meaning + Modifiers + Parallelism + Redundancy/Awkwardness• Any elements linked by a conjunction (“and” in this sentence) must be parallel.
A: This answer choice fails to maintain parallelism between the modifying phrase “the first book by a Black woman” and clause “it was only the second published by an American woman”; please remember that any elements linked by a conjunction (“and” in this sentence) must be parallel. Further, the usage of “it” is redundant in the sentence, as “it” can be deleted without a loss of clarity.
B: This answer choice fails to maintain parallelism between the modifying phrase “the first book by a Black woman” and clause “it was only the second that an American woman published”; please remember that any elements linked by a conjunction (“and” in this sentence) must be parallel. Further, the usage of “it” is redundant in the sentence, as “it” can be deleted without a loss of clarity.
C: Trap. This answer choice incorrectly uses "only" to modify "published", incorrectly implying that “A collection of 38 poems by Phillis Wheatley” is the second “book” that was published exclusively by an American woman; the intended meaning of the sentence is that “A collection of 38 poems by Phillis Wheatley” is the second “book” ever published by an American woman. Further, the phrase “second one only” suffers from redundancy.
D: This answer choice incorrectly uses "only" to modify "that an American woman published", incorrectly implying that “A collection of 38 poems by Phillis Wheatley” is the second “book” that was published exclusively by an American woman; the intended meaning of the sentence is that “A collection of 38 poems by Phillis Wheatley” is the second “book” ever published by an American woman. Further, the phrase “second one only” suffers from redundancy.
E: Correct. This answer choice maintains parallelism between the modifying phrases “the first book by a Black woman” and “only the second published by an American woman”. Further, Option E correctly uses “only” to modify “the second (book)”, conveying the intended meaning - that “A collection of 38 poems by Phillis Wheatley” is the second “book” ever published by an American woman. Besides, Option E is free of any awkwardness or redundancy.
Hence, E is the best answer choice.All the best!
Experts' Global Team