Dear Friends,
Here is a detailed explanation to this question-
macjas wrote:
By 1940, the pilot Jacqueline Cochran held seventeen official national and international speed records, and she earned them at a time when aviation was still so new for many of the planes she flew to be of dangerously experimental design.
(A) and she earned them at a time when aviation was still so new for many of the planes she flew to be
(B) earning them at a time that aviation was still so new for many of the planes she flew were
(C) earning these at a time where aviation was still so new that many of the planes she flew were
(D) earned at a time in which aviation was still so new such that many of the planes she flew were
(E) earned at a time when aviation was still so new that many of the planes she flew were
Meaning is crucial to solving this problem:Understanding the intended meaning is key to solving this question; the intended meaning of this sentence is that Jacqueline Cochran held seventeen official national and international speed records, and she earned these records at a time when aviation was still so new that many of the planes she flew were of dangerously experimental design.
Concepts tested here: Meaning + Idioms + Verb Forms + Awkwardness/RedundancyA: This answer choice incorrectly uses the infinitive verb form ("to + base form of verb" - "to + be" in this sentence) to refer to an action that concluded in the past; please remember, the simple past tense is used to refer to events that concluded in the past. Further, Option A incorrectly uses the unidiomatic construction "so + cause ("new") + for + effect ("many of the planes...design")"; please remember, the correct, idiomatic usage is “so cause…as to effect” or “so cause…that effect”. Additionally, Option A uses the needlessly wordy phrase "and she earned them", leading to awkwardness and redundancy.
B: This answer choice alters the meaning of the sentence through the phrase "earning them at a time"; the use of the "comma + present participle ("verb+ing" - "earning" in this sentence)" construction incorrectly implies that Jacqueline Cochran held seventeen official national and international speed records
because she earned these records at a time when aviation was still so new that many of the planes she flew were of dangerously experimental design; the intended meaning is that Jacqueline Cochran held seventeen official national and international speed records,
and as a separate action she earned these records at a time when aviation was still so new that many of the planes she flew were of dangerously experimental design; please remember, the introduction of present participle ("verb+ing"- “earning” in this case) after comma generally leads to a cause-effect relationship. Further, Option B incorrectly uses "that" to refer to a specific point in time; please remember, "when" is used to refer to a point in time. Additionally, Option B incorrectly uses the unidiomatic construction "so + cause ("new") + for + effect ("many of the planes...design")"; please remember, the correct, idiomatic usage is “so cause…as to effect” or “so cause…that effect”. Additionally, Option B uses the needlessly wordy phrase "and she earned them", leading to awkwardness and redundancy.
C: This answer choice alters the meaning of the sentence through the phrase "earning these at a time"; the use of the "comma + present participle ("verb+ing" - "earning" in this sentence)" construction incorrectly implies that Jacqueline Cochran held seventeen official national and international speed records
because she earned these records at a time when aviation was still so new that many of the planes she flew were of dangerously experimental design; the intended meaning is that Jacqueline Cochran held seventeen official national and international speed records,
and as a separate action she earned these records at a time when aviation was still so new that many of the planes she flew were of dangerously experimental design; please remember, the introduction of present participle ("verb+ing"- “earning” in this case) after comma generally leads to a cause-effect relationship. Further, Option C incorrectly uses "where" to refer to a point in time; please remember, "when" is used to refer to a point in time, and “where” is only used to refer to a physical location.
D: This answer choice incorrectly uses the unidiomatic construction "so + cause ("new") + such that + effect ("many of the planes...design")"; please remember, the correct, idiomatic usage is “so cause…as to effect” or “so cause…that effect”. Further, Option D incorrectly uses "in which" to refer to a point in time; please remember, "when" is used to refer to a point in time.
E: Correct. This answer choice uses the phrase "earned at a time", conveying the intended meaning - that Jacqueline Cochran held seventeen official national and international speed records,
and as a separate action she earned these records at a time when aviation was still so new that many of the planes she flew were of dangerously experimental design. Further, Option E correctly uses the simple past tense verb "were" to refer to an event that concluded in the past. Additionally, Option E correctly uses "when" to refer to a point in time. Moreover, Option E correctly uses the idiomatic construction "so + cause ("new") + that + effect ("many of the planes...design")". Besides, Option E is free of any awkwardness or redundancy.
Hence, E is the best answer choice.To understand the concept of "Where" vs "When" on GMAT, you may want to watch the following video (~1 minute):
To understand the concept of "So As To" on GMAT, you may want to watch the following video (~1 minute):
To understand the concept of "Comma + Present Participle for Cause-Effect Relationship" on GMAT, you may want to watch the following video (~3 minutes):
All the best!
Experts' Global Team
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