Unlike Mozart, whose funeral was sparsely attended being buried in an

OFFICIAL EXPLANATION

This sentence has four errors. First, the subordinate clause “whose funeral was sparsely attended being buried in an unmarked communal grave” is awkward grammatically and ambiguous in meaning; the clause could be interpreted to mean that the funeral was sparsely attended at the time Mozart was being buried, or it could be interpreted to mean that the funeral was sparsely attended because Mozart was buried in an unmarked grave. Second, it is not clear whether the possessive “Beethoven’s” refers to “funeral” or to “grave.” Third, the sentence makes an illogical comparison between Mozart and either Beethoven’s funeral or Beethoven's grave.

Finally, the prepositional phrase “near the graves of Schubert and Brahms” is a misplaced modifier. Since it immediately follows “cemetery,” it appears to describe the location of the cemetery rather than that of the grave.

(A) This choice is incorrect since it repeats the original sentence.

(B) First, the subordinate clause “whose funeral was sparsely attended being buried in an unmarked communal grave” is grammatically awkward and ambiguous in meaning. Second, while the introduction of “funeral” makes the possessive “Beethoven’s” unambiguous, the sentence still illogically compares “Mozart” to “Beethoven’s funeral.” Finally, the past tense is used illogically in the clause “his final resting place was ….” Since this clause discusses Beethoven’s final resting place, it describes a state of being that is still true today; hence, the use of the present tense is appropriate to describe where Beethoven’s body currently lies.

(C) “Mozart” is followed by two clauses, “whose funeral was sparsely attended” and “he was buried in an unmarked communal grave.” The second of these clauses is incorrect because: 1) it should be a subordinate clause modifying Mozart, and should therefore start with "who was buried", and 2) it should be parallel to the first clause, and should therefore start with "who was buried", and 3) it should not make the illogical assertion that “Unlike Mozart, he [Mozart] was buried….”.

(D) This choice makes an illogical comparison between "Mozart" and "Beethoven’s funeral." In addition, the prepositional phrase “near the graves of Schubert and Brahms” is a misplaced modifier. Since it immediately follows “cemetery,” it appears to describe the location of the cemetery rather than that of the grave.

(E) CORRECT. “Mozart” is now modified by two subordinate clauses, “whose funeral was attended….” and “who was buried ….,” each properly introduced by the relative pronouns “whose” and “who” respectively. In addition, “Mozart” is now logically compared to “Beethoven.” Finally, the phrase “near the graves of …” unambiguously modifies “lies buried.”