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Here is a detailed explanation to this question-
ykaiim wrote:
During the eighteenth century, widespread changes in agriculture, known as the agrarian revolution, involving the large-scale introduction of enclosed fields, of new farming techniques and crops, and the substitution of commercial for subsistence farming.
A. revolution, involving the large-scale introduction of enclosed fields, of new farming techniques and crops, and
B. revolution, involved the large-scale introduction of enclosed fields and of new farming techniques and crops, and
C. revolution, which involved the large-scale introduction of enclosed fields and of new farming techniques and crops, and
D. revolution involved the large-scale introduction of enclosed fields, new farming techniques and crops, and of
E. revolution that involved the large-scale introduction of enclosed fields and new farming techniques and crops, and of
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 during the eighteenth century, widespread changes in agriculture, involved the large-scale introduction of enclosed fields and of new farming techniques and crops, and involved the substitution of commercial for subsistence farming, and these changes were known as the agrarian revolution.
Concepts tested here: Meaning + Grammatical Construction • If a list has only two elements, they must be joined by a conjunction.
• Presenting a modifying phrase between two commas is a correct way to insert extra information into an independent clause.
A: This answer choice fails to form a complete sentence; as "involving" is a present participle ("verb+ing"), there is no active verb to act upon the subject noun "changes". Further, Option A incorrectly uses a comma to join two elements in a list - "of enclosed fields" and "of new farming techniques and crops"; remember, if a list has only two elements, they must be joined by a conjunction.
B: Correct. This answer choice acts upon the independent subject noun "changes" with the active verb "involved" to form a complete thought, leading to a complete sentence. Further, Option E uses the phrase "and of new farming techniques and crops, and", conveying the intended meaning - that the widespread changes in agriculture involved the large-scale introduction of enclosed fields, the
large-scale introduction of new farming techniques and crops, and
the substitution of commercial for subsistence farming. Additionally, Option B correctly uses a pair of commas to introduce extra information - the fact that the changes in agriculture are known as the agrarian revolution - into an independent clause.
C: This answer choice fails to form a complete sentence; as "involved" is part of a modifying phrase, there is no active verb to act upon the subject noun "changes".
D: This answer choice alters the meaning of the sentence through the phrase "new farming techniques and crops, and of"; the construction of this phrase incorrectly implies that the widespread changes in agriculture involved the large-scale introduction of enclosed fields, the
large-scale introduction of the substitution of commercial for subsistence farming, and
new farming techniques and crops; the intended meaning is that the widespread changes in agriculture involved the large-scale introduction of enclosed fields, the
large-scale introduction of new farming techniques and crops, and
the substitution of commercial for subsistence farming. Further, Option D incorrectly uses a single comma to introduce extra information - the fact that the changes in agriculture are known as the agrarian revolution - into an independent clause; remember, presenting a modifying phrase between two commas is a correct way to insert extra information into an independent clause.
E: This answer choice fails to form a complete sentence; as "involved" is part of a modifying phrase, there is no active verb to act upon the subject noun "changes". Further, Option E incorrectly uses a single comma to introduce extra information - the fact that the changes in agriculture are known as the agrarian revolution - into an independent clause; remember, presenting a modifying phrase between two commas is a correct way to insert extra information into an independent clause.
Hence, B is the best answer choice.To understand the concept of "Extra Information Between Commas" on GMAT, you may want to watch the following video (~2 minutes):
All the best!
Experts' Global Team
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