For many revisionist historians, Christopher Columbus has come to

This question is an irritating exception to the so-called “touch rule” for noun modifiers.

We also covered this example during our YouTube live chat, so if you prefer to get your SC via video, click here. And we also discussed “that” and the “touch rule” in our recent Topic of the Week on “that.”

Full disclosure: I fell asleep at the wheel and totally missed this question the first time I saw it a few years ago. So please be smarter than I was. :D


This sounds great! “… progress that has decimated native peoples…” Yeah!

Oh, wait. That doesn’t actually make sense. It wasn’t the progress that decimated native peoples – the “devastation and enslavement in the name of progress” was the thing that decimated native peoples. Oops.

Notice that this is a plausible exception to the “touch rule”: the only things separating “that” from “devastation and enslavement” are a pair of prepositional phrases, and it would be awfully tough to separate them from “devastation and enslavement.” So sure, “that has decimated native peoples” could refer back to “devastation and enslavement.”

But there’s a new problem: “devastation and enslavement… has decimated.” Subject-verb error. Eliminate (A).


This one just doesn’t make any sense. The native peoples were decimated; the way (B) is written, it sounds like they decimated somebody else, but we don’t know who. And that doesn’t make sense. Eliminate (B).


Lots of messy issues here. It’s not ideal to use the gerunds “devastating and enslaving” when we could use the noun forms “devastation and enslavement.” That’s not necessarily an absolute rule, but it’s one strike against (C).

(Also, “in the name of progress” is repeated… but I think that’s a GMAT Club typo, and that error doesn’t appear in the actual question. Oops.)

“Which” is a problem here, too. If the phrase beginning with “which” modifies “Western Hemisphere,” then it’s illogical; if it reaches back to “native peoples of the Western Hemisphere”, then it’s still wrong, because “which” can’t modify people – only things. (C) is gone.


Basically, all of the errors in (C) are repeated in (D). So (D) is out, too.


Almost everything we said about (A) applies here too: this looks like a classic exception to the “touch rule.”

The only difference? “Has” in (A) has been changed to “have” in (E). “Devastation and enslavement… have decimated the native peoples.”

So (E) is the best answer, even if you think (A) might sound better.

And if anybody is still curious about the article "the" at the beginning of (E): I don't think it's a big deal, but adding "the" helps clarify that Columbus personifies the specific devastation and enslavement that decimated the native peoples, rather than devastation and enslavement in general. But again: that's not a major issue, and not something that should worry you too much.
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This is a very good example of how GMAT tests meaning of a sentence.
By rule we know that, "that" points to the nearest noun (in this case "progress").
But progress can't decimate. It has to be "devastation and enslavement" which decimated the native peoples.

"devastation and enslavement" plural. So E is the correct answer.

Dear Friends,

Here is a detailed explanation to this question-

Concepts tested here: Subject-Verb Agreement + Tenses + Pronouns + Awkwardness/Redundancy

• Two singular nouns joined by “and” function as one plural noun.
• "that" and "which" cannot be used to refer to human beings.
• The present perfect tense (marked by the use of the helping verb “has/have”) is used to describe events that concluded in the past but continue to affect the present.
• The simple present tense is used to indicate actions taking place in the current time frame, indicate habitual actions, state universal truths, and convey information that is permanent in nature.

A: This answer choice incorrectly refers to the plural noun phrase "devastation and enslavement" with the singular verb "has decimated"; please remember, two singular nouns joined by “and” function as one plural noun.

B: This answer choice uses the passive voice construction "by which native peoples of the Western Hemisphere have been decimated", leading to awkwardness and redundancy.

C: This answer choice incorrectly refers to the noun "peoples" with the pronoun "that"; please remember, "that" and "which" cannot be used to refer to human beings.

D: This answer choice incorrectly refers to the noun "peoples" with the pronoun "which"; please remember, "that" and "which" cannot be used to refer to human beings. Further, Option D incorrectly uses the simple present tense verb "are decimated" to refer to an action that concluded in the past but continues to affect the present; please remember, the present perfect tense (marked by the use of the helping verb “has/have”) is used to describe events that concluded in the past but continue to affect the present, and the simple present tense is used to indicate actions taking place in the current time frame, indicate habitual actions, state universal truths, and convey information that is permanent in nature.

E: Correct. This answer choice correctly refers to the plural noun phrase "devastation and enslavement" with the plural verb "have decimated". Further, Option E correctly refers to the non-human noun phrase "devastation and enslavement" with the pronoun "that". Additionally, Option E correctly uses the present perfect tense verb "have decimated" to refer to an action that concluded in the past but continues to affect the present. Besides, Option E is free of any awkwardness or redundancy.

Hence, E is the best answer choice.

To understand the concept of "Present Perfect Tense" on GMAT, you may want to watch the following video (~1 minute):



To understand the concept of "Simple Tenses" on GMAT, you may want to watch the following video (~1 minute):



To understand the concept of "And" vs Other Conjunctions on GMAT, you may want to watch the following video (~1 minute):



All the best!
Experts' Global Team
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C and D are obviously out.
A - devastation and enslavement... has... decimated native peoples of the Western Hemisphere.: It's Plural
B - Sounds like progress has decimated native peoples of the Western Hemisphere
E - Correct! devastation and enslavement... have... decimated native peoples of the Western Hemisphere.:

I completely agree with you.

This was pretty tough

For many revisionist historians, Christopher Columbus has come to personify devastation and enslavement in the name of progress that has decimated native peoples of the Western Hemisphere.

a) devastation and enslavement in the name of progress that has decimated native peoples of the Western Hemisphere
b) devastation and enslavement in the name of progress by which native peoples of the Western Hemisphere have been decimated
c) devastating and enslaving in the name of progress those native peoples of the Western Hemisphere that have been decimated
d) devastating and enslaving those native peoples of the Western Hemisphere which in the name of progress are decimated
e) the devastation and enslavement in the name of progress that have decimated the native peoples of the Western Hemisphere

Now if someone is realy accostumed to SC suddenly figure out that THE is necessary for the economy of the same

Otherwise:

in A we have two things so HAS is not possible because lacks of agreement

in B and C: are ackward

D which is not preceded by comma

in E THE is correct and HAVE agree

Nice question
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Which one of the following is correct?
the curry and rice is good for stomach.
the curry and the rice are good for stomach.

The devastation and enslavement have decimated the native peoples of the Western Hemisphere
The devastation and the enslavement have decimated the native peoples of the Western Hemisphere
I think both are correct.

Many people asked similar question regarding the cocktail noun in option E, whether article should come or not.

As per my understanding as in curry and rice that is a inseparable noun, which represent a dish, we must consider noun as singular, whereas devastation and enslavement do not represent any one particular thing; they are separable, and we should use plural verb to represent such compound noun action.

Experts kindly share your views as well.

For many revisionist historians, Christopher Columbus has come to personify devastation and enslavement in the name of progress that has decimated native peoples of the Western Hemisphere.

a) devastation and enslavement in the name of progress that has decimated native peoples of the Western Hemisphere
b) devastation and enslavement in the name of progress by which native peoples of the Western Hemisphere have been decimated
c) devastating and enslaving in the name of progress those native peoples of the Western Hemisphere that have been decimated
d) devastating and enslaving those native peoples of the Western Hemisphere which in the name of progress are decimated
e) the devastation and enslavement in the name of progress that have decimated the native peoples of the Western Hemisphere

Here as per the meaning "Progress cannot devastate the natives" so that should refer to "devastation and enslavement" and hence That should take plural.
Which/that can jump over the essential modifier "in the name of progress" to refer to "devastation and enslavement"

a) devastation and enslavement in the name of progress that has decimated native peoples of the Western Hemisphere
That should take plural verb as explained above

b) devastation and enslavement in the name of progress by which native peoples of the Western Hemisphere have been decimated
Again, by progress native people cannot be decimated so which should refer to "devastation and enslavement".
here, compared to active voice, option B) is not preferred as active voice is more concise and expresses the meaning effectively.

c) devastating and enslaving in the name of progress those native peoples of the Western Hemisphere that have been decimated
Three issues
1) Instead of gerund (verb+ing) which is a noun form, use the noun form "devastation and enslavement" which is already present. If we don't have a noun form for example eating, we don't have a noun form, we can use "eating".
2) What is those referring to? -> is not clear.
3) "that have" obviously, hemisphere cannot be decimated so that refers to "native peoples". But here, the meaning changes as who devastated is removed.

d) devastating and enslaving those native peoples of the Western Hemisphere which in the name of progress are decimated
1) Same issue as that of option C) point 1)
2) Same issue as that of option C) point 2)
3) which refers to ? not clear.

e) the devastation and enslavement in the name of progress that have decimated the native peoples of the Western Hemisphere
-> Correct

Piyush
Hi.
With regard to rice and curry: Many South Indians do not take Rice and curry together. They like to eat rice along with curd, or something known as ‘rasam’. Many of the special Rice items such as Lemon rice or Tomato rice are rather eaten with some fried papads or chips. So rice and curry are not eternal companions as ‘bread and butter’ is.

You also said



More importantly, with the above example, it may be noted that the use of article before enslavement is not in question here. As you may see none of the five choices carry the article before enslavement. In addition, to work from behind, Since E is the OA, it is not supposed to have any errors. So we should accept 'enslavement' without the article as the correct version or at least as the preferred version

( I do not know whether Piyush will be seeing this after a year's gap.)
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For many revisionist historians, Christopher Columbus has come to personify devastation and enslavement in the name of progress that has decimated native peoples of the Western Hemisphere.

This is one of the few questions that encounters all the exceptions and intricate nuances of GMAT SC.This question prompts to make quicker choices between have and has and which and that

Meaning
For many historians, CC has been personified as an embodiment of devastation and enslavement. These characters have decimated the people of Western Hemisphere
Here the devastation and enslavement have decimated the people lives not progress

(A) devastation and enslavement in the name of progress that has decimated native peoples of the Western Hemisphere
SVA error devastation and enslavement are plurals must be followed by plural verb
(B) devastation and enslavement in the name of progress by which native peoples of the Western Hemisphere have been decimated
Meaning ambiguity: progress has nothing to do with people's lives.
(C) devastating and enslaving in the name of progress those native peoples of the Western Hemisphere that have been decimated
Too many errors SVA error Modifier error and tenses error
(D) devastating and enslaving those native peoples of the Western Hemisphere which in the name of progress are decimated
Modifier and meaning errors Western hemisphere ahs nothing to do with people's lives
(E) the devastation and enslavement in the name of progress that have decimated the native peoples of the Western Hemisphere
that modifies the devastation and enslavement Correct


Note:
I have some thoughts about this question. Please clarify me if I am wrong.
1. It's very typical to find a GMAT question in which "that " modifies the far away noun as in this case, though the meaning of the question has the highest precedence than grammar.
2. I the option E "the" is used before devastation and enslavement. if the subject is compound noun such as the bread and cheese or The bread and butter, will it not make much sense to use has instead of have.

Even my grammar tool "Grammarly" suggests has instead of have.
Please clarify my thought process

RaguramanS, here are my thoughts on your questions:

1. I think you're asking whether it's normal for a modifier such as "that" to jump over a few words and modify an earlier noun. Yes, this is fine, although we have to make sure that the intended meaning is clear. The GMAT writers are often much less eager to apply strict modifier rules than aspiring SC masters would like them to be!

2. The simple answer is that almost all compound subjects (including "bread and butter/cheese") are plural. The only exception would be when we're describing one thing or process with two elements:

Research and development for the new space station is taking longer than anticipated.
Gin and tonic is a popular drink.

However, unless it's 100% clear that the two things must be considered as one unit, we're not going to see this, so the default should be to make all compound subjects plural.
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For many revisionist historians, Christopher Columbus has come to personify devastation and enslavement in the name of progress that has decimated native peoples of the Western Hemisphere.

a) devastation and enslavement in the name of progress that has decimated native peoples of the Western Hemisphere
b) devastation and enslavement in the name of progress by which native peoples of the Western Hemisphere have been decimated
c) devastating and enslaving in the name of progress those native peoples of the Western Hemisphere that have been decimated
d) devastating and enslaving those native peoples of the Western Hemisphere which in the name of progress are decimated



1. It is not the general devastation and (the) enslavement that this topic is talking about. It is the specific aftermaths of the Columbian Occupation that it is referring to. The use of the definite article in 'the devastation' and '(the) enslavement' is justifiable.

2. The prepositional phrase 'in the name of progress' is modifying just enslavement. Therefore, we now have two fallouts namely 1. 'the devastation and 2. (the) enslavement in the name of progress', rendering the whole phrase a compounded plural. Therefore, you may see that the plural verb 'have decimated' stands well.
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Ashokshiva pikolo2510

I am not an expert, but let me add my two cents.



That refers to two nouns devastation and enslavement.

I hope you are aware usage of THAT as a relative pronoun modifer.
A relative pronoun will always start a dependent clause. The relative pronoun may
or may not be the subject of the DC that it starts.

The reason why you might be confused is due to presence of prepositional phrase -
in the name of progress - which modifies above two nouns. It is
perfectly valid for a modifier (that) to jump over a prepositional phrase to
refer back to both above nouns as subject and make sense with plural
verb - have decimated.

As yourself: Is it progress or evastation and enslavement
that has decimated native peoples of the Western Hemisphere.

Here is complete sentence structure for you:

For many revisionist historians, Christopher Columbus has come to personify devastation and enslavement in the name of progress

that have decimated native peoples of the Western Hemisphere.

Subject - Verb pairs are as highlighted

Hope this helps.
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Hello Arpit adkikani,

I am so happy and proud to see how well you guided pikolo2510 to resolve his own doubt. Great job there.

However, I would just like to make a correction in your above-mentioned analysis.

Please note that have decimated is the verb for the subject that, NOT for devastation and enslavement.

Yes, the noun modifier that refers to devastation and enslavement. But devastation and enslavement does NOT associate with have decimated as a subject. It is that that does so.

If you remove the that clause from the sentence, you will have to remove the verb have decimated also because the verb cannot exist without its subject.


Hope this helps.
Thanks.
Shraddha
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So should we conclude by saying ''that'' can refer to plural nouns.

There were instances where i have eliminated answer options by using this technique. Now i would have find an another one.!!

Hello Ashokshiva,

I will be glad to help you out with this one.


When that is used a noun modifier, it can refer to a singular as well as a plural noun entity as we saw in the case of the two official sentences that you solved.

When that is used just as a pronoun, then it only refers to a singular noun entity.


Hope this helps.
Thanks.
Shraddha
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AGree with your explanation and was stuck between A & E,
But ,why "The devastation and enslavement" isn't that makes devastation Specific

Hello Harshit.

I will be happy to help you with this one.

From the usage of the before devastation and enslavement in Choice E, we can understand that the author wants to talk about the devastation and enslavement that the native people of the Western hemisphere had to suffer after Columbus set his foot on the countries in this hemisphere. The author does not talk of devastation and enslavement in generic sense.

However, is usage of the in Choice E a deciding factor in choosing this choice as a correct answer choice? IMHO, no. The correct meaning and the correct grammatical structure of this sentence makes it superior than all the given answer choices.

Hope this helps.
Thanks.
Shraddha
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GMATNinja

Sir I am not clear with the explanation you provided for option B. Could you elaborate this a little more?

Consider a silly example: "After working up a huge appetite on the ski slopes, Charlie decimated the buffet." In this example, some guy named Charlie decimated ("destroyed") the buffet, presumably by eating all of it. "Charlie" is the grammatical subject for the verb "decimated" -- and the poor buffet is the thing that is decimated.

(B) is actually structured the same way: "... native peoples of the Western Hemisphere decimated." "Native peoples" is the subject, and "decimated" is the verb. The problem is, the sentence never says what, exactly, the "native peoples" decimate. There is no object for the sentence. And logically, the native peoples themselves WERE decimated. They didn't "decimate" anything.

(In in case anybody is wondering, there are apparently two different versions of this question. My explanation was originally attached to a slightly different version of the question than the one that appears at the very beginning of this thread.)

I hope this helps!
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