Dear Friends,
Here is a detailed explanation to this question-
tarek99 wrote:
Greatly influenced by the Protestant missionary Samuel Kirkland, the Oneida was the only one of the five-nation Iroquois League who sided with the colonists during the American Revolution.
(A) was the only one of the five-nation Iroquois League who sided
(B) was alone of the five-nation Iroquois League when they sided
(C) alone among the five-nation Iroquois League sided
(D) were the only ones out of the five nations of Iroquois League in siding
(E) only of the five-nation Iroquois League had sided
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 among the five-nation Iroquois League, only the Oneida sided with the colonists during the American Revolution.
Concepts tested here: Subject-Verb Agreement + Pronouns + Meaning + Tenses + Awkwardness/Redundancy• "who" is only used to refer to human beings.
• "when" is used to refer to a point in time.
• If a sentence contains multiple past actions, the past perfect tense (marked by the use of the helping verb “had”) is used to refer to all but the most recent action; the simple past tense is used to refer to the most recent action.
A: Trap. This answer choice incorrectly refers to "the Oneida" - the name of a nation - with "who"; remember, "who" is only used to refer to human beings.
B: This answer choice incorrectly refers to the singular noun "the Oneida" with the plural pronoun "they". Further, Option B alters the meaning of the sentence through the phrase "when they sided"; the use of "when" incorrectly implies that the Oneida was alone among the five-nation Iroquois League,
at the point in time when it sided with the colonists during the American Revolution; the intended meaning is that among the five-nation Iroquois League,
only the Oneida
sided with the colonists during the American Revolution; remember, "when" is used to refer to a point in time.
C: Correct. This answer choice correctly refers to the singular noun "the Oneida" with the verb "sided", which can refer to both plural and singular nouns. Moreover, Option C avoids the pronoun errors seen in Options A, B, and D, as it uses no pronouns. Further, Option C uses the phrase "alone among the five-nation Iroquois League sided", conveying the intended meaning - that among the five-nation Iroquois League,
only the Oneida
sided with the colonists during the American Revolution. Additionally, Option C correctly uses the simple past tense verb "sided" to refer to the latter of two actions that concluded in the past - the Oneida being influenced by the Protestant missionary Samuel Kirkland and the Oneida siding with the colonists during the American Revolution. Besides, Option C is free of any awkwardness or redundancy.
D: This answer choice incorrectly refers to the singular noun "the Oneida" with the plural verb "were" and the plural pronoun "ones". Further, Option D uses the needlessly wordy and passive construction "the only ones out of the five nations of Iroquois League in siding", leading to awkwardness and redundancy.
E: This answer choice incorrectly uses the past perfect tense verb "had sided" to refer to the later of two actions that concluded in the past - the Oneida being influenced by the Protestant missionary Samuel Kirkland and the Oneida siding with the colonists during the American Revolution; remember, if a sentence contains multiple past actions, the past perfect tense (marked by the use of the helping verb “had”) is used to refer to all but the most recent action; the simple past tense is used to refer to the most recent action.
Hence, C is the best answer choice.To understand the concept of "Past Perfect Tense" on GMAT, you may want to watch the following video (~2 minutes):
All the best!
Experts' Global Team