Dear Friends,
Here is a detailed explanation to this question-
prasannar wrote:
The psychologist William James believed that facial expressions not only provide a visible sign of an emotion, actually contributing to the feeling itself.
(A) emotion, actually contributing to the feeling itself
(B) emotion but also actually contributing to the feeling itself
(C) emotion but also actually contribute to the feeling itself
(D) emotion; they also actually contribute to the feeling of it
(E) emotion; the feeling itself is also actually contributed to by them
Concepts tested here: Pronouns + Verb Forms + Idioms• Habitual actions are best conveyed through the simple present tense.
• “not only A but also B” is the correct, idiomatic usage; A must be parallel to B.
A:1/ This answer choice incorrectly uses the unidiomatic construction "not only A + comma B"; remember, “not only A but also B” is the correct, idiomatic usage; A must be parallel to B.
B:1/ This answer choice incorrectly uses the present participle ("verb+ing" - "contributing" in this sentence) to refer to a habitual action; remember, habitual actions are best conveyed through the simple present tense.
C: Correct.1/ This answer choice correctly uses the simple present tense verb "contribute" to refer to habitual action.
2/ Option C avoids the pronoun error seen in Option D, as it uses the reflective pronoun "itself", which clearly refers to the noun "feeling", rather than the subject pronoun "it", as seen in D.
3/ Option C correctly uses the idiomatic construction "not only A ("provide a visible sign of an emotion") but also B ("contribute to the feeling itself"), maintaining parallelism between A and B.
4/ Option C is free of awkwardness or redundancy.
D:1/ This answer choice suffers from a pronoun error, as the pronoun "it" lacks a clear and logical referent.
2/ Option D incorrectly uses the unidiomatic construction "not only A + semicolon B"; remember, “not only A but also B” is the correct, idiomatic usage; A must be parallel to B.
E:1/ This answer choice incorrectly uses the unidiomatic construction "not only A + semicolon B"; remember, “not only A but also B” is the correct, idiomatic usage; A must be parallel to B.
2/ Option E uses the passive voice construction "the feeling itself is also actually contributed to", leading to awkwardness and redundancy.
Hence, C is the best answer choice.To understand the concept of "Simple Tenses" on GMAT, you may want to watch the following video (~2 minutes):
All the best!
Experts' Global Team
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