Bunuel wrote:
12 Days of Christmas 🎅 GMAT Competition with Lots of Questions & FunIn the early 1800s, the Native American leader known as the Prophet,
himself a reformed alcoholic, traveled repeatedly to the Indiana territory to unite the Native American tribes in rejecting the cultural influences, primarily alcohol consumption, foisted on the tribes by American settlers.
(A) himself a reformed alcoholic, traveled repeatedly to the Indiana territory to unite
(B) being a reformed alcoholic himself, traveled repeatedly to the Indiana territory so as to unite
(C) a reformed alcoholic himself, traveled repeatedly to the Indiana territory for uniting
(D) himself as a reformed alcoholic, traveled repeatedly to the Indiana territory so as to be the uniter of
(E) who had been himself as a reformed alcoholic, traveled repeatedly to the Indiana territory for the uniting of
Experts' Global Official Explanation:
Redundancy/Awkwardness + Tenses + Verb Forms + MeaningUnderstanding the intended meaning is key to solving this question; the intended meaning of this sentence is that the Native American leader known as the Prophet was a reformed alcoholic himself and traveled repeatedly to the Indiana territory for the purpose of uniting the Native American tribes in rejecting the cultural influences foisted on the tribes by American settlers.
• “being” is only to be used when it is part of a noun phrase or represents the passive continuous verb tense; the use of passive continuous must be justified in the context.
• "so as to" is generally an incorrect usage; "so + cause + as to + effect" is a correct, idiomatic usage.
• For referring to the purpose or intent of an action, the infinitive verb form (“to + base form of verb" – “to + unite” in this sentence) is preferred over the present participle ("verb+ing" - "uniting" in this sentence) construction.
A. Correct. This answer uses the phrase “himself a reformed alcoholic” to modify “the Native American leader known as the Prophet”, conveying the intended meaning – that the Prophet was a reformed alcoholic and travelled repeatedly to the Indiana territory. Further, Option A uses the infinitive verb form (“to + base form of verb” – “to + unite” in this sentence) to refer to the purpose of the action “travelled repeatedly”, conveying the intended meaning – that the Prophet travelled repeatedly to the Indiana territory for the purpose of uniting the Native American tribes, and avoiding the idiom error seen in Options B and E. Additionally, Option A is free of any awkwardness or redundancy.
B. This answer choice is needlessly wordy due to the use of “being”; please remember, “being” is only to be used when it is part of a noun phrase or represents the passive continuous verb tense. Further, Option B incorrectly uses the unidiomatic construction “so as to” rather than the idiomatic construction “so cause…as to effect; please remember, "so as to" is generally an incorrect usage; "so + cause + as to + effect" is a correct, idiomatic usage.
C. Trap. This answer choice uses the present participle (“verb+ing”- “uniting” in this sentence) rather than the infinitive verb form (“to +base form of verb)” to refer to the purpose of the action “traveled repeatedly…”; please remember, for referring to the purpose or intent of an action, the infinitive verb form (“to + base form of verb") is preferred over the present participle ("verb+ing" - "uniting" in this sentence) construction.
D. This answer choice alters the meaning of the sentence through the phrase “as a reformed alcoholic”; the construction of this phrase incorrectly implies that the Prophet traveled to the Indiana territory in his capacity as a reformed alcoholic; the intended meaning is that the Prophet was a reformed alcoholic and traveled repeatedly to the Indiana territory. Further, Option D incorrectly uses the unidiomatic construction “so as to” rather than the idiomatic construction “so cause…as to effect; please remember, "so as to" is generally an incorrect usage; "so + cause + as to + effect" is a correct, idiomatic usage.
E. This answer choice alters the meaning of the sentence through the phrase “for the uniting of”; the use of the gerund “the uniting” incorrectly implies that the Prophet traveled to the Indiana territory for the act of the tribes uniting; the intended meaning is that the Prophet traveled to the Indiana territory for the purpose of uniting the tribes himself. Further, Option E uses the present participle (“verb+ing”- “uniting” in this sentence) rather than the infinitive verb form (“to +base form of verb)” to refer to the purpose of the action “traveled repeatedly…”; please remember, for referring to the purpose or intent of an action, the infinitive verb form (“to + base form of verb") is preferred over the present participle ("verb+ing" - "uniting" in this sentence) construction. Additionally, Option E uses the needlessly wordy phrase “who had been himself as a reformed alcoholic”, leading to awkwardness and an incoherent meaning.
A is the best answer choice.____________________________
Video Explanation:
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13 Dec 2023, 07:00
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