12 Days of Christmas GMAT Competition - Day 7: For many authors

Experts' Global Official Explanation

Meaning + Modifiers + Redundancy/Awkwardness

Understanding the intended meaning is key to solving this question; the intended meaning of this sentence is that for many authors, beyond the act of self-exploration lies a sense of writing as a sacrament, which is a personal ritual that provides a sense of solace for them, as religion does for other people.

Note: This question features a highly subtle difference in the use of the verbs “lays” and “lies”; “lay” means to put something down, either literally or metaphorically, and requires an object to act upon; by contrast, “lies” means to reside in or to be found in and does not require an object to act upon.

A. Correct. This answer choice correctly uses “lies” in a context wherein there is no object for the verb to act upon. Further, Option A correctly uses “a personal ritual that provides…” to modify “writing as a sacrament”, conveying the intended meaning of the sentence- that for many authors, beyond the act of self-exploration lies a sense of writing as a sacrament, which is a personal ritual that provides a sense of solace for them, as religion does for other people.

B. Trap. This answer choice incorrectly uses the verb “lays” rather than the verb “lies” in a context wherein there is no object for it to act upon; please remember, “lay” requires an object to act upon, and “lies” does not.

C. Trap. This answer choice incorrectly uses “ a personal ritual that provides…” to modify “the act of self-exploration”, incorrectly implying that the act of self-exploration is a personal ritual that provides a sense of solace for many authors, as religion does for other people; the intended meaning of the sentence is that for many authors, beyond the act of self-expression there is a sense of writing as a sacrament, which is a personal ritual that provides a sense of solace for many authors, as religion does for other people.

D. This answer choice incorrectly uses “a personal ritual that provides…” to modify “self-exploration’s act”, leading to an incoherent meaning; the intended meaning of the sentence is that for many authors, beyond the act of self-expression there is a sense of writing as a sacrament, which is a personal ritual that provides a sense of solace for many authors, as religion does for other people.

E. This answer choice incorrectly uses the verb “lays” rather than “lies” in a context wherein there is no object for it to act upon; please remember, “lay” requires an object to act upon, and “lies” does not.

A is the best answer choice.
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(A) For many authors, beyond the act of self-exploration lies a sense of writing as a sacrament, a personal ritual that provides a sense of solace to them, as religion does for other people.

(B) For many authors, beyond the act of self-exploration lays a sense of writing as a sacrament, a personal ritual that provides a sense of solace to them, as religion does for other people.
- "lay" is used in the sense of laying something down... "lies" is more suitable for things that can be found someplace on their own... "lies" is more abstract, as the meeting requires here

(C) For many authors, a sense of writing as a sacrament lies beyond the act of self-exploration, a personal ritual that provides a sense of solace to them, as religion does for other people.
- the personal ritual is not self-exploration, but writing as a sacrament.

(D) For many authors, a sacramental sense of writing lies beyond self-exploration’s act, a personal ritual that provides a sense of solace to them, as religion does for other people.
- this makes no sense at all. sacramental sense of writing lies beyond self-exploration's act -- what is the act? why have we personified self-exploration? how is self-exploration's act a personal ritual?

(E) For many authors, beyond self-exploration’s acts lays a sacramental sense of writing, a personal ritual that provides a sense of solace to them, as religion does for other people.
- same problems with lay as in B

Unable to eliminate A yet -- going with it.

Note: Attempted this as a part of the Christmas challenge (answers not revealed yet). Let me know if there is an error.

A - Nothing seems wrong in this option. sense of writing as a sacrament refers to a personal ritual. them refers to the authors.

B, E - lays is idiomatically incorrect.

C- This one is pretty tempting. I was confused between A and C. The only difference is here, a personal ritual refers to the act of self exploration. Sacrament literally means some kind of ritual, so that is probably the personal ritual the author is referring to.

D- self exploration's act does not make sense. The act is of the authors.

Hence, IMO A.

Sentence structure
For many authors,
beyond the act of self-exploration lies a sense of writing as a sacrament, a personal ritual that provides a sense of solace to them, as religion does for other people.

Splits - lies vs lays
Here lays in this context is incorrect. - Eliminate B and E

a personal ritual that provides a sense of solace to them - must refer to a sense of writing as a sacrament - Eliminate C and D

(A) beyond the act of self-exploration lies a sense of writing as a sacrament
Correct. The meaning is clear and the sentence structure is correct

(B) beyond the act of self-exploration lays a sense of writing as a sacrament
Incorrect. "lays" is incorrect here in this context

(C) a sense of writing as a sacrament lies beyond the act of self-exploration
Incorrect. a personal ritual that provides a sense of solace to them - must refer to a sense of writing as a sacrament and not self exploration

(D) a sacramental sense of writing lies beyond self-exploration’s act
Incorrect. a personal ritual that provides a sense of solace to them - must refer to a sense of writing as a sacrament and not self exploration's act

(E) beyond self-exploration’s acts lays a sacramental sense of writing
Incorrect. "lays" is incorrect here in this context

A is the correct answer

For many authors, beyond the act of self-exploration lies a sense of writing as a sacrament, a personal ritual that provides a sense of solace to them, as religion does for other people.


(A) beyond the act of self-exploration lies a sense of writing as a sacrament Correct

(B) beyond the act of self-exploration lays a sense of writing as a sacrament Incorrect as lays means put down which is not the intended meaning.

(C) a sense of writing as a sacrament lies beyond the act of self-exploration Incorrect as the act of self-exploration cannot be modified using 'a personal ritual that provides a sense of solace to authors'

(D) a sacramental sense of writing lies beyond self-exploration’s act Incorrect same as C

(E) beyond self-exploration’s acts lays a sacramental sense of writing Incorrect as lays means put down which is not the intended meaning.

For many authors, beyond the act of self-exploration lies a sense of writing as a sacrament, a personal ritual that provides a sense of solace to them, as religion does for other people.

(A) beyond the act of self-exploration lies a sense of writing as a sacrament
-concise . a personal ritual correctly modifies sacrament
(B) beyond the act of self-exploration lays a sense of writing as a sacrament
-lays is not correct
(C) a sense of writing as a sacrament lies beyond the act of self-exploration
-incorrect: a personal ritual incorrectly modifies act of self-exploration
(D) a sacramental sense of writing lies beyond self-exploration’s act
-a personal ritual incorrectly modifies act of self-exploration’s act
(E) beyond self-exploration’s acts lays a sacramental sense of writing
-a personal ritual incorrectly modifies a sacramental sense of writing

we have 2/3 split
lies vs lays
usage of lays is correct
eliminate A,C,D

(E) beyond self-exploration’s acts lays a sacramental sense of writing usage of sacramental is wrong ; adverbial and meaning


(B) beyond the act of self-exploration lays a sense of writing as a sacrament

OPTION B is correct

For many authors, beyond the act of self-exploration lies a sense of writing as a sacrament, a personal ritual that provides a sense of solace to them, as religion does for other people.

(A) beyond the act of self-exploration lies a sense of writing as a sacrament
a personal ritual incorrectly modifies the sacrament...'lies' as a verb is inappropriate here...

(B) beyond the act of self-exploration lays a sense of writing as a sacrament
a personal ritual incorrectly modifies the sacrament...'lays' as a verb (meaning locate) is appropriate here...

(C) a sense of writing as a sacrament lies beyond the act of self-exploration
incorrect modifier reference..referring to self-exploration

(D) a sacramental sense of writing lies beyond self-exploration’s act
again, and incorrect modifier reference..referring to self-exploration's act

(E) beyond self-exploration’s acts lays a sacramental sense of writing
'lays' is the correct verb form...a personal ritual correctly modifies the sacramental sense of writing...CORRECT option

Hence, (E) is the correct option
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For many authors, beyond the act of self-exploration lies a sense of writing as a sacrament, a personal ritual that provides a sense of solace to them, as religion does for other people.


For many authors, beyond the act of self-exploration lies a sense of writing as a sacrament, a personal ritual that provides a sense of solace to them, as religion does for other people.
Is grammatically correct


lays changes the meaning of the sentence since it means to put something down.
Incorrect


A sacrament is better placed in A since it is a personal ritual.
Incorrect


a sacramental sense of writing changes the meaning of original sentence.
The act of self-exploration is correct while self-exploration’s act is incorrect.
Incorrect



The act of self-exploration is correct while self-exploration’s acts is incorrect.
a sacramental sense of writing changes the meaning of original sentence.
lays changes the meaning of the sentence since it means to put something down.
Incorrect

IMO A
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lie-used as consist, dwell, live

(A) beyond the act of self-exploration lies a sense of writing as a sacrament-- correct
(B) beyond the act of self-exploration lays a sense of writing as a sacrament-- lays conveys a different meaning and is also not used as a past of 'lie'
(C) a sense of writing as a sacrament lies beyond the act of self-exploration--- self exploration is not a ritual
(D) a sacramental sense of writing lies beyond self-exploration’s act--act of exploration is not same as exploration's act
(E) beyond self-exploration’s acts lays a sacramental sense of writing-- lays conveys a different meaning and is also not used as a past of 'lie'

Ans A

In this context, "lays" is incorrect. Hence, B and E are out.
the non-underlined portion- what does "a personal ritual" modify? Ans. a sacrament. Hence, C and D are out and the answer is A.
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Answer is A
For many authors, beyond the act of self-exploration lies a sense of writing as a sacrament, a personal ritual that provides a sense of solace to them, as religion does for other people.

(A) beyond the act of self-exploration lies a sense of writing as a sacrament Correct
(B) beyond the act of self-exploration lays a sense of writing as a sacrament lay beyond is wrong
(C) a sense of writing as a sacrament lies beyond the act of self-exploration a personal ritual should modify sacrament
(D) a sacramental sense of writing lies beyond self-exploration’s act same as C
(E) beyond self-exploration’s acts lays a sacramental sense of writing lay beyond is wrong

Explanation:
The noun modifier, "a personal ritual that provides a sense of solace to them" modifies the entire preceding phrase, "a sense of writing as a sacrament lies beyond the act of self-exploration" wherein the subject, "a sense of writing as a sacrament" is the heart of the phrase and needs to be expressed in active voice to concisely convey the meaning of the sentence.

(A) beyond the act of self-exploration lies a sense of writing as a sacrament
Expressed in passive voice. OUT.

(B) beyond the act of self-exploration lays a sense of writing as a sacrament
Expressed in passive voice. OUT.

(C) a sense of writing as a sacrament lies beyond the act of self-exploration
The thought is concisely expressed in active voice. KEEP IT.

(D) a sacramental sense of writing lies beyond self-exploration’s act
Alters the meaning by describing sense of writing as sacramental rather than stating sense of writing as a sacrament. Also, self-exploration's act is nonsensical. OUT.

(E) beyond self-exploration’s acts lays a sacramental sense of writing
Here again self-exploration's act is nonsensical. OUT.

ANSWER C.

First easy eliminations: lies or lays? Clearly lies is the correct choice here.
B, E out.

D can be eliminated for the usage of the possessive "self-exploration's act". Clear nonsense.

C has a modifier error - it implies that "the act of self-exploration" is the ritual, when really it is meant to refer to writing. Out.

That leaves us with A as our final answer.

For many authors, beyond the act of self-exploration lies a sense of writing as a sacrament, a personal ritual that provides a sense of solace to them, as religion does for other people.

(A) beyond the act of self-exploration lies a sense of writing as a sacrament
(B) beyond the act of self-exploration lays a sense of writing as a sacrament
(C) a sense of writing as a sacrament lies beyond the act of self-exploration
(D) a sacramental sense of writing lies beyond self-exploration’s act
(E) beyond self-exploration’s acts lays a sacramental sense of writing

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IMO A.

A. Correct.
B. 'lays' is incorrect.
C. 'a personal ritual' incorrectly modifies self-exploration
D. 'a personal ritual' incorrectly modifies self-exploration's act
E. 'lays' is incorrect. 'self-exploration’s acts' is incorrect

For many authors, beyond the act of self-exploration lies a sense of writing as a sacrament, a personal ritual that provides a sense of solace to them, as religion does for other people.

(A) beyond the act of self-exploration lies a sense of writing as a sacrament
Correct option
(B) beyond the act of self-exploration lays a sense of writing as a sacrament
Wrong tense.
(C) a sense of writing as a sacrament lies beyond the act of self-exploration
A personal ritual explains a sense of writing as a sacrament. So that clause should be closer to a personal ritual.
(D) a sacramental sense of writing lies beyond self-exploration’s act
Meaning has been changed.
(E) beyond self-exploration’s acts lays a sacramental sense of writing
Tense Error.

For many authors, beyond the act of self-exploration lies a sense of writing as a sacrament, a personal ritual that provides a sense of solace to them, as religion does for other people.

(A) beyond the act of self-exploration lies a sense of writing as a sacrament
'sacrament' is not the personal ritual; incorrect modifier usage

(B) beyond the act of self-exploration lays a sense of writing as a sacrament
same as in option (A) --'sacrament' is not the personal ritual; incorrect modifier usage

(C) a sense of writing as a sacrament lies beyond the act of self-exploration
'the act of self-exploration' is not the personal ritual ; wrong meaning

(D) a sacramental sense of writing lies beyond self-exploration’s act
same as in option (C) ---'self-exploration's act' is not the personal ritual ; wrong meaning

(E) beyond self-exploration’s acts lays a sacramental sense of writing
correct meaning since the sense of writing is correctly referred to by the modifier 'the personal ritual'

IMO, (E) is the answer

Lie vs Lay

Lay is used to point direct objects. Hence lie is better in this context.


(B) beyond the act of self-exploration lays a sense of writing as a sacrament
(E) beyond self-exploration’s acts lays a sacramental sense of writing

<a personal ritual that provides a sense of solace to them, as religion does for other people.> This clause is modifying sacrament
(A) beyond the act of self-exploration lies a sense of writing as a sacrament
(C) a sense of writing as a sacrament lies beyond the act of self-exploration
(D) a sacramental sense of writing lies beyond self-exploration’s act
Both have modifier errr as mentioned above


iMO A

(A) For many authors, beyond the act of self-exploration lies a sense of writing as a sacrament, a personal ritual that provides a sense of solace to them, as religion does for other people. - Incorrect modifier placement, Eliminate
(B) For many authors, beyond the act of self-exploration lays a sense of writing as a sacrament, a personal ritual that provides a sense of solace to them, as religion does for other people. - Incorrect modifier placement, Eliminate
(C) For many authors, a sense of writing as a sacrament lies beyond the act of self-exploration, a personal ritual that provides a sense of solace to them, as religion does for other people. - Correct modifier reference, Correct
(D) For many authors, a sacramental sense of writing lies beyond self-exploration’s act, a personal ritual that provides a sense of solace to them, as religion does for other people. - Incorrect modifier placement, Eliminate
(E) For many authors, beyond self-exploration’s acts lays a sacramental sense of writing, a personal ritual that provides a sense of solace to them, as religion does for other people. - Incorrect modifier placement, Eliminate

Ans : C