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A leading figure in the Scottish enlightenment, Adam Smith’s two major books are to democratic capitalism what Marx’s Das Kapital is to socialism.
(A) Adam Smith’s two major books are to democratic capitalism what
(B) Adam Smith’s two major books are to democratic capitalism like
(C) Adam Smith’s two major books are to democratic capitalism just as
(D) Adam Smith wrote two major books that are to democratic capitalism similar to
(E) Adam Smith wrote two major books that are to democratic capitalism what
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 Adam Smith was a leading figure in the Scottish enlightenment, and he wrote two major books that are to democratic capitalism what Marx’s Das Kapital is to socialism.
Concepts tested here: Meaning + Modifiers + Idioms• In a “phrase + comma + noun” construction, the phrase must correctly modify the noun; this is one of the most frequently tested concepts on GMAT sentence correction.
• "A is/are to B what X is/are to Y" is an idiomatic construction used to convey that the relationship between A and B is similar to the relationship between X and Y.
A: This answer choice incorrectly uses "A leading figure in the Scottish enlightenment" to modify "Adam Smith’s two major books", illogically implying that
the books were a leading figure in the Scottish enlightenment; the intended meaning is that
Adam Smith was a leading figure in the Scottish enlightenment; please remember, in a “phrase + comma + noun” construction, the phrase must correctly modify the noun.
B: This answer choice incorrectly uses "A leading figure in the Scottish enlightenment" to modify "Adam Smith’s two major books", illogically implying that
the books were a leading figure in the Scottish enlightenment; the intended meaning is that
Adam Smith was a leading figure in the Scottish enlightenment; please remember, in a “phrase + comma + noun” construction, the phrase must correctly modify the noun. Further, Option B incorrectly uses the unidiomatic construction "A ("two major books") are to B ("democratic capitalism") like X ("Marx’s
Das Kapital") is to Y ("socialism")" rather than the idiomatic construction "A are to B what X is to Y"; please remember, "A is/are to B what X is/are to Y" is an idiomatic construction used to convey that the relationship between A and B is similar to the relationship between X and Y.
C: This answer choice incorrectly uses "A leading figure in the Scottish enlightenment" to modify "Adam Smith’s two major books", illogically implying that
the books were a leading figure in the Scottish enlightenment; the intended meaning is that
Adam Smith was a leading figure in the Scottish enlightenment; please remember, in a “phrase + comma + noun” construction, the phrase must correctly modify the noun. Further, Option C incorrectly uses the unidiomatic construction "A ("two major books") are to B ("democratic capitalism") just as X ("Marx’s
Das Kapital") is to Y ("socialism")" rather than the idiomatic construction "A are to B what X is to Y"; please remember, "A is/are to B what X is/are to Y" is an idiomatic construction used to convey that the relationship between A and B is similar to the relationship between X and Y.
D: This answer choice incorrectly uses the unidiomatic construction "A ("two major books")...are to B ("democratic capitalism") similar to X ("Marx’s
Das Kapital") is to Y ("socialism")" rather than the idiomatic construction "A are to B what X is to Y"; please remember, "A is/are to B what X is/are to Y" is an idiomatic construction used to convey that the relationship between A and B is similar to the relationship between X and Y.
E: Correct. This answer choice correctly uses "A leading figure in the Scottish enlightenment" to modify "Adam Smith", conveying the intended meaning - that
Adam Smith was a leading figure in the Scottish enlightenment. Further, Option E correctly uses the idiomatic construction "A ("two major books")...are to B ("democratic capitalism") what X ("Marx’s
Das Kapital") is to Y ("socialism")".
Hence, E is the best answer choice.To understand the concept of "Phrase Comma Subject" and "Subject Comma Phrase" on GMAT, you may want to watch the following video (~1minute):
All the best!
Experts' Global Team