Last visit was: 19 Nov 2025, 08:39 It is currently 19 Nov 2025, 08:39
Home
GMAT
Messages
Tests
Schools
Events
Rewards
Chat
My Profile
Close
GMAT Club Daily Prep
Thank you for using the timer - this advanced tool can estimate your performance and suggest more practice questions. We have subscribed you to Daily Prep Questions via email.

Customized
for You

we will pick new questions that match your level based on your Timer History

Track
Your Progress

every week, we’ll send you an estimated GMAT score based on your performance

Practice
Pays

we will pick new questions that match your level based on your Timer History
Not interested in getting valuable practice questions and articles delivered to your email? No problem, unsubscribe here.
Go to My Error Log Learn more
Close
Request Expert Reply
Confirm Cancel
Back to Forum
Create Topic
   1   2   3 
Sub 505 Level|   Parallelism|   Verb Tense/Form|                           
User avatar
ravigupta2912
User avatar
Current Student
Joined: 26 May 2019
Last visit: 16 Feb 2025
Posts: 726
Own Kudos:
291
Given Kudos: 84
Location: India
Schools: Said '23 IESE '24 LBS '24 (D) ISB '23 (WA) INSEAD Aug 22 intake (D) Judge '23 (D)
GMAT 1: 650 Q46 V34
GMAT 2: 720 Q49 V40
GPA: 2.58
WE:Consulting (Consulting)
Products:
My Reviews
Schools: Said '23 IESE '24 LBS '24 (D) ISB '23 (WA) INSEAD Aug 22 intake (D) Judge '23 (D)
GMAT 2: 720 Q49 V40
Posts: 726
Kudos: 291
Although Alice Walker published a number of essays, poetry collections 02 Nov 2020, 22:49
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
(A) which was published in 1982, brought her the widest acclaim in that it won both the National Book Award as well as the Pulitzer Prize -- Incorrect. "in that it won both..Prize"

(B) published in 1982, bringing her the widest acclaim by winning both the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize -- Incorrect. Run on. We need a verb and not a gerund to complete the 2nd IC.

(C) published in 1982, brought her the widest acclaim, winning both the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize -- Correct.

(D) was published in 1982 and which, winning both the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize, brought her the widest acclaim -- Incorrect. The construction is really not ideal. The Color Purple (Subject), modifier 1, modifier 2, verb and object. Ideally, modifier 2, which is modifying the verb and object entity (brought her acclaim -- how?) should be placed after the verb and object. Keep for now. Eliminate after review of C.

(E) was published in 1982, winning both the National Book Award as well as the Pulitzer Prize, and bringing her the widest acclaim -- Run on. The Color Purple has no verb. "winning" and "bringing" are modifiers (present participles).
User avatar
lakshya14
User avatar
Joined: 31 Jan 2019
Last visit: 27 Jul 2022
Posts: 360
Own Kudos:
45
Given Kudos: 529
Posts: 360
Kudos: 45
Although Alice Walker published a number of essays, poetry collections 12 Dec 2020, 14:42
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
EMPOWERgmatVerbal
Hello Everyone!

We've had some great discussion on this already, but let's see if we can break down HOW to answer this question in the quickest and easiest way we can! Before we dive in, here is the original question with the main differences between each option highlighted in orange:

Although Alice Walker published a number of essays, poetry collections, and stories during the 1970s, her third novel, The Color Purple, which was published in 1982, brought her the widest acclaim in that it won both the National Book Award as well as the Pulitzer Prize.

(A) which was published in 1982, brought her the widest acclaim in that it won both the National Book Award as well as the Pulitzer Prize
(B) published in 1982, bringing her the widest acclaim by winning both the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize
(C) published in 1982, brought her the widest acclaim, winning both the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize
(D) was published in 1982 and which, winning both the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize, brought her the widest acclaim
(E) was published in 1982, winning both the National Book Award as well as the Pulitzer Prize, and bringing her the widest acclaim


After taking a quick glance over the options, a few key differences stand out:

1. which was published / was published / published
2. and / as well as
3. brought / bringing

The best place to start is anything that will knock out either 2 or 3 answers right away, so let's work our way backwards on our list and start with #3: brought vs. bringing. This is clearly an issue with verbs, so let's determine which one is the best to use here.

To begin, we need to find the subject and verb. Here is the original sentence:

Although Alice Walker published a number of essays, poetry collections, and stories during the 1970s, her third novel, The Color Purple, which was published in 1982, brought her the widest acclaim in that it won both the National Book Award as well as the Pulitzer Prize.

If we cross out all of the modifiers (and there are a few), we're left with this:

Although Alice Walker published a number of essays, poetry collections, and stories during the 1970s, her third novel, The Color Purple, which was published in 1982, brought her the widest acclaim in that it won both the National Book Award as well as the Pulitzer Prize.

Once you take out the modifiers, which are mainly there to confuse readers, it's clear that the subject of the sentence is "The Color Purple." And what did The Color Purple do? It brought Alice Walker acclaim! Let's look over each option more carefully to figure out which ones use the right verb to match the subject. I'll still cross out any modifiers to help you see things more clearly.

(A) The Color Purple, which was published in 1982, brought her the widest acclaim in that it won both the National Book Award as well as the Pulitzer Prize --> OK
(B) The Color Purple, published in 1982, bringing her the widest acclaim by winning both the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize --> WRONG
("The Color Purple bringing" isn't the right verb.)
(C) The Color Purple, published in 1982, brought her the widest acclaim, winning both the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize --> OK
(D) The Color Purple, was published in 1982 and which, winning both the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize, brought her the widest acclaim --> WRONG
(While this does use the correct verb "brought," it also tries to add another verb "was published" inside a modifier, which is a big no-no because it creates a comma splice! So, let's rule this one out too.)
(E) The Color Purple, was published in 1982, winning both the National Book Award as well as the Pulitzer Prize, and bringing her the widest acclaim --> WRONG
(This one is wrong because it uses the incorrect "bringing" and it has a comma splice before "was published.")

We can eliminate options B, D, & E because they use the wrong verbs or have comma splices. Now that we're left with only 2 options to choose from, let's tackle #2 on our list: as well as vs. and.

Whenever we see the word "both" joining two objects, those two objects MUST be joined by the word and:

Both X and Y = CORRECT
Both X as well as Y = WRONG

(A) which was published in 1982, brought her the widest acclaim in that it won both the National Book Award as well as the Pulitzer Prize
(C) published in 1982, brought her the widest acclaim, winning both the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize


There you go - option C is the correct choice because it uses the correct verb "brought" and uses the idiom "both X and Y" correctly!


Don't study for the GMAT. Train for it.
Show more

If brought is a "modifier" then why (C) is also not a fragment like (B)?
User avatar
ravigupta2912
User avatar
Current Student
Joined: 26 May 2019
Last visit: 16 Feb 2025
Posts: 726
Own Kudos:
291
Given Kudos: 84
Location: India
Schools: Said '23 IESE '24 LBS '24 (D) ISB '23 (WA) INSEAD Aug 22 intake (D) Judge '23 (D)
GMAT 1: 650 Q46 V34
GMAT 2: 720 Q49 V40
GPA: 2.58
WE:Consulting (Consulting)
Products:
My Reviews
Schools: Said '23 IESE '24 LBS '24 (D) ISB '23 (WA) INSEAD Aug 22 intake (D) Judge '23 (D)
GMAT 2: 720 Q49 V40
Posts: 726
Kudos: 291
Although Alice Walker published a number of essays, poetry collections 13 Dec 2020, 00:52
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Hi lakshya14.

The "," which precedes "brought" is part of the modifier phrase "published in 1982", which is a -ed modifier or past participle phrase. Using slash and burn we can remove this modifier along with the commas thats used to convey non-essential info ",published in 1982,". The sentence will then read:-

"The Color purple brought her the widest acclaim" with "The CP" as the subject and "brought" as the verb.
User avatar
NischalSR
User avatar
Joined: 14 Apr 2020
Last visit: 23 Sep 2022
Posts: 37
Own Kudos:
38
Given Kudos: 829
Location: India
Posts: 37
Kudos: 38
Although Alice Walker published a number of essays, poetry collections 05 Feb 2021, 12:51
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
EMPOWERgmatVerbal
Hello Everyone!

We've had some great discussion on this already, but let's see if we can break down HOW to answer this question in the quickest and easiest way we can! Before we dive in, here is the original question with the main differences between each option highlighted in orange:

Although Alice Walker published a number of essays, poetry collections, and stories during the 1970s, her third novel, The Color Purple, which was published in 1982, brought her the widest acclaim in that it won both the National Book Award as well as the Pulitzer Prize.

(A) which was published in 1982, brought her the widest acclaim in that it won both the National Book Award as well as the Pulitzer Prize
(B) published in 1982, bringing her the widest acclaim by winning both the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize
(C) published in 1982, brought her the widest acclaim, winning both the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize
(D) was published in 1982 and which, winning both the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize, brought her the widest acclaim
(E) was published in 1982, winning both the National Book Award as well as the Pulitzer Prize, and bringing her the widest acclaim


After taking a quick glance over the options, a few key differences stand out:

1. which was published / was published / published
2. and / as well as
3. brought / bringing

The best place to start is anything that will knock out either 2 or 3 answers right away, so let's work our way backwards on our list and start with #3: brought vs. bringing. This is clearly an issue with verbs, so let's determine which one is the best to use here.

To begin, we need to find the subject and verb. Here is the original sentence:

Although Alice Walker published a number of essays, poetry collections, and stories during the 1970s, her third novel, The Color Purple, which was published in 1982, brought her the widest acclaim in that it won both the National Book Award as well as the Pulitzer Prize.

If we cross out all of the modifiers (and there are a few), we're left with this:

Although Alice Walker published a number of essays, poetry collections, and stories during the 1970s, her third novel, The Color Purple, which was published in 1982, brought her the widest acclaim in that it won both the National Book Award as well as the Pulitzer Prize.

Once you take out the modifiers, which are mainly there to confuse readers, it's clear that the subject of the sentence is "The Color Purple." And what did The Color Purple do? It brought Alice Walker acclaim! Let's look over each option more carefully to figure out which ones use the right verb to match the subject. I'll still cross out any modifiers to help you see things more clearly.

(A) The Color Purple, which was published in 1982, brought her the widest acclaim in that it won both the National Book Award as well as the Pulitzer Prize --> OK
(B) The Color Purple, published in 1982, bringing her the widest acclaim by winning both the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize --> WRONG
("The Color Purple bringing" isn't the right verb.)
(C) The Color Purple, published in 1982, brought her the widest acclaim, winning both the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize --> OK
(D) The Color Purple, was published in 1982 and which, winning both the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize, brought her the widest acclaim --> WRONG
(While this does use the correct verb "brought," it also tries to add another verb "was published" inside a modifier, which is a big no-no because it creates a comma splice! So, let's rule this one out too.)
(E) The Color Purple, was published in 1982, winning both the National Book Award as well as the Pulitzer Prize, and bringing her the widest acclaim --> WRONG
(This one is wrong because it uses the incorrect "bringing" and it has a comma splice before "was published.")

We can eliminate options B, D, & E because they use the wrong verbs or have comma splices. Now that we're left with only 2 options to choose from, let's tackle #2 on our list: as well as vs. and.

Whenever we see the word "both" joining two objects, those two objects MUST be joined by the word and:

Both X and Y = CORRECT
Both X as well as Y = WRONG

(A) which was published in 1982, brought her the widest acclaim in that it won both the National Book Award as well as the Pulitzer Prize
(C) published in 1982, brought her the widest acclaim, winning both the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize


There you go - option C is the correct choice because it uses the correct verb "brought" and uses the idiom "both X and Y" correctly!


Don't study for the GMAT. Train for it.
Show more


As per the official explanation option D will be acceptable if we remove AND WHICH? Can EMPOWERgmatVerbal please explain how?
User avatar
EMPOWERgmatVerbal
User avatar
EMPOWERgmat Instructor
Joined: 23 Feb 2015
Last visit: 17 Feb 2025
Posts: 1,694
Own Kudos:
15,175
 [2]
Given Kudos: 766
Expert
Expert reply
Posts: 1,694
Kudos: 15,175
 [2]
Although Alice Walker published a number of essays, poetry collections 05 Feb 2021, 17:18
2
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
NischalSR
EMPOWERgmatVerbal
Hello Everyone!

We've had some great discussion on this already, but let's see if we can break down HOW to answer this question in the quickest and easiest way we can! Before we dive in, here is the original question with the main differences between each option highlighted in orange:

Although Alice Walker published a number of essays, poetry collections, and stories during the 1970s, her third novel, The Color Purple, which was published in 1982, brought her the widest acclaim in that it won both the National Book Award as well as the Pulitzer Prize.

(A) which was published in 1982, brought her the widest acclaim in that it won both the National Book Award as well as the Pulitzer Prize
(B) published in 1982, bringing her the widest acclaim by winning both the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize
(C) published in 1982, brought her the widest acclaim, winning both the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize
(D) was published in 1982 and which, winning both the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize, brought her the widest acclaim
(E) was published in 1982, winning both the National Book Award as well as the Pulitzer Prize, and bringing her the widest acclaim


After taking a quick glance over the options, a few key differences stand out:

1. which was published / was published / published
2. and / as well as
3. brought / bringing

The best place to start is anything that will knock out either 2 or 3 answers right away, so let's work our way backwards on our list and start with #3: brought vs. bringing. This is clearly an issue with verbs, so let's determine which one is the best to use here.

To begin, we need to find the subject and verb. Here is the original sentence:

Although Alice Walker published a number of essays, poetry collections, and stories during the 1970s, her third novel, The Color Purple, which was published in 1982, brought her the widest acclaim in that it won both the National Book Award as well as the Pulitzer Prize.

If we cross out all of the modifiers (and there are a few), we're left with this:

Although Alice Walker published a number of essays, poetry collections, and stories during the 1970s, her third novel, The Color Purple, which was published in 1982, brought her the widest acclaim in that it won both the National Book Award as well as the Pulitzer Prize.

Once you take out the modifiers, which are mainly there to confuse readers, it's clear that the subject of the sentence is "The Color Purple." And what did The Color Purple do? It brought Alice Walker acclaim! Let's look over each option more carefully to figure out which ones use the right verb to match the subject. I'll still cross out any modifiers to help you see things more clearly.

(A) The Color Purple, which was published in 1982, brought her the widest acclaim in that it won both the National Book Award as well as the Pulitzer Prize --> OK
(B) The Color Purple, published in 1982, bringing her the widest acclaim by winning both the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize --> WRONG
("The Color Purple bringing" isn't the right verb.)
(C) The Color Purple, published in 1982, brought her the widest acclaim, winning both the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize --> OK
(D) The Color Purple, was published in 1982 and which, winning both the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize, brought her the widest acclaim --> WRONG
(While this does use the correct verb "brought," it also tries to add another verb "was published" inside a modifier, which is a big no-no because it creates a comma splice! So, let's rule this one out too.)
(E) The Color Purple, was published in 1982, winning both the National Book Award as well as the Pulitzer Prize, and bringing her the widest acclaim --> WRONG
(This one is wrong because it uses the incorrect "bringing" and it has a comma splice before "was published.")

We can eliminate options B, D, & E because they use the wrong verbs or have comma splices. Now that we're left with only 2 options to choose from, let's tackle #2 on our list: as well as vs. and.

Whenever we see the word "both" joining two objects, those two objects MUST be joined by the word and:

Both X and Y = CORRECT
Both X as well as Y = WRONG

(A) which was published in 1982, brought her the widest acclaim in that it won both the National Book Award as well as the Pulitzer Prize
(C) published in 1982, brought her the widest acclaim, winning both the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize


There you go - option C is the correct choice because it uses the correct verb "brought" and uses the idiom "both X and Y" correctly!


Don't study for the GMAT. Train for it.


As per the official explanation option D will be acceptable if we remove AND WHICH? Can EMPOWERgmatVerbal please explain how?
Show more

Thanks for the question NischalSR!

Let's see what option D would look like if we removed the phrase "and which." Then we can see if there are any other problems that would rule it out:

Although Alice Walker published a number of essays, poetry collections, and stories during the 1970s, her third novel, The Color Purple, was published in 1982 and which, winning both the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize, brought her the widest acclaim.

Unfortunately, no, option D is not grammatically correct if you drop the "and which" from the sentence. If we remove all of the extra modifiers and the "and which" phrase, what we're left with doesn't make sense:

Although Alice Walker published a number of essays, poetry collections, and stories during the 1970s, her third novel, The Color Purple, was published in 1982 and which, winning both the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize, brought her the widest acclaim.

If we just write down what's left after we've crossed out all that extra stuff, we have this:

Her third novel was published in 1982 brought her the widest acclaim.

That doesn't work, does it?

HOWEVER - if option D had left in the word "and" from the "and which," it WOULD be correct! It would look like this:

Her third novel was published in 1982 and brought her the widest acclaim.

I hope that helps clear that up! Feel free to tag us at EMPOWERgmatVerbal if you have any other questions!
User avatar
RohitSaluja
User avatar
Joined: 02 Aug 2020
Last visit: 21 Sep 2024
Posts: 213
Own Kudos:
92
Given Kudos: 254
Location: India
Concentration: General Management, Healthcare
Schools: HEC'22 (J)
GMAT 1: 720 Q49 V40
GPA: 3.8
WE:Consulting (Healthcare/Pharmaceuticals)
Products:
My Reviews
Schools: HEC'22 (J)
GMAT 1: 720 Q49 V40
Posts: 213
Kudos: 92
Although Alice Walker published a number of essays, poetry collections 25 Apr 2021, 06:51
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Hi GMATNinja VeritasKarishma, can you help me with option C

[quote]published in 1982, brought her the widest acclaim, winning both the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize [\quote]

We have a verb-ing modifier 'winning', based on my understanding verb-ing modifier preceded by a comma can play two functions
1. Provide additional information related to the preceding clause or
2. Provide the result of an action of the preceding clause

I am not sure if the modifier is providing additional information, so I think we can rule that role out (this is my assumption here), so now moving to check wether the modifier is providing the result of the action of preceeding clause or not. Now how can winning be the result of getting widest acclaim, shouldn't the relationship be reversed?

I understand that option A might have an idiom issue but it does not have above problem.
User avatar
KarishmaB
User avatar
Joined: 16 Oct 2010
Last visit: 18 Nov 2025
Posts: 16,267
Own Kudos:
76,994
 [1]
Given Kudos: 482
Location: Pune, India
Expert
Expert reply
Active GMAT Club Expert! Tag them with @ followed by their username for a faster response.
Posts: 16,267
Kudos: 76,994
 [1]
Although Alice Walker published a number of essays, poetry collections 25 Apr 2021, 23:57
1
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
RohitSaluja
Hi GMATNinja VeritasKarishma, can you help me with option C

Quote:
published in 1982, brought her the widest acclaim, winning both the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize [\quote]

We have a verb-ing modifier 'winning', based on my understanding verb-ing modifier preceded by a comma can play two functions
1. Provide additional information related to the preceding clause or
2. Provide the result of an action of the preceding clause

I am not sure if the modifier is providing additional information, so I think we can rule that role out (this is my assumption here), so now moving to check wether the modifier is providing the result of the action of preceeding clause or not. Now how can winning be the result of getting widest acclaim, shouldn't the relationship be reversed?

I understand that option A might have an idiom issue but it does not have above problem.
Show more

No problem with the ing modifier of option (C).

... her third novel, ..., published in 1982, brought her the widest acclaim, winning both the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize.

How did the book bring her the widest acclaim? By winning both prizes.
It does tell us more about the previous clause.
User avatar
EducationAisle
User avatar
Joined: 27 Mar 2010
Last visit: 18 Nov 2025
Posts: 3,891
Own Kudos:
3,579
Given Kudos: 159
Location: India
Schools: ISB
GPA: 3.31
Expert
Expert reply
Schools: ISB
Posts: 3,891
Kudos: 3,579
Although Alice Walker published a number of essays, poetry collections 26 Apr 2021, 02:16
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
RohitSaluja

1. Provide additional information related to the preceding clause or

I am not sure if the modifier is providing additional information,
Show more
Hi RohitSaluja, indeed, winning both the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize is providing additional information related to the previous clause (The Color Purple brought her the widest acclaim). Isn't it?

Another related example:

As an actress and, more importantly, as a teacher of acting, Stella Adler was one of the most influential artists in the American theater, training several generations of actors whose ranks included Marlon Brando and Robert De Niro.

Again, notice that the participial phrase training several generations of actors provides additional information related to the previous clause (Stella Adler was one of the most influential artists in the American theater).

Contrast this with the following sentence:

Michael was born in China, graduating from Harvard.

Here, the present participial phrase graduating from Harvard has nothing to do with the fact that Michael was born in China. These are two completely independent and unrelated facts. So, the use of present participial phrase (graduating from Harvard) is not justified here. A better articulation will be:

Michael was born in China and graduated from Harvard.

p.s. Our book EducationAisle Sentence Correction Nirvana discusses present participial phrases, their application and examples in significant detail. If you or someone is interested, PM me your email-id; I can mail the corresponding section.
User avatar
woohoo921
User avatar
Joined: 04 Jun 2020
Last visit: 17 Mar 2023
Posts: 516
Own Kudos:
142
Given Kudos: 623
Posts: 516
Kudos: 142
Although Alice Walker published a number of essays, poetry collections 08 May 2021, 06:22
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
LithiumIon
Although Alice Walker published a number of essays, poetry collections, and stories during the 1970s, her third novel, The Color Purple, which was published in 1982, brought her the widest acclaim in that it won both the National Book Award as well as the Pulitzer Prize.


(A) which was published in 1982, brought her the widest acclaim in that it won both the National Book Award as well as the Pulitzer Prize

(B) published in 1982, bringing her the widest acclaim by winning both the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize

(C) published in 1982, brought her the widest acclaim, winning both the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize

(D) was published in 1982 and which, winning both the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize, brought her the widest acclaim

(E) was published in 1982, winning both the National Book Award as well as the Pulitzer Prize, and bringing her the widest acclaim



2016 GMAT Official Guide, Question 13
Show more

GMATNinja

I trust that you will show me the light on this question.

What I am confused on is that the -ing modifier only seems to logically refer to the "her third novel, The Color Purple, published in 1982, brought her the widest acclaim, winning both the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize" part of the sentence. From my understanding, -ing modifiers modify everything that comes before it. I realize this is a tricky sentence because there are many modifiers, but can you please explain why this -ing modifier is allowed in this way? Is it because it just makes logical sense that the "winning both..." can only refer to the Color Purple? I thought that you are not supposed to use your ear/fill in the gaps on the GMAT. Thank you advance :)
User avatar
RohitSaluja
User avatar
Joined: 02 Aug 2020
Last visit: 21 Sep 2024
Posts: 213
Own Kudos:
92
Given Kudos: 254
Location: India
Concentration: General Management, Healthcare
Schools: HEC'22 (J)
GMAT 1: 720 Q49 V40
GPA: 3.8
WE:Consulting (Healthcare/Pharmaceuticals)
Products:
My Reviews
Schools: HEC'22 (J)
GMAT 1: 720 Q49 V40
Posts: 213
Kudos: 92
Although Alice Walker published a number of essays, poetry collections 08 May 2021, 08:09
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
woohoo921
LithiumIon
Although Alice Walker published a number of essays, poetry collections, and stories during the 1970s, her third novel, The Color Purple, which was published in 1982, brought her the widest acclaim in that it won both the National Book Award as well as the Pulitzer Prize.


(A) which was published in 1982, brought her the widest acclaim in that it won both the National Book Award as well as the Pulitzer Prize

(B) published in 1982, bringing her the widest acclaim by winning both the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize

(C) published in 1982, brought her the widest acclaim, winning both the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize

(D) was published in 1982 and which, winning both the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize, brought her the widest acclaim

(E) was published in 1982, winning both the National Book Award as well as the Pulitzer Prize, and bringing her the widest acclaim



2016 GMAT Official Guide, Question 13

GMATNinja

I trust that you will show me the light on this question.

What I am confused on is that the -ing modifier only seems to logically refer to the "her third novel, The Color Purple, published in 1982, brought her the widest acclaim, winning both the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize" part of the sentence. From my understanding, -ing modifiers modify everything that comes before it. I realize this is a tricky sentence because there are many modifiers, but can you please explain why this -ing modifier is allowed in this way? Is it because it just makes logical sense that the "winning both..." can only refer to the Color Purple? I thought that you are not supposed to use your ear/fill in the gaps on the GMAT. Thank you advance :)
Show more

Although not an expert, here are my two cents. The 'ing' modifier can modify the subject of the previous clause, and the third book 'The Color Purple' is the subject of the clause, hence it modifies it.
User avatar
GMATNinja
User avatar
GMAT Club Verbal Expert
Joined: 13 Aug 2009
Last visit: 19 Nov 2025
Posts: 7,443
Own Kudos:
69,784
 [2]
Given Kudos: 2,060
Status: GMAT/GRE/LSAT tutors
Location: United States (CO)
GMAT 1: 780 Q51 V46
GMAT 2: 800 Q51 V51
GRE 1: Q170 V170
GRE 2: Q170 V170
Products:
GMAT Club Tests Forum Quiz
Expert
Expert reply
GMAT 2: 800 Q51 V51
GRE 1: Q170 V170
GRE 2: Q170 V170
Posts: 7,443
Kudos: 69,784
 [2]
Although Alice Walker published a number of essays, poetry collections 17 May 2021, 19:41
1
Kudos
Add Kudos
1
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
woohoo921
LithiumIon
Although Alice Walker published a number of essays, poetry collections, and stories during the 1970s, her third novel, The Color Purple, which was published in 1982, brought her the widest acclaim in that it won both the National Book Award as well as the Pulitzer Prize.


(A) which was published in 1982, brought her the widest acclaim in that it won both the National Book Award as well as the Pulitzer Prize

(B) published in 1982, bringing her the widest acclaim by winning both the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize

(C) published in 1982, brought her the widest acclaim, winning both the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize

(D) was published in 1982 and which, winning both the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize, brought her the widest acclaim

(E) was published in 1982, winning both the National Book Award as well as the Pulitzer Prize, and bringing her the widest acclaim



2016 GMAT Official Guide, Question 13

GMATNinja

I trust that you will show me the light on this question.

What I am confused on is that the -ing modifier only seems to logically refer to the "her third novel, The Color Purple, published in 1982, brought her the widest acclaim, winning both the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize" part of the sentence. From my understanding, -ing modifiers modify everything that comes before it. I realize this is a tricky sentence because there are many modifiers, but can you please explain why this -ing modifier is allowed in this way? Is it because it just makes logical sense that the "winning both..." can only refer to the Color Purple? I thought that you are not supposed to use your ear/fill in the gaps on the GMAT. Thank you advance :)
Show more
Good question! The best way to evaluate an -ing modifier when it follows a full clause and a comma is to ask yourself if the modifier is doing one of two things. Is it 1) giving context for the action of the previous clause? or 2) offering a consequence for the action of the previous clause? If it's doing one of those two things, then it's fine.

Now take a look at the relevant portion of (C):

Quote:
The Color Purple brought her[Alice Walker] the widest acclaim, winning both the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize.
Show more

"Winning," in this case, is giving context for the previous action. How did The Color Purple bring Alice Walker her widest acclaim? By winning two very prestigious literary awards. Because the -ing modifier logically answers one of our litmus-test questions, it works, and we can move on to evaluate other decision points.

I hope that clears things up!
User avatar
utkarshg97
User avatar
Joined: 26 Jun 2019
Last visit: 29 Oct 2022
Posts: 34
Own Kudos:
18
Given Kudos: 192
Location: India
Schools: Crosby Trulaske"19 IIM-A"19 (D)
GMAT 1: 660 Q51 V29
GPA: 3.3
Schools: Crosby Trulaske"19 IIM-A"19 (D)
GMAT 1: 660 Q51 V29
Posts: 34
Kudos: 18
Although Alice Walker published a number of essays, poetry collections 19 Dec 2021, 19:00
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
I think the main contention in this question is between option (C) and (D), but anyways let us looks at the other options as well quickly:

(A) -> "in that it" is weird and 'it' is erroneous. What does 'it' refer to, the book or the acclaim? WRONG
(B) -> wrong verb form "bringing" . Verb should be of past tense as event has already happened. WRONG

Now for C and D let us strip the modifiers and present the sentence,

(C) -> Although Alice Walker published a number of essays, poetry collections, and stories during the 1970s, her third novel, The Color Purple,published in 1982, brought her the widest acclaim, winning both the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize -> the non striked off part in the underline makes it a complete sentence with the verb "brought". CORRECT

(D) -> Although Alice Walker published a number of essays, poetry collections, and stories during the 1970s, her third novel, The Color Purple, was published in 1982(modifier 1) and which,..., brought her the widest acclaim(modifier 2). -> once modifiers are removed where is the remaining sentence? Hence incomplete sentence error. WRONG

(E) -> Same as B WRONG
User avatar
woohoo921
User avatar
Joined: 04 Jun 2020
Last visit: 17 Mar 2023
Posts: 516
Own Kudos:
142
Given Kudos: 623
Posts: 516
Kudos: 142
Although Alice Walker published a number of essays, poetry collections 05 Feb 2022, 09:04
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
VeritasKarishma

I am hoping to further my understanding of modifiers in this example. I see how the correct example is right. However, would the following order also be correct (putting her third novel after "The Color Purple"?) or do you need "her third novel" to come before the name of the book?

"Although Alice Walker published a number of essays, poetry collections, and stories during the 1970s, The Color Purple, her third novel, published in 1982, brought her the widest acclaim, winning both the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize."

Many thanks in advance :)
User avatar
A2D2
User avatar
Joined: 11 Jan 2022
Last visit: 28 Apr 2025
Posts: 37
Own Kudos:
4
Given Kudos: 104
Posts: 37
Kudos: 4
Although Alice Walker published a number of essays, poetry collections 12 Sep 2022, 15:36
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
LithiumIon
Although Alice Walker published a number of essays, poetry collections, and stories during the 1970s, her third novel, The Color Purple, which was published in 1982, brought her the widest acclaim in that it won both the National Book Award as well as the Pulitzer Prize.


(A) which was published in 1982, brought her the widest acclaim in that it won both the National Book Award as well as the Pulitzer Prize

(B) published in 1982, bringing her the widest acclaim by winning both the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize

(C) published in 1982, brought her the widest acclaim, winning both the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize

(D) was published in 1982 and which, winning both the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize, brought her the widest acclaim

(E) was published in 1982, winning both the National Book Award as well as the Pulitzer Prize, and bringing her the widest acclaim

can u pls tell why E is wrong in simple way



2016 GMAT Official Guide, Question 13
Show more
User avatar
ppch
User avatar
Joined: 16 Oct 2019
Last visit: 07 Nov 2025
Posts: 14
Given Kudos: 134
Posts: 14
Kudos: 0
Although Alice Walker published a number of essays, poetry collections 24 May 2023, 19:02
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
(A) which was published in 1982, brought her the widest acclaim in that it won both the National Book Award as well as the Pulitzer Prize - Idiom error - both X as well as Y is incorrect.

(B) published in 1982, bringing her the widest acclaim by winning both the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize - the subject "her third novel" lacks main verb

(C) published in 1982, brought her the widest acclaim, winning both the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize - correct choice

(D) was published in 1982 and which, winning both the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize, brought her the widest acclaim - Use of which makes the sentence grammatically incorrect.

(E) was published in 1982, winning both the National Book Award as well as the Pulitzer Prize, and bringing her the widest acclaim - Idiom error - both X as well as Y is incorrect.
User avatar
VerbalBot
User avatar
Non-Human User
Joined: 01 Oct 2013
Last visit: 04 Jan 2021
Posts: 18,830
Own Kudos:
986
Posts: 18,830
Kudos: 986
Although Alice Walker published a number of essays, poetry collections 20 Aug 2025, 17:11
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Hello from the GMAT Club VerbalBot!

Thanks to another GMAT Club member, I have just discovered this valuable topic, yet it had no discussion for over a year. I am now bumping it up - doing my job. I think you may find it valuable (esp those replies with Kudos).

Want to see all other topics I dig out? Follow me (click follow button on profile). You will receive a summary of all topics I bump in your profile area as well as via email.
   1   2   3 
Moderators:
GMATNinja
GMAT Club Verbal Expert
7443 posts
GMATNinjaTwo
GMAT Club Verbal Expert
231 posts
miag
189 posts