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Although the cacao plant probably originated in the upper Amazon regio 30 Sep 2017, 06:57
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mikemcgarry
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Although the cacao plant probably originated in the upper Amazon region, its first cultivation for seeds and pulp was apparently begun in Mexico and Central America.

A) its first cultivation for seeds and pulp was apparently begun
B) apparently it was cultivated for its seeds and its pulp beginning
C) it was apparently first cultivated for its seeds and pulp
D) the beginning of its cultivation for seeds and pulp appears to be
E) the first cultivation for its seeds and pulp appears to have begun

Can anyone explain why E is wrong?
hxzworld
i'm totally confused with this question.
could someone explain more specifically, especially, what's wrong with A ??
Dear hxzworld,

I'm happy to respond. :-)

Unfortunately, SVTTCGMAT posted the question with multiple errors, and much of the discussion on this page revolves around discussing those errors rather than the substance of the original official question. The version above is the correct version: one we remove all the errors originally introduced when this question was posted, it is a wonderful question.

Here's what is so hard about the question: all five of the answer choices are grammatically correct! This is a wonderful question because it really doesn't test grammar at all. This question is almost completely a pure test of rhetorical construction.

Think about it. What is the core action here? The core action is the action of cultivating cacao for its seed & pulp. The discussion of this action is essential to the sentence. Well, as a general rule, if a sentence is about an action, often the most effective version that sentence involves the action as a verb.

A) its first cultivation for seeds and pulp was apparently begun
The main action is a noun, "cultivation," and the sapless alternative "was begun" is the main verb. This is grammatically correct, but it is about as direct and persuasive as wet toast. This is a rhetorical failure and is wrong.

B) apparently it was cultivated for its seeds and its pulp beginning
The main action is a verb--good. The problem here is the participle "beginning": the Modifier Touch Rule suggests that the "pulps" "begin in Mexico and Central America." This is illogical. We can step back from this grammar and figure out logically what the target noun should be, but in a well-constructed sentence, everything should be clear already. This is ambiguous and wrong.

C) it was apparently first cultivated for its seeds and pulp
The main action is a verb--good. No logical problems. This is active and powerful. These seems promising.

D) the beginning of its cultivation for seeds and pulp appears to be
The main action is a noun, "cultivation," and the punchless alternative "appears to have began" is the main verb. This version seems as if it were trying to make the sentence as long, boring, and indirect as possible. This is completely mealy-mouthed, a rhetorical train wreck. This is incorrect.

E) the first cultivation for its seeds and pulp appears to have begun
Once again, the main action is a noun, "cultivation," and the lily-livered alternative "appears to have began" is the main verb. This is flabby, indirect, timid, and without any persuasive power. This yawn-inducing version is another rhetorical failure.

The only possible answer is (C).

Does all this make sense?
Mike :-)
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Wonderful Explanation !!!.
But i have a doubt with what you mention to be the core action of the verb.
You suggest that the core action is 'cultivating cacao for its seeds and pulps'.
But are we not contrasting the place of origin?
the sentence is structured like this " Although X originated in Y, its cultivation began in Z "
Should not the core action be where its cultivation began rather than what it was cultivated for?
Thanks.
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Although the cacao plant probably originated in the upper Amazon regio 01 Oct 2017, 06:11
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There isn't much to explain on the topic after Mike has so substantially dissected it.
I am only looking at some words from the meaning point.
When you say the first cultivation, it might weirdly imply that there are several other cultivations of Cacao. Cultivation is a noun to express a process rather than the numeric of it. The better term is to say that it was first cultivated.
The second point is that when something was begun, it might imply it might have ended sometime later. However, the cultivation is still going on, probably endlessly. Therefore, the use of 'was begun', 'to have begun' or 'beginning (both as a modifier and as a gerund) is inappropriate.
C is the one that is above such muddles and hence is the best of the lot.
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Although the cacao plant probably originated in the upper Amazon regio 02 Oct 2017, 02:48
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cubs
But are we not contrasting the place of origin?
the sentence is structured like this " Although X originated in Y, its cultivation began in Z "
Should not the core action be where its cultivation began rather than what it was cultivated for?
Thanks.
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Hello cubs,

I will be glad to help you out with this one. :-)

You are correct in understanding the intended contrast in the sentence.

Indeed, the sentence intends to convey that cacao plant originated in X. But it was first cultivated in Y and Z.

This is the contrast conveyed by Choice C very clearly. The point that this plant was cultivated for seeds and pulp just adds up to the context of the sentence.



Hope this helps. :-)
Thanks.
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Although the cacao plant probably originated in the upper Amazon regio 01 Apr 2019, 08:28
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AjiteshArun can you please brief why E is wrong ?
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Although the cacao plant probably originated in the upper Amazon regio 01 Apr 2019, 19:31
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teaserbae
AjiteshArun can you please brief why E is wrong ?
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Option E is just not put together very well. For example, take a look at the first few words of E:

the first cultivation for its seeds and pulp appears to have begun

Apart from being awkward, the "the first cultivation" bit doesn't even clarify that the cultivation was of the cacao plant. Compare that to (a slightly shorter version of) option C:

it was first cultivated for its seeds and pulp

This option communicates what was cultivated very clearly.
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Although the cacao plant probably originated in the upper Amazon regio 11 Nov 2020, 18:30
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Instead of getting all wrapped up in analyzing the wording of each individual answer and spending a lot of time on that, the way I looked at this sentence was by understanding the overall meaning and what was being compared.

The use of "although" as the initial opening word indicates that the sentence is comparing two different ideas. The first phrase indicates the cacao plant ORIGINATED IN the UPPER AMAZON REGION, and the second phrase says its (refers to the cacao plant) first cultivation for seeds and pulp was apparently BEGUN IN MEXICO AND CENTRAL AMERICA. Comparing these two different verbs and places, I can already clearly see that the use of "begun in" is incorrect since begun, beginning, etc. is a verb used to describe TIME not a PLACE whereas the use of "originating in" is clearly used to describe a PLACE, the Upper Amazon region.

Therefore A, B, and E can all be immediately eliminated since all use variations of begun, beginning. D can also be eliminated since "to be" is incorrect since it is nonsensical for "the beginning of its cultivation for seeds and pulp TO BE in Mexico and Central America". Beginning of something, which indicates time, can't "be" in a place. Beginning of something begins in a time.


C then clearly is the only choice that stands out to fit in the comparison of the sentence, and when plugged into the stimulus clearly compares correctly.

Although the cacao plant probably originated in the upper Amazon region, it was apparently first cultivated for its seeds and pulp in Mexico and Central America.
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Although the cacao plant probably originated in the upper Amazon regio 14 Aug 2022, 02:38
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please help me learn the usage of ''to be'' . what the real intent of using such
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Although the cacao plant probably originated in the upper Amazon regio 14 Aug 2022, 04:06
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himanshu0123
please help me learn the usage of ''to be'' . what the real intent of using such
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Hello himanshu0123,

We hope this finds you well.

To answer your query, "to be" is an infinitive verb form ("to + base form of verb" - "to + be" in this sentence); it means "for the purpose of being" or refers to the act of "being" as part of another action.

We hope this helps.
All the best!
Experts' Global Team
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Although the cacao plant probably originated in the upper Amazon regio 18 Feb 2023, 11:49
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I didnt understand why option E is incorrect and option C is correct. Doesnt C change original meaning of the sentence?
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Although the cacao plant probably originated in the upper Amazon regio 18 Feb 2023, 15:26
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ashishzanke
I didnt understand why option E is incorrect and option C is correct. Doesnt C change original meaning of the sentence?
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Here's the (E) version:

Although the cacao plant probably originated in the upper Amazon region, the first cultivation for its seeds and pulp appears to have begun in Mexico and Central America.

This version has a few issues.

- "The first cultivation for its seeds and pulp" does not clearly convey that the cacao plant was cultivated.

- The "first cultivation" and "to have begun" are redundant because "the first" is of course what "begun."

Here's the (C) version:

Although the cacao plant probably originated in the upper Amazon region, it was apparently first cultivated for its seeds and pulp in Mexico and Central America.

This version has neither of the issues we saw in the (E) version and effectively conveys a meaning that makes sense. Thus, this version is correct, regardless of whether it conveys the same meaning as is conveyed by the original version.
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Although the cacao plant probably originated in the upper Amazon regio 29 Jul 2023, 07:49
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Can GMAT Ninja or someone reliable explain this question? I find some explanations to be totally incorrect or not persuasive, and the explanations vary a lot under the discussion. Awkwardness does not help explain why the answer choice is wrong...

I chose E and did not notice any key problems with E. I think the tense for "have begun" is correct and "appears to" is OK. Maybe it's redundant to say both "first" and "have begun". Can some expert provide the true answer?
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Although the cacao plant probably originated in the upper Amazon regio 10 Aug 2023, 13:42
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ellenckh
Can GMAT Ninja or someone reliable explain this question? I find some explanations to be totally incorrect or not persuasive, and the explanations vary a lot under the discussion. Awkwardness does not help explain why the answer choice is wrong...

I chose E and did not notice any key problems with E. I think the tense for "have begun" is correct and "appears to" is OK. Maybe it's redundant to say both "first" and "have begun". Can some expert provide the true answer?
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The main verb in (E) is confusing. If we say "the first cultivation... appears to have begun", are we trying to say that the first cultivation is still going on?

The past tense verb in (C) makes the logical meaning more clear: "[the cacao plant] was apparently first cultivated...".

Also, the "parallel" structure in (C) makes the contrast nice and clear: "Although the plant originated in Place 1, [the plant] was first cultivated in Place 2." The structure of (E) might not violate any clear-cut rules, but the structure of (C) makes the meaning clearer and easier to follow.

Remember, GMAT SC isn't about looking at individual options in a bubble and labeling them wrong or right -- it's about looking at the five available options and picking the best of the bunch. (E) might not have any glaring errors, but (C) is a better option.

I hope that helps!
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Although the cacao plant probably originated in the upper Amazon regio 14 Dec 2024, 11:40
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