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.
Thank you for using the timer!
We noticed you are actually not timing your practice. Click the START button first next time you use the timer.
There are many benefits to timing your practice, including:
Re: Architects and stonemasons, huge palace and temple clusters were built [#permalink]
Show Tags
21 Jan 2010, 23:05
1
HI jitendra,
Whenever a phrase at the beginning of a sentence is set off by commas, it usually represents a modifying or descriptive phrase. The rule for modifying and descriptive phrases is that they must be as close as possible to the thing that they modify or describe.
So, someone or something in this sentence is described as 'Architects and Stonemasons'. Who or what in this sentence could logically be described that way? The Maya! So since the Maya are architects and stonemasons, the next word after the phrase 'Architects and stonemasons' must be 'the Maya.' That makes (C) the only possible answer.
_________________
Re: Architects and stonemasons, huge palace and temple clusters were built [#permalink]
Show Tags
13 Feb 2010, 14:11
Architects and stonemasons, huge palace and temple clusters were built by the Maya without benefit of the wheel or animal transport.
(A) huge palace and temple clusters were built by the Maya without benefit of the wheel or animal transport (B) without the benefits of animal transport or the wheel, huge palace and temple clusters were built by the Maya (C) the Maya built huge palace and temple clusters without the benefit of animal transport or the wheel (D) there were built, without the benefit of the wheel or animal transport, huge palace and temple clusters by the Maya (E) were the Maya who, without the benefit of the wheel or animal transport, built huge palace and temple clusters
Re: Architects and stonemasons, huge palace and temple clusters were built [#permalink]
Show Tags
27 May 2010, 13:13
1
Remember, when a modifying phrase is set off from the rest of the sentence by commas, the rest of the sentence must read correctly if that descriptive phrase is ignored. Ignoring both of the parts of the sentence isolated by commas, and reading (E) into the sentence, we get "...were the Maya who... built huge palace and temple structures." This is clearly grammatically incorrect.
_________________
Re: Architects and stonemasons, huge palace and temple clusters were built [#permalink]
Show Tags
28 May 2010, 07:35
I never liked this one...seems like a classic example of the GMAT looking for the best answer among fairly poor choices, not exactly the ideal construction. As far as E goes, notice that the first comma is not underlined. Therefore, E can't work because you'd have: "Architects and Stonemasons, were the Maya who." The temptation with E is to make Architects and stonemasons the subject. Clearly if you make Architects and Stonemasons the subject - you can't have the , before were.
Re: Architects and stonemasons, huge palace and temple clusters were built [#permalink]
Show Tags
05 Mar 2012, 07:49
3
Architects and stonemasons, huge palace and temple clusters were built by the Maya without benefit of the wheel or animal transport. (A) huge palace and temple clusters were built by the Maya without benefit of the wheel or animal transport (B) without the benefits of animal transport or the wheel, huge palace and temple clusters were built by the Maya (C) the Maya built huge palace and temple clusters without the benefit of animal transport or the wheel (D) there were built, without the benefit of the wheel or animal transport, huge palace and temple clusters by the Maya (E) were the Maya who, without the benefit of the wheel or animal transport, built huge palace and temple clusters
Confused between C and E both both are wrong IMO.
_________________
The Best Way to Keep me ON is to give Me KUDOS !!! If you Like My posts please Consider giving Kudos
Re: Architects and stonemasons, huge palace and temple clusters were built [#permalink]
Show Tags
06 Mar 2012, 10:41
The word after the comma should refer back to the modifying phrase architects and the masons. In this case only option C does that. Architects and masons... we require a person or a group that modifies this.. Maya..
With E I think it is wordy.. not sure if there is anything more that is grammatically incorrect.
_________________
Re: Architects and stonemasons, huge palace and temple clusters were built [#permalink]
Show Tags
06 Mar 2012, 11:16
C is correct. All the other options sound awkward because "architects and stonemasons" acts as a modifier to "the Maya" and noun modifiers have to touch the noun.
Status: worked for Kaplan's associates, but now on my own, free and flying
Joined: 19 Feb 2007
Posts: 4455
Location: India
WE: Education (Education)
Re: Architects and stonemasons, huge palace and temple clusters were built [#permalink]
Show Tags
08 Mar 2012, 01:47
1
1
While E is certainly awkward in structure, there is also a grammatical reason why E is not correct. . Normally between an appositive modifier and its noun, no intrusion is allowed. Here the verb were is superfluous. The phrase Architects and masons looks as if It is the subject of the verb were, rendering the entire apposition meaningless.
_________________
you can know a lot about something and not really understand it."-- a quote No one knows this better than a GMAT student does. Narendran +9198845 44509
Re: Architects and stonemasons, huge palace and temple clusters were built [#permalink]
Show Tags
13 Nov 2012, 00:04
1
1
Vineetk wrote:
Architects and stonemasons, huge palace and temple clusters were built by Maya without benefit of wheel or animal transport.
A. huge palace and temple clusters were built by Maya without benefit of wheel or animal transport. B. without the benefits of animal transport or the wheel, huge palace and temple clusters were built by the Maya. C. the Maya built huge palace and temple clusters without the benefit of animal transport or the wheel. D. there were built, without the benefit of the wheel or animal transport, huge palace and temple clusters by the Maya. E. were the Maya who, without the benefit of the wheel or animal transport, built huge palace and temple clusters.
OA after discussion.
senetence starts with an appositive modifier "Architects and stonemasons" what could it modify? only "the maya" in the entire sentence. only Ans C starts with "the maya", without even looking at anyother choice for any other error we can pick C.
close
71% (00:28) correct 
