Dear Friends,
Here is a detailed explanation to this question-
sinharavi wrote:
Before its independence in 1947, Britain ruled India as a colony and they would relinquish power only after a long struggle by the native people.
(A) Before its independence in 1947, Britain ruled India as a colony and they would relinquish power
(B) Before independence in 1947, Britain had ruled India as a colony and relinquished power
(C) Before its independence in 1947, India was ruled by Britain as a colony and they relinquished power
(D) Before independence in 1947, India had been ruled as a colony by Britain, which relinquished power
(E) Before independence in 1947, India had been a colony of the British, who relinquished power
The following question came in one of
MGMAT tests. I am not convinced to the OA. Hoping somebody can explain.
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 India had been a colony of the British before it became independent in 1947, and the British relinquished power only after a long struggle by the native people.
Concepts tested here: Meaning + Modifiers + Pronouns + Grammatical Construction + Awkwardness/Redundancy• 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.
• Semicolons and the “comma + conjunction” construction are used to link two independent clauses; commas are used to link an independent clause with a dependent one; commas cannot be used to join two independent clauses.
A: This answer choice incorrectly refers to the singular noun "Britain" with the plural pronoun "they". Further, Option A incorrectly uses "Before its independence in 1947" to modify "Britain", incorrectly replying that India had been a colony of the British before
Britain became independent in 1947; the intended meaning is that India had been a colony of the British before
India became independent in 1947; remember, in a “phrase + comma + noun” construction, the phrase must correctly modify the noun. Additionally, Option A incorrectly uses conjunction ("and" in this case) to join the independent clauses "Britain ruled India as a colony" and "they would relinquish power...people"; remember, semicolons and the “comma + conjunction” construction are used to link two independent clauses. Besides, Option A uses the needlessly indirect phrase "ruled India as a colony", leading to awkwardness and redundancy.
B: This answer choice incorrectly uses "Before independence in 1947" to modify "Britain", incorrectly replying that India had been a colony of the British before
Britain became independent in 1947; the intended meaning is that India had been a colony of the British before
India became independent in 1947; remember, in a “phrase + comma + noun” construction, the phrase must correctly modify the noun. Further, Option B uses the needlessly indirect phrase "ruled India as a colony", leading to awkwardness and redundancy.
C: This answer choice incorrectly refers to the singular noun "Britain" with the plural pronoun "they". Further, Option C incorrectly uses conjunction ("and" in this case) to join the independent clauses "India was ruled by Britain as a colony" and "they would relinquish power...people"; remember, semicolons and the “comma + conjunction” construction are used to link two independent clauses. Additionally, Option C uses the needlessly wordy phrase "ruled by Britain as a colony", leading to awkwardness and redundancy.
D: This answer choice uses the needlessly wordy phrase "ruled as a colony by Britain", leading to awkwardness and redundancy.
E: Correct. This answer choice correctly refers to the plural noun "the British" with the pronoun "who", which can be used to refer to both plural and singular nouns. Further, Option E correctly uses "Before independence in 1947" to modify "India", conveying the intended meaning - that India had been a colony of the British before
India became independent in 1947. Additionally, Option E avoids the grammatical construction errors seen in Options A and C, as it only features one independent clause - "India had been a colony of the British". Besides, Option E is free of any awkwardness or redundancy.
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 (~1 minute):
To understand the use of punctuation on GMAT, you may want to watch the following video (~10 minutes):
All the best!
Experts' Global Team
D: This answer choice uses the needlessly wordy phrase "ruled as a colony by Britain", leading to awkwardness
close
05 Aug 2022, 05:55
