Before they became a team, Richard Rogers and Oscar Hammerstein wrote

OFFICIAL EXPLANATION


• I see no errors
• Unlike options C and D, in this sentence, when the nonessential clause is removed, the sentence makes sense
• This option correctly describes two actions in the past:
(1) Rogers and Hammerstein worked with other partners; and
(2) Rogers and Hammerstein became a team.
The use of past perfect (had collaborated), a tense that is used to convey the earlier of two past events, is correct.

The answer is E

COMMENTS

I will post the other OE within 12 hours.

KaramveerBakshi and Varunsawhney8 , welcome to SC Butler.

Many more people than I anticipated saw right through option D, btw.

Someone asked the other day whether I write these SC questions.
No, not these ones that I post on Butler.

I do spend many long hours looking for them, though.

Writing SC questions is a Herculean task. You should try writing one.
GMAC spends thousands of dollars to produce one SC question.

These answers range from good to excellent.
Those of you who take a few words to explain what you mean make learning easier for aspirants to follow. Well done.

Error in option A
Before they became a team, Richard and Oscar wrote....and collaborating...
-'Wrote & collaborating' is not parallel

Option B,C and D is incorrect.
(SV error: What's the verb of Roger and Oscar? There's no IC)

Option E is the correct answer.
-No SV error
-To link sequence of related events in past, we need to use past perfect for earlier event and simple past for later event.

Posted from my mobile device
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My answer is (E). It took me 53 seconds.

E is the only option that is grammatically sound.

(A) "collaborating" is not parallel with "wrote"
(B) Fragment. Also, how can series of hit musicals collaborate with others?
(C) Fragment.
(D) Fragment.

Before they became a team, Richard Rogers and Oscar Hammerstein wrote a series of hit musicals in the 1950s and collaborating with other partners: Rogers with Lorenz Hart and Hammerstein with Jerome Kern.


A) Richard Rogers and Oscar Hammerstein wrote a series of hit musicals in the 1950s and collaborating

collaborating can't be correct

B) Richard Rogers and Oscar Hammerstein, whose series of hit musicals in the 1950s had collaborated

How can Series collabrate

C) Richard Rogers and Oscar Hammerstein, who wrote a series of hit musicals in the 1950s, collaborating
Collaborating can't be correct

D) Richard Richard Rogers and Oscar Hammerstein, who wrote a series of hit musicals in the 1950s and had collaborated


and had collaborated- fragment

E) Richard Rogers and Oscar Hammerstein, who wrote a series of hit musicals in the 1950s, had collaborated

Answer should be E

Before they became a team, Richard Rogers and Oscar Hammerstein wrote a series of hit musicals in the 1950s and collaborating with other partners: Rogers with Lorenz Hart and Hammerstein with Jerome Kern.


A) Richard Rogers and Oscar Hammerstein wrote a series of hit musicals in the 1950s and collaborating // "collaborating" is not parallel with "wrote"

B) Richard Rogers and Oscar Hammerstein, whose series of hit musicals in the 1950s had collaborated // this is not a complete sentence. a dependent clause is nested in another dependent clause. Also, a series of hit musicals can not collaborate with people.

C) Richard Rogers and Oscar Hammerstein, who wrote a series of hit musicals in the 1950s, collaborating // this is not a complete sentence. a dependent clause is nested in another dependent clause.

D) Richard Richard Rogers and Oscar Hammerstein, who wrote a series of hit musicals in the 1950s and had collaborated // this is not a complete sentence. a dependent clause is nested in another dependent clause.

E) Richard Rogers and Oscar Hammerstein, who wrote a series of hit musicals in the 1950s, had collaborated // finally
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Before they became a team, Richard Rogers and Oscar Hammerstein wrote a series of hit musicals in the 1950s and collaborating with other partners: Rogers with Lorenz Hart and Hammerstein with Jerome Kern.


A) Richard Rogers and Oscar Hammerstein wrote a series of hit musicals in the 1950s and collaborating - Parallelism Error. Incorrect.

B) Richard Rogers and Oscar Hammerstein, whose series of hit musicals in the 1950s had collaborated - SV Error; 'Series had collaborated' Nonsensical. Incorrect.

C) Richard Rogers and Oscar Hammerstein, who wrote a series of hit musicals in the 1950s, collaborating - SV Error. Incorrect.

D) Richard Richard Rogers and Oscar Hammerstein, who wrote a series of hit musicals in the 1950s and had collaborated - SV Error. Incorrect.

E) Richard Rogers and Oscar Hammerstein, who wrote a series of hit musicals in the 1950s, had collaborated - SV agreement. Correct.

Answer is Option (E).

Before they became a team, Richard Rogers and Oscar Hammerstein wrote a series of hit musicals in the 1950s and collaborating with other partners: Rogers with Lorenz Hart and Hammerstein with Jerome Kern.


A) Richard Rogers and Oscar Hammerstein wrote a series of hit musicals in the 1950s and collaborating - Incorrect, Parallelism error.

B) Richard Rogers and Oscar Hammerstein, whose series of hit musicals in the 1950s had collaborated - Incorrect, intended meaning is incorrect, and wrong construction leading to incomplete sentence.

C) Richard Rogers and Oscar Hammerstein, who wrote a series of hit musicals in the 1950s, collaborating - Incorrect, parallelism error between who wrote and collaborating

D) Richard Richard Rogers and Oscar Hammerstein, who wrote a series of hit musicals in the 1950s and had collaborated - Incorrect, "and" is wrong.

E) Richard Rogers and Oscar Hammerstein, who wrote a series of hit musicals in the 1950s, had collaborated - Correct, and removed, parallelism error is also fixed.

The official explanation is here.

I have one question.
Before keyword is already informing us about an event in the earlier past.
Do you think we would still need past perfect construct here ??

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