Dear Friends,
Here is a detailed explanation to this question-
AbdurRakib wrote:
By devising an instrument made from a rod, wire, and lead balls, and employing uncommonly precise measurements, in 1797–1798 Henry Cavendish’s apparatus enabled him to arrive at an astonishingly accurate figure for the weight of the earth.
(A) By devising an instrument made from a rod, wire, and lead balls, and employing uncommonly precise measurements, in 1797–1798 Henry Cavendish’s apparatus enabled him
(B) In 1797–1798, by devising an instrument made from a rod, wire, and lead balls, and employing uncommonly precise measurements, Henry Cavendish’s apparatus enabled him
(C) Henry Cavendish devised an instrument made from a rod, wire, and lead balls, and employed uncommonly precise measurements, and in 1797–1798 was able
(D) Having devised an instrument from a rod, wire, and lead balls, and employment of uncommonly precise measurements, Henry Cavendish in 1797–1798 was able
(E) By devising an instrument made from a rod, wire, and lead balls, and employing uncommonly precise measurements, Henry Cavendish was able in 1797–1798
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 Henry Cavendish devised an instrument made from a rod, wire, and lead balls, and employed uncommonly precise measurements, and by doing so he was able to arrive at an astonishingly accurate figure for the weight of the earth, in 1797–1798.
Concepts tested here: Meaning + Modifiers + Parallelism + 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.
A: This answer choice incorrectly uses "By devising an instrument made from a rod, wire, and lead balls, and employing uncommonly precise measurements" to modify "Henry Cavendish’s apparatus", illogically conveying that Henry Cavendish’s
apparatus devised an instrument made from a rod, wire, and lead balls, and employed uncommonly precise measurements; the intended meaning is that
Henry Cavendish devised an instrument made from a rod, wire, and lead balls, and employed uncommonly precise measurements; remember, in a “phrase + comma + noun” construction, the phrase must correctly modify the noun.
B: This answer choice incorrectly uses "by devising an instrument made from a rod, wire, and lead balls, and employing uncommonly precise measurements" to modify "Henry Cavendish’s apparatus", illogically conveying that Henry Cavendish’s
apparatus devised an instrument made from a rod, wire, and lead balls, and employed uncommonly precise measurements; the intended meaning is that
Henry Cavendish devised an instrument made from a rod, wire, and lead balls, and employed uncommonly precise measurements; remember, in a “phrase + comma + noun” construction, the phrase must correctly modify the noun.
C: This answer choice alters the meaning of the sentence through the phrase "and in 1797–1798 was able"; the construction of this phrase incorrectly implies that Henry Cavendish devised an instrument made from a rod, wire, and lead balls, and employed uncommonly precise measurements, and
as a separate action he was able to arrive at an astonishingly accurate figure for the weight of the earth, in 1797–1798; the intended meaning is that Henry Cavendish devised an instrument made from a rod, wire, and lead balls, and employed uncommonly precise measurements, and
by doing so he was able to arrive at an astonishingly accurate figure for the weight of the earth, in 1797–1798.
D: This answer choice alters the meaning of the sentence through the phrase "and employment"; the parallelism between "an instrument" and "employment" illogically implies that Henry Cavendish devised an instrument made from a rod, wire, and lead balls and
devised a way to employ uncommonly precise measurements; the intended meaning is that Henry Cavendish devised an instrument made from a rod, wire, and lead balls, and
he employed uncommonly precise measurements. Further, Option D uses the needlessly indirect and passive construction "Having devised", leading to awkwardness.
E: Correct. This answer correctly choice uses the phrase "By devising an instrument made from a rod, wire, and lead balls, and employing uncommonly precise measurements" to modify "Henry Cavendish", conveying the intended meaning - that
Henry Cavendish devised an instrument made from a rod, wire, and lead balls, and
he employed uncommonly precise measurements, and
by doing so he was able to arrive at an astonishingly accurate figure for the weight of the earth, in 1797–1798. Further, 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):
All the best!
Experts' Global Team
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