Choreographer and dancer Savion Glover aims to restore the African roo

OFFICIAL EXPLANATION


This question is challenging because our first instinct is to find something parallel to by eliminating, which is followed by the parallelism marker and.

If returns were changed to its participle returning, we would have a logical choice, this way:

Savion Glover aims to restore ... by eliminating hand gestures and [by] returning to a focus on the feet as the primary source of movement.

No such option exists. We have to rethink our approach and find a different parallel construction.

The verb we must use is to restore. The mechanical POE is followed by analysis.

THE OPTIONS


• [he] returns and eliminating are not parallel
Eliminate A


• correct. The verb return is parallel to the verb restore that appears earlier in the sentence
• Both restore and return are "bare" infinitives-- just infinitives without the "to."
• the word TO [from "to restore"] applies to both verbs. That is, TO carries over to return
• see "splitting the verb" below
Keep B


• illogical
-- the feet's focusing implies that the feet themselves are focusing.
Feet don't focus.
• In the sentence, option C makes no sense.
Glover aims to restore the African roots . . . by eliminating hand gestures and returning to the feet's focusing as the primary source of movement.

How could the feet's focusing be paired with "AS the primary source of movement"? That phrasing is nonsensical.
Eliminate C


• there is no such (verb) thing as to returned.
The bare infinitive in TO RETURN is always just return.
• returned is past tense. Nothing in the sentence suggests that a verb tense change is appropriate.
Eliminate D


• returning that is unidiomatic
• the correct idiom is returning TO
• returning that the feet be the focus is literally indecipherable. The phrase does not say anything.

The correct answer is B.

ANALYSIS

• First impression of what the sentence means?

When we first read this sentence, it seems to mean that Savion Glover intends to restore the African roots of tap dance by doing two things.

The first thing seems to be by eliminating hand gestures.
The next thing we read should be parallel.
We find, though, that the second thing is phrased and he returns to a focus on the feet.

The word returning would be fine if the sentence were phrased this way:
...by eliminating hand gestures and [by] returning to a focus on the feet.

Problem: The two options that use "returning" are incorrect. Option C is illogical (feet do not focus) and (E) is unidiomatic.

No answer choice offers an option similar to the corrected version that I suggested.

Now we must rethink the construction of the sentence.

• find the verb

-- All the answer choices are verbs or verbals. We must find a verb that we can pair with some form of return.

-- [by] "eliminating" does not work.

-- remaining: aims and to restore

Aims won't work. To maintain parallelism, we would need to use returns.
Only (A) includes returns, but we already know that (A) is faulty.

To restore is the winner.

-- We have a "split verb."
Glover aims
→→ to restore (the African roots . . .)
AND
→→ [to] return to a focus on the feet.

• "Splitting" the verb

Splitting the verb is very common on the GMAT.
-- A verb that consists of more than one word (to restore) can be split into parts.
-- The first part of the verb (TO) is mentioned only once: TO RESTORE.

Although it is mentioned only once, to distributes or applies to both of the second parts of the verb phrases (restore and return, respectively.)

Glover wants to do two things: to restore the African roots of tap . . . and [to] return to a focus on the feet.

The answer is B.

COMMENTS

I like this sentence because verbs that can (or must) take an infinitive are common on the GMAT.
When aim is used as a verb that means "the intention to achieve something," aim must be followed by an infinitive.

If the verb aim means "point or direct [something] at a target," such as a camera, then an infinitive does not follow.

In a sentence using aim in the second sense, an infinitive could follow the noun, although the construction is hella awkward:
I will aim the camera to capture the entire scene.
-- That infinitive really has nothing to do with the verb aim.
-- The sentence means I will aim the camera [in a certain way] in order to capture the whole scene.

HERE is a post written by Mike McGarry about verbs (and other words) that require the infinitive.

Most of these answers explain well. Kudos to all. Nice work.

IMO B.

1.Primary source of movement is in non underlined part and this should refer to feet.
2. "Aims to" so no past tense should be there.
3. By "A" and by "B" where A and B should be parallel.

Based on above points B is the one that stands out.

IMO: B

Actually, this one is quite challenge for me because i don't know what the intended meaning is.
The author can think in two ways:
1)
Savion Glover aims to restore ...... by doing 2 things
- Eliminating ...
- to parallel it must be returning
So think in this way, only E and C. Between E and C. E is more preferable. However, i think that both C and E are really awkward . because i think if author wants to convey the meaning that to restore by doing 2 things, he should use focusing rather than returning.

2) Savion Glover aims to do 2 things:
- restore
- to parallel it must be return - So B.

Between B and E, i know for sure "focus on" is correct idiom and i think E is really awkward.

So B is my final answer.



Choreographer and dancer Savion Glover aims to restore the African roots of tap dance by eliminating hand gestures and he returns to a focus on the feet as the primary source of movement.

A) he returns to a focus on the feet -> Savion Glover does 2 things: 1) aim to restore 2) returns to a focus. I think this is not the intended meaning

B) return to a focus on the feet -> Savion Glover aims 2 things: 1) restore and 2) return to a focus. Correct

C) returning to the feet's focusing -> Savion Glover aims to restore.... by eliminating and returning but awkward
D) returned to the feet as a focus -> No reason to used Verbed .

E) returning that the feet be the focus -> -> Savion Glover aims to restore.... by eliminating and returning but awkward

IMO B,

I was confused between A and B, but on seeing the comparison correctly marked B.

Savion Glover aims to

• restore the African roots of tap dance by eliminating hand gestures and
• he returns to a focus on the feet as the primary source of movement. [Incorrect Comparison]

Let us see which option has a correct X as parallel in restore and X

A) he returns
B) return [Only option that is parallel and makes sense here]
C) returning
D) returned
E) Returning

Sentence Structure
Subject - Verb

Choreographer and dancer Savion Glover aims to

1) restore the African roots of tap dance by eliminating hand gestures and
2) return to a focus on the feet as the primary source of movement.

Issues:

We need a prepositional phrase which CAN be parallel either to restore or by eliminating
However, the verb-ing form does NOT make any sense with the sentence.
C and E Verb-ing from is NOT parallel

Answer choice analysis:

A) he returns to a focus on the feet

2 Independent clauses are connected by a mere connector AND.

B) return to a focus on the feet

Better than the rest. B is the winner!

C) returning to the feet's focusing

Verb-ing from is NOT parallel
feet's focusing - focusing cannot be an inherent property of feet

D) returned to the feet as a focus

Meaning issue: D states that SG returned to the feet as the focus in the past, and then he tries to aim to restore.
Also, at times, change in tense is allowed in the same sentence.

Ex: The Earth revolves( present-tense) around the Sun and has continued( present-perfect-tense) to do so since the Big-Bang.
However, in this case, it does NOT make any sense. Unsolicited tense-shift

E) returning that the feet be the focus

Verb-ing from is NOT parallel

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Choreographer and dancer Savion Glover aims to restore the African roots of tap dance by eliminating hand gestures and he returns to a focus on the feet as the primary source of movement.



aims to restore the African roots of tap dance by eliminating hand gestures(X) and he returns (Y) are not parallel



aims to restore the African roots of tap dance by eliminating hand gestures(X) and return to a focus on the feet (Y) are parallel




aims to restore the African roots of tap dance by eliminating hand gestures(X) and returning to the feet's focusing as the primary source of movement. (Y) are not parallel
returning to the feet's focusing as the primary source of movement is awkward.



aims to restore the African roots of tap dance by eliminating hand gestures(X) and returned to the feet as a focus as the primary source of movement. (Y) are not parallel

restore and returned are using different tenses.



aims to restore the African roots of tap dance by eliminating hand gestures(X) and returning that the feet be the focus as the primary source of movement. (Y) are not parallel
returning that the feet be the focus as the primary source of movement. is awkward.

IMO B

IMO correct answer is B.

I was initially confused with parallelism between "eliminating" & "returning", now then i again found by the meaning of the context that these 2 can't be parallel; Savion Glover as a Subject taking singular verb aims & "to restore" to be made correct parallelism with return, which is present only in option B.

Choreographer and dancer Savion Glover aims to restore the African roots of tap dance by eliminating hand gestures and he returns to a focus on the feet as the primary source of movement.

A) he returns to a focus on the feet - " he returns to a focus on the feet" is not parallel with "aims to restore the African roots...." - Incorrect

B) return to a focus on the feet - Correct parallelism used

C) returning to the feet's focusing - "returning to the feet's focusing" is not parallel with the item before AND

D) returned to the feet as a focus - Same as C

E) returning that the feet be the focus - Same as C

I have posted the official explanation HERE.

I have doubt pertaining to parallelism, for which I get almost all parallelism questions wrong.

In the case at hand we have aims to restore X and Y
but when I first read the sentence what my mind noticed was the participle - eliminating - the most adjacent one to and

So how do I know whether I need to maintain parallelism with this word or the main verb

Please help

Posted from my mobile device

I have doubt pertaining to parallelism, for which I get almost all parallelism questions wrong.

In the case at hand we have aims to restore X and Y
but when I first read the sentence what my mind noticed was the participle - eliminating - the most adjacent one to and

So how do I know whether I need to maintain parallelism with this word or the main verb

Please help

It really depends on the most logical meaning. In some instances, it is very clear.

For example:

I want to build my body by going to the gym and study regularly.
- This is correct, since the intended meaning is that I want to do two things: 1) to build my body and 2) (to) study regularly

A better sentence would be where this parallelism is made more explicit:

I want to build my body by going to the gym and to study regularly.

Here, it is very clear the sentence cannot be:

I want to build my body by going to the gym and studying regularly.
- This would nonsensically suggest that studying regularly will enable me to build my body.

In the sentence under consideration, I would argue that returning would have worked as well, but all options using returning have other serious issues.
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I disagree that A is not parallel,
I think both A and B are parallel as per my home great ron purewal, parallelism is needed to be checked my Y to X,

"He returns" is perfectly parallel with "Savion Glovier aims".

However He returns to what ? A place, no a methodology doesn't seem okay. B eliminates this and that's why it is better than A

Posted from my mobile device
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