Despite Japan’s relative isolation from world trade at the time, the

Question

Despite  Japan’s relative isolation from world trade at the time, the prolonged peace during the Tokugawa shogunate  produced an almost explosive expansion of commerce.

(A) Japan’s relative isolation from world trade at the time, the prolonged peace during the Tokugawa shogunate

(B) the relative isolation of Japan from world trade at the time and the Tokugawa shogunate’s prolonged peace, it

(C) being relatively isolated from world trade at the time, the prolonged peace during Japan’s Tokugawa shogunate

(D) Japan’s relative isolation from world trade at the time during the Tokugawa shogunate, prolonged peace

(E) its relative isolation from world trade then, prolonged peace in Japan during the Tokugawa shogunate

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GMATNinja · Accepted Answer

I have no idea what I'm supposed to be looking at here. I don't see anything fun: no pronouns or parallelism or comparisons or anything like that. I also don't see any problems, and the sentence seems to make sense. I guess we'll keep (A). *shrug*

The parallelism is weird here. Following the "and", we have "...the Tokugawa shogunate’s prolonged peace" and that phrase is structurally parallel to "the relative isolation of Japan from world trade." But that whole mess is preceded by "despite": so we have "despite... the the Tokugawa shogunate’s prolonged peace, it produced an almost explosive expansion of commerce."

That makes no sense. The expansion didn't happen  despite  the prolonged peace. It happened because of it. Eliminate (B).

If we look at (C) strictly and literally, it's saying that "the prolonged peace" was relatively isolated from world trade at the time. (C) is out.

There are a few subtle little problems with this one. First, "at the time during" is redundant. I'm not sure that it's automatically wrong, but it's not ideal: "during" or "at the time of" would be fine, but I don't really understand why we would use "at the time during."

More importantly, I think the meaning is distorted here, as the indefatigable  daagh  pointed out below. The point of the sentence seems to be that the prolonged peace happened during the Tokugawa shogunate -- and the prolonged peace of the shogunate produced an explosion of commerce during that time. I don't think that it's trying to say that the isolation from world trade happened during the shogunate. Plus, the "prolonged peace" isn't connected to the shogunate at all in the second part of the sentence. (A) conveys this meaning much more clearly, so (D) can be eliminated.

"Its" seems to refer to "prolonged peace" here, and that doesn't make sense. I'm also not thrilled with "then" -- I guess it refers to the shogunate, but it's not super-clear. But that pronoun thing is a definite error. (E) is out, and (A) wins.

HieuNguyenVN · Answer

A) Japan’s relative isolation from world trade at  the time , the prolonged peace  during the Tokugawa shogunate 
In this sentence, the time clearly refers to during the Tokugawa shogunate. It's clear that the peace during Tokugawa shogunate, not other periods, produce the expansion --> Correct.

B) the relative isolation of Japan from world trade at the time and the Tokugawa shogunate’s prolonged peace,  it 
What is the antecedent of "it"? the isolation or the peace. Also the prolonged peace did not hinder or prevent the expansion of commerce, hence we cannot write: Despite the Tokugawa shogunate’s prolonged peace, it produced...

C)  being  relatively isolated from world trade at the time,  the prolonged pace during Japan’s Tokugawa shogunate 
What does being modify? It supposes to modify Japan, but here it modifies the subject after comma, which is "the prolonged pace during Japan’s Tokugawa shogunate". This doesn't make sense.

D) Japan’s relative isolation from world trade at the time during the Tokugawa shogunate,  prolonged peace 
The confuse here is between A & D, which one is better? Clearly A. In D, we don't know the prolonged peace is BEFORE, DURING, or AFTER the Tokugawa shogunate, while in A, it's clearly stated "the peace during the Tokugawa shogunate".

E)  its  relative isolation from world trade then,  prolonged peace in Japan during the Tokugawa shogunate 
"its" refers to the whole noun phrase "prolonged peace in Japan during the Tokugawa shogunate", which doesn't make sense.

ExpertsGlobal5 · Answer

Dear Friends,

Here is a detailed explanation to this question-

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 Japan saw a prolonged peace during the Tokugawa shogunate, and despite Japan’s relative isolation from world trade at the time, this peace produced an almost explosive expansion of commerce.

Concepts tested here: Meaning + Modifiers + Pronouns + 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:   Correct.  This answer choice avoids the pronoun ambiguity seen in Option B, as it uses no pronouns. Further, Option A correctly uses "Despite Japan’s relative isolation from world trade at the time" to modify "the prolonged peace during the Tokugawa shogunate", conveying the intended meaning - that Japan saw a prolonged peace   during the Tokugawa shogunate  , and despite the fact that   Japan   was relatively isolated from world trade at this time,   this peace   produced an almost explosive expansion of commerce. Additionally, Option A is free of any awkwardness or redundancy

B:  This answer choice suffers from pronoun ambiguity, as it is unclear whether "it" refers to "Japan" or "prolonged peace". Further, Option B alters the meaning of the sentence through the phrase "the relative isolation of Japan from world trade at the time and the Tokugawa shogunate’s prolonged peace"; the construction of this phrase incorrectly implies that Japan saw a prolonged peace during the Tokugawa shogunate, and despite   both   Japan’s relative isolation from world trade at the time   and   this peace, it produced an almost explosive expansion of commerce; the intended meaning is that Japan saw a prolonged peace during the Tokugawa shogunate, and despite Japan’s relative isolation from world trade at the time,   this peace   produced an almost explosive expansion of commerce.

C:  This answer choice incorrectly uses "Despite being relatively isolated from world trade at the time" to modify "the prolonged peace during Japan’s Tokugawa shogunate", illogically implying that   the peace   that Japan saw during the Tokugawa shogunate was relatively isolated from the world during the Tokugawa shogunate; the intended meaning is that   Japan   was relatively isolated from the world during the Tokugawa shogunate; remember, in a “phrase + comma + noun” construction, the phrase must correctly modify the noun. Further, Option C uses the passive voice construction "being relatively isolated", leading to awkwardness and redundancy.

D:  This answer choice alters the meaning of the sentence through the phrase "Japan’s relative isolation from world trade at the time during the Tokugawa shogunate"; the construction of this phrase incorrectly implies that Japan saw a prolonged peace during   an unspecified time  , and despite Japan’s relative isolation from world trade during the Tokugawa shogunate, this peace produced an almost explosive expansion of commerce; the intended meaning is that Japan saw a prolonged peace,   specifically  , during   the Tokugawa shogunate  , and despite Japan’s relative isolation from world trade at the time, this peace produced an almost explosive expansion of commerce. Further, Option D uses the redundant phrase "at the time during", rendering it awkward and needlessly wordy.

E:  This answer choice incorrectly uses "Despite its relative isolation from world trade then" to modify "prolonged peace in Japan during Tokugawa shogunate", illogically implying that   the peace   that Japan saw during the Tokugawa shogunate was relatively isolated from the world during the Tokugawa shogunate; the intended meaning is that   Japan   was relatively isolated from the world during the Tokugawa shogunate; remember, in a “phrase + comma + noun” construction, the phrase must correctly modify the noun. Further, Option E is needlessly wordy due to its redundant use of the word "then"; this usage is redundant, as "then" can be deleted without a loss of clarity.

Hence, A 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 (~2 minutes):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xx_5LxK5Bh0

All the best!
Experts' Global Team

yash88 · Answer

Please help why E is incorrect.

EducationAisle · Answer

Hi 1988achilles, a handy thing to remember is that when a pronoun appears as part of the introductory modifier, that pronoun refers to the noun immediately after the introductory modifier.

Hence, in E,  its  would  erroneously  refer to  prolonged peace  (whereas it should actually have referred to  Japan ).

p.s. Our book    EducationAisle Sentence Correction Nirvana    discusses  this Pronoun issue , its application and examples in significant detail. If someone is interested, PM me your email-id; I can mail the corresponding section.

smanujahrc · Answer

please someone explain why is option D wrong

also in option A is 'trade at the time,' correct??

what does the time in option A refer to?? which time? time of tokugawa shokugate or time of prolonged peace during tokugawa shokugate???

DmitryFarberMPrep · Answer

smanujahrc , that's a pretty fine distinction! True, those two periods can in theory be different, since the shogunate may have lasted longer than the period of peace within it. However, the opening phrase is modifying the main clause: "the prolonged period of peace. . . produced," so it must refer to the period of time during which this peace produced an expansion. (Of course, that period was during the Tokugawa shogunate!)

gmatexam439 · Answer

Answer -> D

Despite  Japan’s relative isolation from world trade at the time, the prolonged peace during the Tokugawa shogunate  produced an almost
explosive expansion of commerce.

A) Japan’s relative isolation from world trade at the time, the prolonged peace during the Tokugawa shogunate - The first part of the sentence is neither complete nor modifying the second part of the sentence; therefore this option isn't making any sense .
B) the relative isolation of japan from world trade at the time and the Tokugawa shogunate’s prolonged peace,  it  - "it" doesn't have any antecedent 
C) being relatively isolated from world trade at the time,  the prolonged peace  during Japan’s Tokugawa shogunate - First part is wrongly modifying the prolonged peace. It should modify Japan 
D) Japan’s relative isolation from world trade at the time during the Tokugawa shogunate, prolonged peace - CORRECT 
E)  its  relative isolation from world trade then, prolonged peace in Japan during the Tokugawa shogunate - "its" doesn't have an antecedent

daagh · Answer

Despite Japan’s relative isolation from world trade at the time, the prolonged peace during the Tokugawa shogunate  produced an almost explosive expansion of commerce.

A) Japan’s relative isolation from world trade at the time, the prolonged peace during the Tokugawa shogunate --  the correct choice.

B) the relative isolation of Japan from world trade at the time and the Tokugawa shogunate’s prolonged peace, it -  diametrical change of meaning; looks as if the commerce expanded despite shogunate's prolonged peace.

C) being relatively isolated from world trade at the time, the prolonged peace during Japan’s Tokugawa shogunate --  modification problem. as if the peace was isolated.

D) Japan’s relative isolation from world trade at the time during the Tokugawa shogunate, prolonged peace -- -1. Almost good enough except that 'at that time during the shogunate' is a little murky because of the redundancy of 'at that time during the Tokugawa shogunate -2. the dropping of the definite article before prolonged isn't an issue I suppose. Probably a tad lower than A
 
E) its relative isolation from world trade then, prolonged peace in Japan during the Tokugawa shogunate--  'its' modifies prolonged peace in Japan.

gmatexam439 · Answer

Hello  daagh ,

Please explain how the original sentence is correct?
 
"Despite Japan’s relative isolation from world trade at the time" -> This is not making any sense for me. What time are we talking of here? I agree that "D" has redundancy issue but "A" doesn't express the desired meaning.

Regards

daagh · Answer

gmatexam439

1. But then what's the desired meaning that should have been expressed in A other than that from the text? 
Are the text and A are so absurd that we have to change them to more sensible versions?

2. How far is D different from 'A' in meaning?

That would greatly help

gmatexam439 · Answer

Hello  daagh ,

Despite Japan’s relative isolation from world trade  at the time , the prolonged peace during the Tokugawa shogunate produced an almost explosive expansion of commerce.

I am not very clear about the time the first part of the sentence is referring to. "Tokugawa shogunate" is an era, a time period, and not just a specific moment of time.

For example: Despite the medication received at the time, the blood loss due to heavy wounds during the fight made John weak.
If we see this example, fight occurred before the medication.

I am just confused. When we say "at the time", we mean to say A PARTICULAR MOMENT OF TIME. While, if we say "during the time", we mean to specify A TIME PERIOD.

How can we infer in the original question that the "at the time" is "during Tokugawa shogunate".

Since the OA is "A", please correct my understanding. I am just trying to learn the critical nuances of English, so that I can be successful in GMAT.

Regards

daagh · Answer

In History, 'at that time' can refer to an era, and in this context an era that ran for nearly 300 years. It may be noted that the text talks about a prolonged peace and can it be logically expected that such an extended peace was obtained at a specific point of time?

Since the topic is from GMAT Prep, I hope you are not having any doubts about its veracity. Similarly, how we can take that D is superior when after all, D is also using "at that time", "during the shogunate" and "prolonged peace?

I can see your anxiety when you were confused about an official answer from GMATPrep. Normally people take them in their stride. Wish you good luck.

unraveled · Answer

Though little vague but I have question that's more inclined towards logical aspect.

Except B all others some or the other way say that 'the prolonged peace'  produced  expansion of commerce. How is it possible??

Rather i see that 'the prolonged peace'  helped  in expansion of commerce.
If my interpretation is wrong please share enlightening thoughts.

Anyone ..!!
Experts..!!

generis · Answer

lnm87  , you are correct, although you might be taking a general guideline too far and applying it too strictly.

The guideline is that inanimate things or abstract ideas cannot, in reality, actively do anything.
So you want the prolonged peace to be a helper rather than an active doer.

It's true: in a very literal and scientifically accurate sense, the prolonged peace only "helped" to create an explosion of commerce.
Prolonged peace did not itself direct an economy, invest capital, or open production facilities and transaction markets.
 
Human agency was required to convert the benefits of relative peace into expanded commerce.

But the issue you raise is not a decision point.
Not one option tests the issue. 
The correct answer does not say "helped."

The guideline saying that "inanimate things cannot have human agency" is not hard-and-fast.

We have a signal from GMAT. 
Despite the fact that inanimate objects lack volition and agency, on the GMAT, sometimes things  can  be said to create other things. 
Quite a few official questions give this same signal.

Although GMAC generally prefers that inanimate objects not have agency, at times it is appropriate to imbue something such as  a prolonged peace  with "agency."
 
Prolonged peace frees up capital and human resources. The relative surplus of those resources creates conditions in which commerce can expand.

If this question had different answer choices, you would choose differently.
If you had an equally grammatical and logical choice in which inanimate things did not actively do anything, you would pick that answer.
Your doubt makes sense. 
But now you know that the guideline under which I think you were functioning is not an ironclad rule. The guideline is a fairly strong preference.
 
I hope that helps.

CrackverbalGMAT · Answer

Since there is nothing blatantly wrong with Option A, let’s look at the other options closely:

(B) the relative isolation of Japan from world trade at the time and the Tokugawa shogunate’s prolonged peace, it

B changes the intended meaning. The ‘and’ here connects the two phrases differently. The entire sentence does not provide a logical connection.   Eliminate.

(C) being relatively isolated from world trade at the time, the prolonged peace during Japan’s Tokugawa shogunate

The opening line incorrectly modifies the ‘prolonged peace’ which gives you an illogical meaning.   Eliminate.

(D) Japan’s relative isolation from world trade at the time during the Tokugawa shogunate, prolonged peace
 
‘at the time during’ is redundant and incorrect.   Eliminate.

(E) its relative isolation from world trade then, prolonged peace in Japan during the Tokugawa shogunate

The ‘its’ is an issue. Not clear what the referent is.   Eliminate.

Option A  is the best choice.

Hope this helps!

gmexamtaker1 · Answer

Hello experts, 
I have a question regarding answer choices A and D , specifically, I understand that "at the time during" is inferior compared to the structure of A, what bothers me is the meaning issue that is mentioned in some posts, the way I see it both meanings make sense, in A) Tokugawa is associated with the prolonged peace while in D) Tokugawa is associated with the isolation, however meaning wise I think both are feasible, so my question is if "at the time during" was corrected in D, wouldn't D be considered correct?

MHIKER · Answer

(A) Japan’s relative isolation from world trade at the time, the prolonged peace during the Tokugawa shogunate

(D) Japan’s relative isolation from world trade at the time during the Tokugawa shogunate, prolonged peace

I got a strong error in D. At the time and During both caries same meaning. So I eliminated D and went for A as the correct answer.

ravigupta2912 · Answer

A) Japan’s relative isolation from world trade at the time, the prolonged peace during the Tokugawa shogunate
In this sentence, the time clearly refers to during the Tokugawa shogunate. It's clear that the peace during Tokugawa shogunate, not other periods, produce the expansion --> Correct.

B) the relative isolation of Japan from world trade at the time and the Tokugawa shogunate’s prolonged peace, it
What is the antecedent of "it"? the isolation or the peace. Also the prolonged peace did not hinder or prevent the expansion of commerce, hence we cannot write: Despite the Tokugawa shogunate’s prolonged peace, it produced...

C) being relatively isolated from world trade at the time, the prolonged pace during Japan’s Tokugawa shogunate
What does being modify? It supposes to modify Japan, but here it modifies the subject after comma, which is "the prolonged pace during Japan’s Tokugawa shogunate". This doesn't make sense.

D) Japan’s relative isolation from world trade at the time during the Tokugawa shogunate, prolonged peace
The confuse here is between A & D, which one is better? Clearly A. In D, we don't know the prolonged peace is BEFORE, DURING, or AFTER the Tokugawa shogunate, while in A, it's clearly stated "the peace during the Tokugawa shogunate".

E) its relative isolation from world trade then, prolonged peace in Japan during the Tokugawa shogunate
"its" refers to the whole noun phrase "prolonged peace in Japan during the Tokugawa shogunate", which doesn't make sense.

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Despite Japan’s relative isolation from world trade at the time, the

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