Hello Everyone!
Here is another great example of a Sentence Correction question you might find on the GMAT! Let’s take a closer look at it, and narrow down the answers to find the right one! To get started, here is the original question, with major differences between each option hightlighted in
orange:
Employing many different techniques throughout his career, Michelangelo produced a great variety of art works,
including paintings, for example, in the Sistine Chapel, to sculpture, for example, the statue of David.
A.
including paintings,
for example, in the Sistine Chapel, to sculpture,
for example,
B.
including paintings,
for example, in the Sistine Chapel, to sculpture,
likeC.
including paintings,
such as those in the Sistine Chapel, and sculpture,
asD.
ranging from paintings,
such as those in the Sistine Chapel, to sculpture,
such asE.
ranging from paintings,
such as in the Sistine Chapel, and sculpture,
such asAfter a quick glance over all the options, a few major issues jump out right away:
1. Using “including” versus “ranging from”
2. Proper use of showing examples: for example / such as / like / as
3. Proper use of the idiomatic structure “from X to Y”Let’s start with #1 on our list because it will knock out either 2 or 3 answers right away. The differences in meaning between these two phrases is slight, but important:
including = Michelangelo used a wide variety of techniques to make
only paintings and sculptures
ranging from = Michelangelo used a wide variety of techniques to make a variety of artworks that include paintings and sculptures
and other things as wellSince saying “ranging from” conveys a more specific meaning,
let’s eliminate options A, B, and C because the word “including” isn’t clear enough for this sentence.
If you chose to start with #2 on the list (proper use of showing examples), you would still eliminate options A, B, and C! Here is why:
A. including paintings, for example, in the Sistine Chapel, to sculpture, for example,
Option A is
INCORRECT because the words “for example” should be followed by an independent clause. If what comes after it couldn’t stand alone as a complete sentence, use “such as” instead.
B. including paintings, for example, in the Sistine Chapel, to sculpture, like
Option B is
INCORRECT because the GMAT strongly opposes using “like” to give examples because it’s too informal for professional or graduate-level writing. The GMAT says the use of “like” should only be used to show how two things or people are alike:
Ellison is a great public speaker
like his older brother was in prep school. = YES
Anne has several different scarves,
like plaid, polka dots, and stripes. = NO (use “such as” instead)
C. including paintings, such as those in the Sistine Chapel, and sculpture, as
Option C is
INCORRECT because it uses the word “as” to give an example, which is wrong. The word “as” should only be used to show how to things or people are similar – not to give examples.
Okay, so now that
we’ve narrowed down our options to D & E, let’s look more closely at #3 on our list: the idiomatic structure “from X to Y.”
D. ranging from paintings, such as those in the Sistine Chapel, to sculpture, such as
Option D is the
CORRECT answer! It uses the phrase “ranging from” to clearly convey meaning, and properly uses the idiomatic structure “from X to Y.”
E. ranging from paintings, such as in the Sistine Chapel, and sculpture, such as
Option E is INCORRECT because it says “from X
and Y,” which is not the right idiomatic structure. It should be “from D to Y.”
There you go – option D is the correct answer!Don’t study for the GMAT. Train for it.
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