Dear Friends,
Here is a detailed explanation to this question-
noboru wrote:
Except for a concert performance that the composer himself staged in 1911, Scott Joplin’s ragtime opera Treemonisha was not produced until 1972, sixty-one years after its completion.
(A) Except for a concert performance that the composer himself staged
(B) Except for a concert performance with the composer himself staging it
(C) Besides a concert performance being staged by the composer himself
(D) Excepting a concert performance that the composer himself staged
(E) With the exception of a concert performance with the staging done by the composer himself
Choice A: Option A maintains appropriate idiom and tense usage throughout the sentence and conveys the intended meaning of the sentence. Thus, Option A is correct.
Choice B: Option B uses the present continuous verb form in the phrase "staging it". As the sentence informs us that the performance in question was staged in 1911, it is clear that the use of the present continuous tense is incorrect.
Choice C: Option C begins with the word "Besides". As "besides" means "in addition to", the use of this word is inappropriate in this context because it changes the meaning of the sentence. Thus, Option C is incorrect.
Choice D: In Option D we see a very subtle meaning-related error. The word "Excepting" carries an inherently negative connotation; whenever it is used, the exception in question is always negative in nature. As this sentence does not imply anything negative about the first staging of the opera, the use of “excepting” is inappropriate. Thus, Option D is incorrect.
Choice E: Option E repeats the tense-related error, using the present continuous tense for an event that clearly began and concluded in the past, that Option B makes. Thus, Option E is incorrect.
Hence, A is the best answer choice.To understand the concept of “Simple Continuous Tenses on GMAT”, you may want to watch the following video (~1 minute):
All the best!
Experts' Global Team