Last visit was: 21 Apr 2026, 09:56

It is currently 21 Apr 2026, 09:56

Toolkit

Practice Tests

Sentence Correction (SC - EA only)

GMAT Club Daily Prep

Thank you for using the timer - this advanced tool can estimate your performance and suggest more practice questions. We have subscribed you to Daily Prep Questions via email.

Customized
for You

we will pick new questions that match your level based on your Timer History

Track
Your Progress

every week, we’ll send you an estimated GMAT score based on your performance

Practice
Pays

we will pick new questions that match your level based on your Timer History

Not interested in getting valuable practice questions and articles delivered to your email? No problem, unsubscribe here.

Go to My Error Log Learn more

Request Expert Reply

Confirm Cancel

Apr 16
Sneak Peek: $200 Off GMAT Prep
12:00 PM EDT
-
11:59 PM EDT
You’re first to know: Save $200 on GMAT prep starting tomorrow, 4/13. Get 6 official practice tests and study with real questions. Be ready to save!
Apr 26
Score High on the GMAT with Target Test Prep
10:00 AM EDT
-
11:00 AM EDT
The Target Test Prep course represents a quantum leap forward in GMAT preparation, a radical reinterpretation of the way that students should study. Try before you buy with a 5-day, full-access trial of the course for FREE!
Apr 27
Try OnDemand GMAT Masterclass
11:00 AM EDT
-
12:00 PM EDT
Prefer video-based learning? The Target Test Prep OnDemand course is a one-of-a-kind video masterclass featuring 400 hours of lecture-style teaching by Scott Woodbury-Stewart, founder of Target Test Prep and one of the most accomplished GMAT instructors
Apr 28
Join - GMAT Day!
08:00 AM PDT
-
11:00 AM PDT
Whether you are just beginning your MBA journey or fine-tuning your path to a 700+ score, GMAT Day is designed to give you a competitive edge.

Back to Forum

Create Topic

Greatly influenced by the Protested missionary Samuel Kirkland, the On

1 2 3

sayantanc2k

Joined: 14 Dec 2013

Last visit: 09 Dec 2022

Posts: 2,391

Own Kudos:

15,571

Given Kudos: 26

Location: Germany

Schools:

GMAT 1: 780 Q50 V47 Verified score

WE:Corporate Finance (Pharmaceuticals and Biotech)

Expert

Expert reply

Schools:

GMAT 1: 780 Q50 V47 Verified score

Posts: 2,391

Kudos: 15,571

28 Nov 2017, 06:53

Kudos

Bookmarks

Life!

Dear Verbal Experts,

For 'C' to be the answer what is the main verb in the sentence? Also, Influenced by.....sided with shouldn't there be a sequence of these events?

Expert reply on please.

Thank you!

In C, the main (and the only) verb is "sided".

Yes, the sequence is: the influence occured first; then the siding occured.

(In case you are thinking of a past perfect tense for "influenced", you may note that it is NOT a verb, but a past participle modifier for "Oneida". Hence the question of past perfect / sequence does not arise.)

sayantanc2k

Joined: 14 Dec 2013

Last visit: 09 Dec 2022

Posts: 2,391

Own Kudos:

15,571

Given Kudos: 26

Location: Germany

Schools:

GMAT 1: 780 Q50 V47 Verified score

WE:Corporate Finance (Pharmaceuticals and Biotech)

Expert

Expert reply

Schools:

GMAT 1: 780 Q50 V47 Verified score

Posts: 2,391

Kudos: 15,571

28 Nov 2017, 06:55

Kudos

Bookmarks

Kezia9

Can I say that in option A who is ambiguous???

In A, "who" is not ambiguous, but wrong. "Who" can be used for a person, the Oneida / league is NOT a person.

stomar67

Joined: 24 Nov 2017

Last visit: 29 Jan 2019

Posts: 25

Own Kudos:

Given Kudos: 3

Posts: 25

Kudos: 9

23 Jan 2018, 15:28

Kudos

Bookmarks

Greatly influenced by the Protested missionary Samuel Kirkland, the Oneida

was the only one of the five-nation Iroquois League who sided

with the colonists during the American Revolution.

A. was the only one of the five-nation Iroquois League who sided
B. was alone of the five-nation Iroquois League when they sided
C. alone among the five-nation Iroquois League sided
D. were the only ones out of the five nations of Iroquois League in siding
E. only of the five-nation Iroquois League had sided

I know the correct answer is C.but isn't sided modifying league?
Verb-ed modifier always modify the preceding noun.

Sent from my XT1068 using GMAT Club Forum mobile app

EducationAisle

Joined: 27 Mar 2010

Last visit: 21 Apr 2026

Posts: 3,903

Own Kudos:

3,585

[1]

Given Kudos: 159

Location: India

Schools: ISB

GPA: 3.31

Expert

Expert reply

Schools: ISB

Posts: 3,903

Kudos: 3,585

[1]

23 Jan 2018, 20:40

Kudos

Bookmarks

stomar67

I know the correct answer is C.but isn't sided modifying league?
Verb-ed modifier always modify the preceding noun

Hi stomar67, that's is the issue with using terms like Verb-ed modifier. While GMAT obviously doesn't care about the exact name you use for these terms, if you continue to use this term, you need to be aware of the following:

i) Not all verb-ed are modifiers. For example:

Peter wanted a cake.

Here, wanted (a verb-ed) is not a modifier, but a simple past tense verb. Incidentally, in option C as well, sided is a simple past tense verb, and not a modifier.

ii) Not all modifiers end in -ed. For example: Verbs such as arise, give, go, grow etc. do not have any -ed modifier forms. These are called irregular verbs in Grammar.

Hence, rather than the term Verb-ed modifier, would suggest you make past participle a part of your lingo.

p.s. Our book EducationAisle Sentence Correction Nirvana discusses a framework for distinguishing between Simple Past Tense verb and Past Participle. If someone is interested, PM me your email-id; I can mail the corresponding section.

neetis5

Joined: 01 Apr 2017

Last visit: 26 Nov 2021

Posts: 28

Own Kudos:

131

[2]

Given Kudos: 8

Posts: 28

Kudos: 131

[2]

23 Jan 2018, 22:27

Kudos

Bookmarks

stomar67

Greatly influenced by the Protested missionary Samuel Kirkland, the Oneida

was the only one of the five-nation Iroquois League who sided

with the colonists during the American Revolution.

A. was the only one of the five-nation Iroquois League who sided
B. was alone of the five-nation Iroquois League when they sided
C. alone among the five-nation Iroquois League sided
D. were the only ones out of the five nations of Iroquois League in siding
E. only of the five-nation Iroquois League had sided

I know the correct answer is C.but isn't sided modifying league?
Verb-ed modifier always modify the preceding noun.

Sent from my XT1068 using GMAT Club Forum mobile app

Hi stomar67

Hope the structure of the sentence Choice C forms will help you see that sided is the main verb of the sentence and not a modifier.

Greatly influenced by the Protested missionary Samuel Kirkland,

the Oneida

alone among the five-nation Iroquois Leaguesided

Now, the part "alone among the five-nation Iroquois League" acts as a modifier, elaborating on the "siding" action done by the Oneida. A parallel to such a sentence would be:

The CEO alone among the six board members agreed with the employees on the issue.

As you can see, "The CEO" is the subject and "agreed" is the verb for it - just as "The Oneida" is the subject and "sided" the verb for it.

Hope this helps!

Cheers!

Neeti

Cbirole

Joined: 16 May 2016

Last visit: 25 Sep 2022

Posts: 112

Own Kudos:

384

[1]

Given Kudos: 124

Location: India

Concentration: Marketing, International Business

Schools: ESSEC '21 (A$)

GMAT 1: 720 Q50 V38 Verified score

GPA: 3.5

WE:Analyst (Consulting)

Schools: ESSEC '21 (A$)

GMAT 1: 720 Q50 V38 Verified score

Posts: 112

Kudos: 384

[1]

15 Nov 2018, 18:47

Kudos

Bookmarks

tarek99

Greatly influenced by the Protested missionary Samuel Kirkland, the Oneida was the only one of the five-nation Iroquois League who sided with the colonists during the American Revolution.

(A) was the only one of the five-nation Iroquois League who sided

(B) was alone of the five-nation Iroquois League when they sided

(C) alone among the five-nation Iroquois League sided

(D) were the only ones out of the five nations of Iroquois League in siding

(E) only of the five-nation Iroquois League had sided

Show Spoiler

Academic American Encyclopedia, Volume 14
Front Cover
Grolier, 1982 - Encyclopedias and dictionaries

Attachment:

01.jpg

A- use of who is incorrect
B- they is incorrect
D- were is incorrect
E-had is incorrect
Ans: C

Jsound996

Current Student

Joined: 19 Jan 2018

Last visit: 11 Sep 2023

Posts: 103

Own Kudos:

133

Given Kudos: 3,158

Products:

Posts: 103

Kudos: 133

08 Mar 2019, 19:33

Kudos

Bookmarks

tarek99

Greatly influenced by the Protested missionary Samuel Kirkland, the Oneida was the only one of the five-nation Iroquois League who sided with the colonists during the American Revolution.

(A) was the only one of the five-nation Iroquois League who sided - Wrong use of "who"

(B) was alone of the five-nation Iroquois League when they sided - No antecedent

(C) alone among the five-nation Iroquois League sided - Correct

(D) were the only ones out of the five nations of Iroquois League in siding - "The Onedia = Singular noun, were = plural" SV error

(E) only of the five-nation Iroquois League had sided - "The onedia was greatly influenend by Samuel Kirkland first, then decided to side with the colonists. The use of "had" here is wrong.

Show Spoiler

Academic American Encyclopedia, Volume 14
Front Cover
Grolier, 1982 - Encyclopedias and dictionaries

Attachment:

01.jpg

A is the Answer for the reasons pointed above

breatheanddoit

Joined: 30 Sep 2019

Last visit: 23 Apr 2020

Posts: 19

Own Kudos:

Given Kudos: 123

Posts: 19

Kudos: 6

16 Oct 2019, 21:53

Kudos

Bookmarks

Can one of the experts GMATNinja @veritasprepkarishma
the wrong usuage of who in the above sentences.
There is a lot of ambiguity on the forum with respect to that

MG1105

Joined: 20 Jan 2018

Last visit: 03 May 2021

Posts: 24

Own Kudos:

Given Kudos: 133

Posts: 24

Kudos: 3

02 May 2020, 19:29

Kudos

Bookmarks

Hi GMATNinja , GMATNinja2 Can you help on why the usage of who is incorrect in Option A. Who can refer to Oneida as well as the league.
Is pronoun ambiguity the only issue here? Or am I missing anything else as well.

kornn

Joined: 28 Jan 2017

Last visit: 18 Dec 2021

Posts: 356

Own Kudos:

Given Kudos: 832

Posts: 356

Kudos: 95

Updated on: 24 May 2020, 19:45

Originally posted by kornn on 09 May 2020, 20:50.
Last edited by kornn on 24 May 2020, 19:45, edited 5 times in total.

Kudos

Bookmarks

Dear GMATGuruNY MartyTargetTestPrep AjiteshArun IanStewart DmitryFarber ,

Q1. Is "the five-nation Iroquois League" a person or non-person (i.e. league/nation)?

Q2. According to OA:

Greatly influenced by the Protested missionary Samuel Kirkland, the Oneida alone among the five-nation Iroquois League sided with the colonists during the American Revolution.

How can "among" be used with SINGULAR noun "five-nation Iroquois League"?

My understanding is that "five-nation" is just an adjectivial noun modifying "League"
Since "League" is singular, "five-nation Iroquois League" should also be singular?

suryakantraycha

Joined: 03 Jul 2019

Last visit: 20 Sep 2021

Posts: 16

Own Kudos:

Given Kudos: 9

Location: India

Concentration: Finance, Strategy

GMAT 1: 680 Q48 V35 Verified score

WE:Operations (Telecommunications)

Products:

GMAT 1: 680 Q48 V35 Verified score

Posts: 16

Kudos: 30

10 May 2020, 06:47

Kudos

Bookmarks

Greatly influenced by the Protested missionary Samuel Kirkland, the Oneida was the only one of the five-nation Iroquois League who sided with the colonists during the American Revolution. -

Step 1: The Oneida was the only nation that sided with Colonists during AR out of five nations.

Step 2:

a) In the original sentence, who is incorrect pronoun for nations- Pronoun Error
b)Who incorrectly modifies Five nations, instead of one. - Misplaced Modifer

(A) was the only one of the five-nation Iroquois League who sided - Incorrect as per Step 2.

(B) was alone of the five-nation Iroquois League when they sided - They refers to Five Nations, incorrect meaning.

(C) alone among the five-nation Iroquois League sided - Read the complete statement with this option.

(D) were the only ones out of the five nations of Iroquois League in siding - In siding - Awkward Construction. Were the only ones - SV agreement error.[color=#ff0000][/color]

(E) only of the five-nation Iroquois League had sided - Vern tense error, Had sided.

Few Things to Remember in SC:

1)Start with identifying the clauses & SV Pairs. Check each verb has a subject & vice versa.
2)Look for Pronouns & find antecedent. Make sure they match in number. Also check for Possessive/Non Possessive Pronoun error.
3)Look for unidiomatic expressions, remember "considered as" is incorrect.

4)Look for Modifiers; Mostly you will find Verb-ing. Check for wording & placement.
5)Look for Tense, Parallelism errors.
6)Most important of all, look for meaning,but this will be required in > 700 Level Qs(Mostly).
7)Always read the non underlined portion ; Read complete sentence with your option before marking.
8)Stuck between two options, then check again, you have missed one of above.

frankqxq

Joined: 10 Mar 2020

Last visit: 02 Feb 2023

Posts: 29

Own Kudos:

Given Kudos: 37

Posts: 29

Kudos: 12

13 May 2020, 18:47

Kudos

Bookmarks

"The Oneida is a singular noun and hence cannot take the plural verb 'were' " is not necessarily true.
Take this question as an example:

In addition to being China's first administrators, in the sense that they developed a coherent bureaucracy for their empire, the first literate culture in East Asia were the Shang, and they were well known for crafting ornate bronze ritual vessels.
• A the first literate culture in East Asia were the Shang, and they were well known for crafting
• B the first literate culture in East Asia were the Shang, well known as the crafters of
• C the Shang, as the first literate culture in East Asia, is well known for its crafting
• D the Shang were the first literate culture in East Asia and are well known as the crafters of
• E the Shang were the first literate culture in East Asia and well known for its crafted

The correct answer is D

anshulvnd5

Joined: 06 May 2019

Last visit: 08 Mar 2024

Posts: 20

Own Kudos:

Given Kudos: 88

Posts: 20

Kudos: 5

14 May 2020, 19:07

Kudos

Bookmarks

daagh

Greatly influenced by the Protestant missionary Samuel Kirkland, the Oneida was the only one of the five-nation Iroquois League who sided with the colonists during the American Revolution.

A. was the only one of the five-nation Iroquois League who sided --- Oneida is the name of a nation or a tribe originating from that part but not certainly the name of some people and therefore it is not normally referred by the relative pronoun 'who'.
B. was alone of the five-nation Iroquois League when they sided -- it is not clear a what 'they' stands for. There are no plural nouns that the word 'they could represent.
C. alone among the five-nation Iroquois League sided --- Correct choice-- sided is the direct verb of the subject the Oneida.
D. were the only ones out of the five nations of Iroquois League in siding --The Oneida is a singular noun and hence cannot take the plural verb 'were'
E. only of the five-nation Iroquois League had sided -- had sided is wrong tense. There is no other corresponding past tense event that took place after their siding.

Sir,
In option C ,alone among the five-nation league is wrong I think ,if it would had been " alone among the five nations of the league " I think it would had been perfect .
So in option C, as per my understanding can we say that meaning is distorted

Posted from my mobile device

GMATNinja

GMAT Club Verbal Expert

Joined: 13 Aug 2009

Last visit: 21 Apr 2026

Posts: 7,391

Own Kudos:

70,791

[5]

Given Kudos: 2,129

Status: GMAT/GRE/LSAT tutors

Location: United States (CO)

GMAT 1: 780 Q51 V46 Verified score

GMAT 2: 800 Q51 V51 Verified score

GRE 1: Q170 V170 Verified score

GRE 2: Q170 V170 Verified score

Products:

Expert

Expert reply

GMAT 2: 800 Q51 V51 Verified score

GRE 1: Q170 V170 Verified score

GRE 2: Q170 V170 Verified score

Posts: 7,391

Kudos: 70,791

[5]

24 May 2020, 13:51

Kudos

Bookmarks

MG1105

Good question. I think you're right that the "who" modifier is the biggest issue in (A), but I'd go further than calling it ambiguous. On first read, it sounds as though "who" is referring to the "Five-Nation Iroquois League." But that doesn't make any sense, as that would mean that the entire league sided with the colonists, when the whole point of the sentence is that the other members of the league didn't side with the colonists - it was just the Oneida.

Sure, if you reread the sentence you can figure out that "who" must be referring to the "Oneida," but, as others have noted, now we have the problem of "who" referring to the name of a tribe rather than, say, a person named Oneida. Definitively wrong? Maybe not, but at the very least, it's confusing.

But compare this with C:

Quote:

(C): The Oneida alone among the five-nation Iroquois League sided with the colonists...

Now it's crystal clear. No tribe other than the Oneida sided with the colonists. No confusing or illogical modifiers. Most importantly, this is definitively better than (A).

I hope that helps!

kornn

Joined: 28 Jan 2017

Last visit: 18 Dec 2021

Posts: 356

Own Kudos:

Given Kudos: 832

Posts: 356

Kudos: 95

24 May 2020, 19:13

Kudos

Bookmarks

GMATNinja

Sure, if you reread the sentence you can figure out that "who" must be referring to the "Oneida," but, as others have noted, now we have the problem of "who" referring to the name of a tribe rather than, say, a person named Oneida. Definitively wrong? Maybe not, but at the very least, it's confusing.

Dear GMATNinja,

I agree with your response.

However, why is "among the five-nation Iroquois League" in choice C. correct?
Among is used with plural noun (more than 3 entities).
Here "League" is singular noun.

Please clarify sir!

AjiteshArun

Major Poster

Joined: 15 Jul 2015

Last visit: 21 Apr 2026

Posts: 6,074

Own Kudos:

5,138

[2]

Given Kudos: 743

Location: India

GMAT Focus 1: 715 Q83 V90 DI83 Verified score

GMAT 1: 780 Q50 V51 Verified score

GRE 1: Q170 V169 Verified score

Expert

Expert reply

GMAT Focus 1: 715 Q83 V90 DI83 Verified score

GMAT 1: 780 Q50 V51 Verified score

GRE 1: Q170 V169 Verified score

Posts: 6,074

Kudos: 5,138

[2]

25 May 2020, 00:13

Kudos

Bookmarks

varotkorn

How can "among" be used with SINGULAR noun "five-nation Iroquois League"?

Hi varotkorn,

Among can be used with both plural nouns and singular nouns that refer to a group of people or things. For example:

among the jury
among the group
among the class of 2020

I would not expect among to be used with singular non-collective nouns though.

kornn

Joined: 28 Jan 2017

Last visit: 18 Dec 2021

Posts: 356

Own Kudos:

Given Kudos: 832

Posts: 356

Kudos: 95

25 May 2020, 00:18

Kudos

Bookmarks

AjiteshArun

I would not expect among to be used with singular non-collective nouns though.

Dear AjiteshArun,

Do you mean that "the five-nation Iroquois League" is collective noun just like the French / the Chinese / the British / the rich / the poor ...?

AjiteshArun

Major Poster

Joined: 15 Jul 2015

Last visit: 21 Apr 2026

Posts: 6,074

Own Kudos:

5,138

[2]

Given Kudos: 743

Location: India

GMAT Focus 1: 715 Q83 V90 DI83 Verified score

GMAT 1: 780 Q50 V51 Verified score

GRE 1: Q170 V169 Verified score

Expert

Expert reply

GMAT Focus 1: 715 Q83 V90 DI83 Verified score

GMAT 1: 780 Q50 V51 Verified score

GRE 1: Q170 V169 Verified score

Posts: 6,074

Kudos: 5,138

[2]

25 May 2020, 00:27

Kudos

Bookmarks

varotkorn

Do you mean that "the five-nation Iroquois League" is collective noun just like the French / the Chinese / the British / the rich / the poor ...?

Yes. The five-nation Iroquois League can read as ~the Iroquois League, a group of five nations. That may not be very precise, but the bottom line is that the sentence is referring to a group of 5 nations.

CrackverbalGMAT

Major Poster

Joined: 03 Oct 2013

Last visit: 21 Apr 2026

Posts: 4,846

Own Kudos:

9,180

Given Kudos: 226

Affiliations: CrackVerbal

Location: India

Expert

Expert reply

Posts: 4,846

Kudos: 9,180

29 Dec 2020, 03:04

Kudos

Bookmarks

tarek99

This question is based on Pronouns, Usage, and Construction.

In Option A, the pronoun ‘who’ is ambiguous; the pronoun ‘who’ cannot refer to “the Oneida”, which seems to be part of the five-nation Iroquois League, and therefore, must be a nation or tribe. So, Option A can be eliminated.

Option B contains an error of idiomatic usage – alone of. The appropriate expression is “alone among”.
This option also contains an error of pronoun usage – the plural pronoun ‘they’ cannot refer to the singular antecedent “the Oneida”.
The relative adverb “when” is also inappropriate as it refers to a specific time. So, Option B can be eliminated.

Option D contains a subject-verb disagreement; the plural subject ‘were’ does not agree with the singular subject “the Oneida”.
The phrase “in siding” is also inappropriate; the appropriate expression would have been “to side”. So, Option D can be eliminated.

In Option E, the past perfect tense is inappropriate. The past perfect tense is used to convey an earlier action in the past. Since there is no later action in the past, the usage of this tense is inappropriate.
Furthermore, the adverb ‘only’ cannot be used by itself to convey the meaning that the Oneida was the only one to side with the colonists. The appropriate expression is "the only one". So, Option E can be eliminated.

The adjective ‘alone’ describes “the Oneida” and conveys the intended meaning that only the Oneida sided with the colonists.
The verb ‘side’ is in the simple past tense, which is appropriate to convey the idea that the action took place at an indefinite time in the past. Therefore, C is the most appropriate option.

Jayanthi Kumar.

pk6969

Joined: 25 May 2020

Last visit: 02 Jan 2022

Posts: 133

Own Kudos:

Given Kudos: 70

Location: India

Concentration: Finance, General Management

Schools: Babson CBS '23 Broad

GPA: 3.2

Schools: Babson CBS '23 Broad

Posts: 133

Kudos: 14

23 Jan 2021, 03:47

Kudos

Bookmarks

Hello!
I have a doubt regarding the use of who? Can who be used to modify the subject of the sentence? because in this question I thought Who to modify the Oneida.
Thanks