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505-555 Level|   Meaning/Logical Predication|   Modifiers|   Subject Verb Agreement|                     
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In his Uses of Enchantment (1976), it was psychologist Bruno Bettelhei 22 May 2020, 04:02
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VeritasPrepHailey mam Kindly enlighten for this question why Option E is incorrect and how the subject is singular nature in this question

Hi vasuca10! Happy to clarify! (Though I assume you meant to ask why (E) is *correct* ;))

In the portion of the sentence at hand: psychologist Bruno Bettelheim asserted that the apparently cruel and arbitrary nature of many fairy tales is actually [an instructive reflection of a child’s natural and necessary “killing off” of successive phases in his or her own development] we're looking for what "is actually an instructive reflection." Here, the nature of many fairy tales is actually an instructive reflection, so we're looking to agree to the singular term "nature."

If you were uncertain of the logic behind this agreement, you can always take a moment to "slash and burn," or learn to read past, modifying language to get at the core of the agreement in the sentence. In this case, "of many fairy tales" modifies nature, and "of a child's natural and unnecessary killing off of successive phases in his or her own development" modifies reflection. So we could simplify this portion of the sentence to read:

the apparently cruel and arbitrary nature of many fairy tales is actually an instructive reflection of a child’s natural and necessary “killing off” of successive phases in his or her own development

Definitely mam

This makes it easy to see that the verb phrase "is actually an instructive reflection" should agree with the singular "nature."

In general, it's important to look out for modifiers, not only when they're actively being tested in a SC example, but also when they're being employed to distract us from the agreement at hand by placing modifying phrases between the verb at hand and its corresponding subject.

I hope this helps!


Thank you so much mam for prompt response and explaining me in details about the entire periphery of the question

To be honest in this question I considered incorrect this entire phrase as subject "The apparently cruel and arbitrary nature of many fairy tales "
Ultimately marked incorrect answer choice ......I must have paid attention to modifiers and also adjective cannot be subject....cruel and arbitrary both are adjectives
Hence I marked incorrect answer option as D.....

Please keep guiding me mam :)
I would be requiring your guidance and support :)

Ahh... yeah not an uncommon mistake. (but a totally avoidable one once you know what to look out for!) Whenever confusion arises about the subject of a particular verb, you can

1) Use logic (basically, ask yourself who/what takes on the verb at hand) and/or

2) "Slash and burn" (learn to read past modifiers, adjectives, and adverbs to get to the core of the clause)

Feel free to reach out with any other questions you might happen to have! :)



I will keep the points suggested by you in mind ...... Heartily Thank you so much mam once again for letting me know my mistakes. :) ....
Your guidance and support will help me in a lot of improvement.....will surely let you know :)
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In his Uses of Enchantment (1976), it was psychologist Bruno Bettelhei 01 Sep 2020, 06:58
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In his Uses of Enchantment (1976), it was psychologist Bruno Bettelheim’s assertion that the apparently cruel and arbitrary nature of many fairy tales actually are an instructive reflection of a child’s natural and necessary “killing off” of successive phases in his or her own development.

(A) it was psychologist Bruno Bettelheim’s assertion that the apparently cruel and arbitrary nature of many fairy tales actually are

(B) it was the assertion of psychologist Bruno Bettelheim that what is apparently the cruel and arbitrary nature of many fairy tales actually is

(C) psychologist Bruno Bettelheim’s assertion that what is apparently the cruel and arbitrary nature of many fairy tales actually is

(D) psychologist Bruno Bettelheim asserted that the apparently cruel and arbitrary nature of many fairy tales actually are

(E) psychologist Bruno Bettelheim asserted that the apparently cruel and arbitrary nature of many fairy tales is actually

First glance -- make sure that the opening modifier is logically correct. "is" and "are" signal at the end of the underline. Make sure to identify the correct number of the subject.


(A) it was psychologist Bruno Bettelheim’s assertion that the apparently cruel and arbitrary nature of many fairy tales actually are illogical opening modifier subject -- must be the antecedent of "his" - Eliminate.

(B) it was the assertion of psychologist Bruno Bettelheim that what is apparently the cruel and arbitrary nature of many fairy tales actually is illogical opening modifier subject -- must be the antecedent of "his" - Eliminate.

(C) psychologist Bruno Bettelheim’s assertion that what is apparently the cruel and arbitrary nature of many fairy tales actually is illogical opening modifier subject -- must be the antecedent of "his" - this subject "assertion" -- not "Bruno" Eliminate.

(D) psychologist Bruno Bettelheim asserted that the apparently cruel and arbitrary nature of many fairy tales actually are Incorrect subject-verb agreement with "are". "Nature" is singular -- should be "is". Eliminate.

(E) psychologist Bruno Bettelheim asserted that the apparently cruel and arbitrary nature of many fairy tales is actually Correct
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In his Uses of Enchantment (1976), it was psychologist Bruno Bettelhei 30 Sep 2020, 18:52
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Quote:
In his Uses of Enchantment (1976), it was psychologist Bruno Bettelheim’s assertion that the apparently cruel and arbitrary nature of many fairy tales actually are an instructive reflection of a child’s natural and necessary “killing off” of successive phases in his or her own development.

(A) it was psychologist Bruno Bettelheim’s assertion that the apparently cruel and arbitrary nature of many fairy tales actually are

(B) it was the assertion of psychologist Bruno Bettelheim that what is apparently the cruel and arbitrary nature of many fairy tales actually is

(C) psychologist Bruno Bettelheim’s assertion that what is apparently the cruel and arbitrary nature of many fairy tales actually is

(D) psychologist Bruno Bettelheim asserted that the apparently cruel and arbitrary nature of many fairy tales actually are

(E) psychologist Bruno Bettelheim asserted that the apparently cruel and arbitrary nature of many fairy tales is actually

First glance -- make sure that the opening modifier is logically correct. "is" and "are" signal at the end of the underline. Make sure to identify the correct number of the subject.


(A) it was psychologist Bruno Bettelheim’s assertion that the apparently cruel and arbitrary nature of many fairy tales actually are illogical opening modifier subject -- must be the antecedent of "his" - Eliminate.

(B) it was the assertion of psychologist Bruno Bettelheim that what is apparently the cruel and arbitrary nature of many fairy tales actually is illogical opening modifier subject -- must be the antecedent of "his" - Eliminate.

(C) psychologist Bruno Bettelheim’s assertion that what is apparently the cruel and arbitrary nature of many fairy tales actually is illogical opening modifier subject -- must be the antecedent of "his" - this subject "assertion" -- not "Bruno" Eliminate.

(D) psychologist Bruno Bettelheim asserted that the apparently cruel and arbitrary nature of many fairy tales actually are Incorrect subject-verb agreement with "are". "Nature" is singular -- should be "is". Eliminate.

(E) psychologist Bruno Bettelheim asserted that the apparently cruel and arbitrary nature of many fairy tales is actually Correct

HI,

Actually if you look closely, in option C, usage of HIS for psychologist Bruno Bettelheim’s assertion may be ambiguous, but the more glaring error is that this noun-psychologist Bruno Bettelheim’s assertion- does not have a verb.

Regards,
Rachit
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In his Uses of Enchantment (1976), it was psychologist Bruno Bettelhei 12 Dec 2020, 11:40
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Quote:
In his Uses of Enchantment (1976), it was psychologist Bruno Bettelheim’s assertion that the apparently cruel and arbitrary nature of many fairy tales actually are an instructive reflection of a child’s natural and necessary “killing off” of successive phases in his or her own development.

(A) it was psychologist Bruno Bettelheim’s assertion that the apparently cruel and arbitrary nature of many fairy tales actually are

(B) it was the assertion of psychologist Bruno Bettelheim that what is apparently the cruel and arbitrary nature of many fairy tales actually is

(C) psychologist Bruno Bettelheim’s assertion that what is apparently the cruel and arbitrary nature of many fairy tales actually is

(D) psychologist Bruno Bettelheim asserted that the apparently cruel and arbitrary nature of many fairy tales actually are

(E) psychologist Bruno Bettelheim asserted that the apparently cruel and arbitrary nature of many fairy tales is actually

First glance -- make sure that the opening modifier is logically correct. "is" and "are" signal at the end of the underline. Make sure to identify the correct number of the subject.


(A) it was psychologist Bruno Bettelheim’s assertion that the apparently cruel and arbitrary nature of many fairy tales actually are illogical opening modifier subject -- must be the antecedent of "his" - Eliminate.

(B) it was the assertion of psychologist Bruno Bettelheim that what is apparently the cruel and arbitrary nature of many fairy tales actually is illogical opening modifier subject -- must be the antecedent of "his" - Eliminate.

(C) psychologist Bruno Bettelheim’s assertion that what is apparently the cruel and arbitrary nature of many fairy tales actually is illogical opening modifier subject -- must be the antecedent of "his" - this subject "assertion" -- not "Bruno" Eliminate.

(D) psychologist Bruno Bettelheim asserted that the apparently cruel and arbitrary nature of many fairy tales actually are Incorrect subject-verb agreement with "are". "Nature" is singular -- should be "is". Eliminate.

(E) psychologist Bruno Bettelheim asserted that the apparently cruel and arbitrary nature of many fairy tales is actually Correct

HI,

Actually if you look closely, in option C, usage of HIS for psychologist Bruno Bettelheim’s assertion may be ambiguous, but the more glaring error is that this noun-psychologist Bruno Bettelheim’s assertion- does not have a verb.

Regards,
Rachit

Hi,
I think there's a verb for the subject. The verb is "IS".

The sentence would breakdown as follows:

In his Uses of Enchantment (1976), [Modifier modifying the subject of the main clause- Assertion]
psychologist Bruno Bettelheim’s assertion [Subject of the main clause- assertion]
that what is apparently the cruel and arbitrary nature of many fairy tales ["that refers to assertion and the "that clause" is a modifier for "assertion"]
is [Main verb for the subject of main clause]
an instructive reflection of a child’s natural and necessary “killing off” of successive phases in his or her own development.[Rest of the sentence]

GMATNinja VeritasKarishma egmat Please correct me if I am wrong.

Thanking you in advance.
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In his Uses of Enchantment (1976), it was psychologist Bruno Bettelhei 13 Jan 2021, 08:55
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The Official Guide for GMAT Verbal Review 2018
Practice Question
Sentence Correction
Question no. 209
In his Uses of Enchantment (1976), it was psychologist Bruno Bettelheim’s assertion that the apparently cruel and arbitrary nature of many fairy tales actually are an instructive reflection of a child’s natural and necessary “killing off” of successive phases in his or her own development.

(A) it was psychologist Bruno Bettelheim’s assertion that the apparently cruel and arbitrary nature of many fairy tales actually are

(B) it was the assertion of psychologist Bruno Bettelheim that what is apparently the cruel and arbitrary nature of many fairy tales actually is

(C) psychologist Bruno Bettelheim’s assertion that what is apparently the cruel and arbitrary nature of many fairy tales actually is

(D) psychologist Bruno Bettelheim asserted that the apparently cruel and arbitrary nature of many fairy tales actually are

(E) psychologist Bruno Bettelheim asserted that the apparently cruel and arbitrary nature of many fairy tales is actually

The subject of the sentence is "Nature" not cruel and arbitrary. so, the subject will need singular verb is rather. are. A, D are eliminated. E is the answer. Others have awkward construction.
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In his Uses of Enchantment (1976), it was psychologist Bruno Bettelhei 25 Jan 2021, 13:42
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VeritasPrepHailey mam Kindly enlighten for this question why Option E is incorrect and how the subject is singular nature in this question

Hi vasuca10! Happy to clarify! (Though I assume you meant to ask why (E) is *correct* ;))

In the portion of the sentence at hand: psychologist Bruno Bettelheim asserted that the apparently cruel and arbitrary nature of many fairy tales is actually [an instructive reflection of a child’s natural and necessary “killing off” of successive phases in his or her own development] we're looking for what "is actually an instructive reflection." Here, the nature of many fairy tales is actually an instructive reflection, so we're looking to agree to the singular term "nature."

If you were uncertain of the logic behind this agreement, you can always take a moment to "slash and burn," or learn to read past, modifying language to get at the core of the agreement in the sentence. In this case, "of many fairy tales" modifies nature, and "of a child's natural and unnecessary killing off of successive phases in his or her own development" modifies reflection. So we could simplify this portion of the sentence to read:

the apparently cruel and arbitrary nature of many fairy tales is actually an instructive reflection of a child’s natural and necessary “killing off” of successive phases in his or her own development

This makes it easy to see that the verb phrase "is actually an instructive reflection" should agree with the singular "nature."

In general, it's important to look out for modifiers, not only when they're actively being tested in a SC example, but also when they're being employed to distract us from the agreement at hand by placing modifying phrases between the verb at hand and its corresponding subject.

I hope this helps!
VeritasPrepHailey
Thanks for the nice explanation.
Quote:
D. In his Uses of Enchantment (1976), psychologist Bruno Bettelheim asserted that the apparently cruel and arbitrary nature of many fairy tales actually are an instructive reflection of a child’s natural and necessary “killing off” of successive phases in his or her own development.


Quote:
E. In his Uses of Enchantment (1976), psychologist Bruno Bettelheim asserted that the apparently cruel and arbitrary nature of many fairy tales is actually an instructive reflection of a child’s natural and necessary “killing off” of successive phases in his or her own development.
Can I knock out choice D by seeing the word 'an' , which forces us to use 'is' (not are) as 'an' indicate something singular, in the non-underlined part?
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In his Uses of Enchantment (1976), it was psychologist Bruno Bettelhei 25 Jan 2021, 16:49
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Can I knock out choice D by seeing the word 'an' , which forces us to use 'is' (not are) as 'an' indicate something singular, in the non-underlined part?



Hello TheUltimateWinner,

Although your question is not for me, here are my two cents anyway. :-)

Yes, your thought process is correct. We need a singular entity, and hence a singular verb for that singular entity, that can match up with the singular noun "an instructive reflection". So yes, your reason is valid to reject Choices A and D. However, that's a rather complex way to look at the sentence. The easy way is to go through the SV number agreement route.


Hope this helps. :-)
Thanks.
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In his Uses of Enchantment (1976), it was psychologist Bruno Bettelhei 01 Apr 2021, 01:32
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GMATNinja egmat

If option D used "is" instead of "are", wont that still be incorrect.

Shouldn't actually modify "An instructive reflection........" and not "The nature of many fairy tales"
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In his Uses of Enchantment (1976), it was psychologist Bruno Bettelhei 05 Apr 2021, 13:12
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GMATNinja egmat

If option D used "is" instead of "are", wont that still be incorrect.

Shouldn't actually modify "An instructive reflection........" and not "The nature of many fairy tales"
Basically the question is whether (E) would still be correct if the "is" and the "actually" were switched. I don't see anything inherently wrong with swapping those two words -- not enough to make an elimination, anyway.

You might argue that it's a bit better to put the "actually" closer to the subsequent nouns ("an instructive reflection... and necessary 'killing off'") since we are saying that it's not a "cruel and arbitrary nature" but actually "an instructive reflection". In other words, because we're focused on the nouns here, why not put the "actually" closer to the nouns (instead of putting the verb "is" in between the nouns and the "actually")?

But that's splitting hairs, and I can't imagine that the GMAT would ask you to make a decision solely based on something like that. In other words, the GMAT isn't asking you to worry about the exact placement of the "actually" here. So as long as you understand why (D) has to go, you've done your job -- and there's no sense in trying to make up rules for this sort of thing. :)

I hope that helps!
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In his Uses of Enchantment (1976), it was psychologist Bruno Bettelhei 20 Apr 2021, 23:25
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In his Uses of Enchantment (1976), it was psychologist Bruno Bettelheim’s assertion that the apparently cruel and arbitrary nature of many fairy tales actually are an instructive reflection of a child’s natural and necessary “killing off” of successive phases in his or her own development.

(A) it was psychologist Bruno Bettelheim’s assertion that the apparently cruel and arbitrary nature of many fairy tales actually are -> Modifier error, the non underlined sentence started with "in his uses....". we need a person to modify it. Incorrect.

(B) it was the assertion of psychologist Bruno Bettelheim that what is apparently the cruel and arbitrary nature of many fairy tales actually is -> Incorrect. Same as A.

(C) psychologist Bruno Bettelheim’s assertion that what is apparently the cruel and arbitrary nature of many fairy tales actually is -> Incorrect. Same as A.

(D) psychologist Bruno Bettelheim asserted that the apparently cruel and arbitrary nature of many fairy tales actually are -> "The .....nature...are" is incorrect. Subject verb agreement issue.

(E) psychologist Bruno Bettelheim asserted that the apparently cruel and arbitrary nature of many fairy tales is actually -> It is better, as we right modifier in place and there is a subject verb agreement also.

So, I think E. :)
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In his Uses of Enchantment (1976), it was psychologist Bruno Bettelhei 21 Apr 2021, 00:47
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GMATNinja

This is about the last question i had posted.
The question is about option D only.

As per elimination there is SV agreement error in that option. But even if that is fixed, i.e., Replacing "are" with "is", wont that still be incorrect due to the misplacement of the modifier "actually". IMO "Actually" should modify "An instructive reflection"
Placed before "is" it modifies the verb "is" but placed after "is" it modifies the "adjective phrase". Please correct me if my understanding is incorrect.

A similar OG sentence:

In 1982 the median income for married-couple families with a wage-earning wife was $9,000 more than a family where the husband only was employed.


(A) a family where the husband only

(B) of a family where only the husband

(C) that for families in which only the husband

(D) a family in which only the husband

(E) those of families in which the husband only

A similar sentence in which the placement of "only" changes the intended meaning of the sentence.
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In his Uses of Enchantment (1976), it was psychologist Bruno Bettelhei 27 Apr 2021, 19:35
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GMATNinja

This is about the last question i had posted.
The question is about option D only.

As per elimination there is SV agreement error in that option. But even if that is fixed, i.e., Replacing "are" with "is", wont that still be incorrect due to the misplacement of the modifier "actually". IMO "Actually" should modify "An instructive reflection"
Placed before "is" it modifies the verb "is" but placed after "is" it modifies the "adjective phrase". Please correct me if my understanding is incorrect.

A similar OG sentence:

In 1982 the median income for married-couple families with a wage-earning wife was $9,000 more than a family where the husband only was employed.


(A) a family where the husband only

(B) of a family where only the husband

(C) that for families in which only the husband

(D) a family in which only the husband

(E) those of families in which the husband only

A similar sentence in which the placement of "only" changes the intended meaning of the sentence.

Your suspicion is correct. D would still be wrong.
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In his Uses of Enchantment (1976), it was psychologist Bruno Bettelhei 27 Apr 2021, 19:46
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A,B it does not have any referent
C - Possessive cannot refer back to the subject
D - usage of are at the end is incorrect

Winner is E

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In his Uses of Enchantment (1976), it was psychologist Bruno Bettelhei 22 Apr 2022, 21:08
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AbdurRakib
The Official Guide for GMAT Verbal Review 2018
Practice Question
Sentence Correction
Question no. 209
In his Uses of Enchantment (1976), it was psychologist Bruno Bettelheim’s assertion that the apparently cruel and arbitrary nature of many fairy tales actually are an instructive reflection of a child’s natural and necessary “killing off” of successive phases in his or her own development.

(A) it was psychologist Bruno Bettelheim’s assertion that the apparently cruel and arbitrary nature of many fairy tales actually are

(B) it was the assertion of psychologist Bruno Bettelheim that what is apparently the cruel and arbitrary nature of many fairy tales actually is

(C) psychologist Bruno Bettelheim’s assertion that what is apparently the cruel and arbitrary nature of many fairy tales actually is

(D) psychologist Bruno Bettelheim asserted that the apparently cruel and arbitrary nature of many fairy tales actually are

(E) psychologist Bruno Bettelheim asserted that the apparently cruel and arbitrary nature of many fairy tales is actually

Hey GMATNinja,

Is it always true that the part which comes immediately after the comma must be about the main referrant to which the part that comes before the comma is talking about?

I used above to eliminate A, B and also C as C is also talking about the assertion and not the doer.

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In his Uses of Enchantment (1976), it was psychologist Bruno Bettelhei 24 Apr 2022, 05:27
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AbdurRakib
The Official Guide for GMAT Verbal Review 2018
Practice Question
Sentence Correction
Question no. 209
In his Uses of Enchantment (1976), it was psychologist Bruno Bettelheim’s assertion that the apparently cruel and arbitrary nature of many fairy tales actually are an instructive reflection of a child’s natural and necessary “killing off” of successive phases in his or her own development.

(A) it was psychologist Bruno Bettelheim’s assertion that the apparently cruel and arbitrary nature of many fairy tales actually are

(B) it was the assertion of psychologist Bruno Bettelheim that what is apparently the cruel and arbitrary nature of many fairy tales actually is

(C) psychologist Bruno Bettelheim’s assertion that what is apparently the cruel and arbitrary nature of many fairy tales actually is

(D) psychologist Bruno Bettelheim asserted that the apparently cruel and arbitrary nature of many fairy tales actually are

(E) psychologist Bruno Bettelheim asserted that the apparently cruel and arbitrary nature of many fairy tales is actually

Hey GMATNinja,

Is it always true that the part which comes immediately after the comma must be about the main referrant to which the part that comes before the comma is talking about?

I used above to eliminate A, B and also C as C is also talking about the assertion and not the doer.

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Hello Varane,

We hope this finds you well.

To answer your query, your observation is largely correct; in the “phrase + comma + noun” and “noun + comma + phrase” constructions, the phrase must correctly modify the noun; this is one of the most frequently tested concepts on GMAT sentence correction.

All the best!
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In his Uses of Enchantment (1976), it was psychologist Bruno Bettelhei 02 May 2022, 09:57
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Varane
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Question no. 209
In his Uses of Enchantment (1976), it was psychologist Bruno Bettelheim’s assertion that the apparently cruel and arbitrary nature of many fairy tales actually are an instructive reflection of a child’s natural and necessary “killing off” of successive phases in his or her own development.

(A) it was psychologist Bruno Bettelheim’s assertion that the apparently cruel and arbitrary nature of many fairy tales actually are

(B) it was the assertion of psychologist Bruno Bettelheim that what is apparently the cruel and arbitrary nature of many fairy tales actually is

(C) psychologist Bruno Bettelheim’s assertion that what is apparently the cruel and arbitrary nature of many fairy tales actually is

(D) psychologist Bruno Bettelheim asserted that the apparently cruel and arbitrary nature of many fairy tales actually are

(E) psychologist Bruno Bettelheim asserted that the apparently cruel and arbitrary nature of many fairy tales is actually

Hey GMATNinja,

Is it always true that the part which comes immediately after the comma must be about the main referrant to which the part that comes before the comma is talking about?

I used above to eliminate A, B and also C as C is also talking about the assertion and not the doer.

Posted from my mobile device
Generally, yeah, it's fair to say that if a sentence opens with a noun modifier, the correct answer will put the noun immediately after. But I'd be careful about that "always," as this isn't a rule. For example:

    "Tired of the screaming, sick of the incessant complaining, Tim's wife asked Tim to be quiet, since he was somehow way louder than the kids."

Notice that this sentence opens with two noun modifiers, both describing Tim's wife. Seems logical to me. And while I can't think of an official question that uses this construction, it also isn't technically wrong.

All to say: what you did in this question is 100% valid. Just be careful about inventing strict rules. :)

I hope that clears things up!
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In his Uses of Enchantment (1976), it was psychologist Bruno Bettelhei 02 May 2022, 10:49
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AbdurRakib
The Official Guide for GMAT Verbal Review 2018
Practice Question
Sentence Correction
Question no. 209
In his Uses of Enchantment (1976), it was psychologist Bruno Bettelheim’s assertion that the apparently cruel and arbitrary nature of many fairy tales actually are an instructive reflection of a child’s natural and necessary “killing off” of successive phases in his or her own development.

(A) it was psychologist Bruno Bettelheim’s assertion that the apparently cruel and arbitrary nature of many fairy tales actually are

(B) it was the assertion of psychologist Bruno Bettelheim that what is apparently the cruel and arbitrary nature of many fairy tales actually is

(C) psychologist Bruno Bettelheim’s assertion that what is apparently the cruel and arbitrary nature of many fairy tales actually is

(D) psychologist Bruno Bettelheim asserted that the apparently cruel and arbitrary nature of many fairy tales actually are

(E) psychologist Bruno Bettelheim asserted that the apparently cruel and arbitrary nature of many fairy tales is actually

Hey GMATNinja,

Is it always true that the part which comes immediately after the comma must be about the main referrant to which the part that comes before the comma is talking about?

I used above to eliminate A, B and also C as C is also talking about the assertion and not the doer.

Posted from my mobile device
Generally, yeah, it's fair to say that if a sentence opens with a noun modifier, the correct answer will put the noun immediately after. But I'd be careful about that "always," as this isn't a rule. For example:

    "Tired of the screaming, sick of the incessant complaining, Tim's wife asked Tim to be quiet, since he was somehow way louder than the kids."

Notice that this sentence opens with two noun modifiers, both describing Tim's wife. Seems logical to me. And while I can't think of an official question that uses this construction, it also isn't technically wrong.

All to say: what you did in this question is 100% valid. Just be careful about inventing strict rules. :)

I hope that clears things up!

I recall from one of your earlier answers that it is not a cool idea to have non-referent pronouns (like, it) and we don't generally see them on the correct answer choices. I used that to eliminate A and B.
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In his Uses of Enchantment (1976), it was psychologist Bruno Bettelhei 05 May 2022, 06:27
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I recall from one of your earlier answers that it is not a cool idea to have non-referent pronouns (like, it) and we don't generally see them on the correct answer choices. I used that to eliminate A and B.
If there's no good reason to use a non-referential pronoun and you have better options that avoid using a non-referential pronoun, that might represent a vote against the option with the non-referential pronoun. But that does not mean that non-referential pronouns are automatically wrong, and we have in fact seen them used in correct answer choices on official questions (here's one that comes to mind).

The non-referential pronouns are certainly a red flag in (A) and (B), but that doesn't mean you should eliminate them right away. Instead, look for other decision points to build a case against those options. For example, the other options are clearer because the opening modifier logically modifies the thing right after the comma ("psychologist").

I hope that helps a bit!
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In his Uses of Enchantment (1976), it was psychologist Bruno Bettelhei 25 Jan 2025, 22:02
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