Jeremiah's sojourns with his globe-trotting spouse

Question

Jeremiah's sojourns with his globe-trotting spouse motivated him to pen several crime plays  set against the backdrop of quaint settings; people visiting the old town of Lichengarten can still put up at the Mount Pinaforte resort, the model for the resort in one of Jeremiah's most famous plays.

A. Jeremiah's sojourns with his globe-trotting spouse motivated him to pen several crime plays

B. Jeremiah used his sojourns with his globe-trotting spouse to motivate several crime plays

C. Because his spouse was a globetrotter, Jeremiah was able to use their sojourns as motivation for several of his crime plays

D. Together with his globe-trotting spouse, Jeremiah was motivated to incorporate their sojourns into several of his crime plays

E. Jeremiah's sojourns with his globe-trotting spouse served as motivation for several of his crime plays

Ravi729 · Accepted Answer

A is incorrect because there is no antecedent to the pronoun "him"  . Please note, "his" (possessive) in the sentence refers to "Jeremiah's" (possessive).

E is correct because the sentence did not use "him" and used "his" at both places.

Hope that clears the doubt with Option A vs Option E.

SohGMAT2020 · Answer

Can someone please explain why A is wrong?

sonalgmat123 · Answer

I can only say that "Jeremiah's sojourns" can't justify any intention to pen several crime plays.
Otherwise A also seems fine.

winterschool · Answer

Jeremiah's sojourns with his globe-trotting spouse motivated him to pen several crime plays set against the backdrop of quaint settings; people visiting the old town of Lichengarten can still put up at the Mount Pinaforte resort, the model for the resort in one of Jeremiah's most famous plays.

A. Jeremiah's sojourns with his globe-trotting spouse motivated him to pen several crime plays  Incorrect

B. Jeremiah used his sojourns with his globe-trotting spouse to motivate several crime plays  Incorrect

C. Because his spouse was a globetrotter, Jeremiah was able to use their sojourns as motivation for several of his crime plays  Incorrect

D. Together with his globe-trotting spouse, Jeremiah was motivated to incorporate their sojourns into several of his crime plays  Incorrect

E. Jeremiah's sojourns with his globe-trotting spouse served as motivation for several of his crime plays  Correct

Between A & E

A. sojourns cant be motivate - I think its a thing

E. sojourns and globe-trotting spouse served as motivation - correct meaning

Ravi729 · Answer

A is  incorrect  because there is no antecedent to the pronoun "him"  . Please note, "his" (possessive) in the sentence refers to "Jeremiah's" (possessive).

E is  correct  because the sentence did not use "him" and used "his" at both places.

Hope that clears the doubt with Option A vs Option E.

elavendan1 · Answer

There's an exception cited in OG, regarding the pronoun usage. Him can point to Jeremiah, since him is a possessive pronuoun. We cannot eliminate A on that front alone. Is there any other solid reason to eliminate A?

Posted from my mobile device

Posted from my mobile device

SohGMAT2020 · Answer

Yes I did that OG question that's why I had this doubt. I think if this rule is allowed in GMAT then A might be a better answer as it is more direct.

MBAB123 · Answer

I believe there is a slight meaning issue with A. People can motivate each other, but how can sojourns motivate someone? They can serve as motivation, but they cannot physically come and motivate each other. That is why I chose E. Hope this helps!

ktzsikka · Answer

I think there is nothing wrong with a 'sojourn' motivating someone to do something. Albeit 'sojourn' acts as a motivation but in essence, it is what motivated someone. So, meaning looks alright. The only issue seems to be the  usage of personal pronoun (him) for Jeremiah's sojourn .
Can someone please provide the link to the OG explanation where this exception, of using him as a possessive pronoun, is indicated.? Thanks!

SohGMAT2020 · Answer

ktzsikka  I had the same confusion when I posted this question earlier.

We may very well colloquially say that a sojourn or a temporary stay somewhere motivated us to do something but while writing formal English or in GMAT such usage leads to meaning issue. To say X is motivating someone. Means that X has to do the action of motivation (physically). But "sojourn" cannot perform the action of motivation. It can act as a motivation as you rightly said. Hence, there is a meaning issue in option A.

Hope it helps!

ktzsikka · Answer

Here is the OE (from GMATWhiz)

Solution:
Step 1: Understanding Intended Meaning 
Jeremiah's sojourns with his globe-trotting spouse motivated him to pen several crime plays 
• We are talking about “Jeremiah’s sojourns” . Thus, “Jeremiah’s” here is an adjective for “sojourns”. 
• There is an antecedent for the pronoun “his” since “his” means Jeremiah’s
• However, there is no noun for the pronoun “him” since this pronoun would need the noun “Jeremiah” as its antecedent.
• NP does not exist in pairs
• Correct Version: Jeremiah's sojourns with his globe-trotting spouse motivated Jeremiah to pen several crime plays
set against the backdrop of quaint settings; 
• “Set” is modifying the noun “plays”.
people visiting the old town of Lichengarten can still put up at the Mount Pinaforte resort, the model for the resort in one of Jeremiah's most famous plays.
• This portion of the sentence tells us more about the quaint settings that still exist. 
Intended meaning:
• Jeremiah's sojourns with his globe-trotting wife motivated Jeremiah to pen several crime plays
• These plays were set against the backdrop of quaint settings.
• People visiting the old town of Lichengarten can still put up at the Mount Pinaforte resort, the model for the resort in one of Jeremiah's most famous plays.

Step 2: Eliminate choices with identified errors

Checking for five aspects
1. Golden rules
a. NP does not exist in pairs
2. Lists
a. No error
3. Tenses
a. No error
4. Idioms
Eliminate 
No other choice has the errors present in Choice A.
________________________________________
A. Jeremiah's sojourns with his globe-trotting spouse motivated him to pen several crime plays
Option A Feedback:
Incorrect and Eliminated in Step 2

B. Jeremiah used his sojourns with his globe-trotting spouse to motivate several crime plays
Option B Feedback:
Fitting in the original sentence:
Jeremiah used his sojourns with his globe-trotting spouse to motivate several crime plays set against the backdrop of quaint settings; people visiting the old town of Lichengarten can still put up at the Mount Pinaforte resort, the model for the resort in one of Jeremiah's most famous plays.
• The sentence means that Jeremiah used two things – sojourns and his wife to motivate the plays. 
• How can one “motivate” a non-living thing such as a play?
• Totally illogical
Incorrect Choice.

C. Because his spouse was a globetrotter, Jeremiah was able to use their sojourns as motivation for several of his crime plays
Your Selection
Option C Feedback:
Fitting in the original sentence:
Because his spouse was a globetrotter, Jeremiah was able to use their sojourns as motivation for several of his crime plays set against the backdrop of quaint settings; people visiting the old town of Lichengarten can still put up at the Mount Pinaforte resort, the model for the resort in one of Jeremiah's most famous plays.
• Completely different from the intended meaning and also illogical.
• Implies a cause and effect relationship that is illogical.
• “Their” is a plural noun but has no antecedent.
Incorrect Choice.

D. Together with his globe-trotting spouse, Jeremiah was motivated to incorporate their sojourns into several of his crime plays
Option D Feedback:
Fitting in the original sentence:
Together with his globe-trotting spouse, Jeremiah was motivated to incorporate their sojourns into several of his crime plays set against the backdrop of quaint settings; people visiting the old town of Lichengarten can still put up at the Mount Pinaforte resort, the model for the resort in one of Jeremiah's most famous plays.
• Totally different meaning. The sentence means both were motivated to include the sojourns into the plays.
Incorrect Choice.

E. Jeremiah's sojourns with his globe-trotting spouse served as motivation for several of his crime plays
Correct Option
Option E Feedback:
Fitting in the original sentence
Jeremiah's sojourns with his globe-trotting spouse served as motivation for several of his crime plays set against the backdrop of quaint settings; people visiting the old town of Lichengarten can still put up at the Mount Pinaforte resort, the model for the resort in one of Jeremiah's most famous plays.
• “His” is a possessive pronoun and can refer to the possessive case “Jeremiah’s”
✓ Logical
✓ Clear, 
✓ Same as the intended meaning
  Correct Choice.

Raman109 · Answer

Jeremiah's sojourns with his globe-trotting spouse motivated him to pen several crime plays  set against the backdrop of quaint settings; people visiting the old town of Lichengarten can still put up at the Mount Pinaforte resort, the model for the resort in one of Jeremiah's most famous plays.

Option Elimination -

A. Jeremiah's sojourns with his globe-trotting spouse motivated him to pen several crime plays - "his" possessive pronoun refers to "Jeremiah's," but "him" is an objective personal pronoun that doesn't have an antecedent. Wrong.

B. Jeremiah used his sojourns with his globe-trotting spouse to motivate several crime plays - "stays" to motivate plays? Wrong.

C. Because his spouse was a globetrotter, Jeremiah was able to use their sojourns as motivation for several of his crime plays - "their" no antecedent.

D. Together with his globe-trotting spouse, Jeremiah was motivated to incorporate their sojourns into several of his crime plays - the same issue as C

E. Jeremiah's sojourns with his globe-trotting spouse served as motivation for several of his crime plays - ok. "his" possessive pronoun in both cases refers to the possessive " Jeremiah's."

Jeremiah's sojourns with his globe-trotting spouse

Prep Toolkit

Top 5 GMAT Debrief Videos

615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

745 with Only Self-Prep and GMAT Club

From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

My Rewards

GMAT Sentence Correction (SC - EA only) Questions

Jeremiah's sojourns with his globe-trotting spouse

Prep Toolkit

615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

745 with Only Self-Prep and GMAT Club

From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

My Rewards