Karl Marx divided society into two broad classes, the bourge

IMO answer is C

This question tests punctuations, usage of due to, because of phrases and subject verb agreement.

A, B, D are out because of subject verb dis-agreement - were and their when mentioning collective noun - proletariat, which is singular.

E - since the statement describes about Karl Marx view of society, a simple past is better than being. Also because of is followed by a verbing modifier (lacking) rather than a pronoun as in C.

HERE IS THE OE

For a semicolon to be properly used, the parts of the sentence before and after it must both be independent clauses (i.e., each of them can stand alone as a sentence). In this sentence, the part following the semicolon (starting with “the latter of which”) is a relative clause, not an independent clause. Also, the plural pronoun their cannot refer to the singular noun proletariat. We know that proletariat is singular, because it is the subject of the singular verb was. Finally, the construction due to is incorrectly used. This construction implies that either the moral decay or the danger of moral decay resulted from (was due to) the proletariat's lack of material property. What the author intends to say is that this lack of material property was the reason for which the proletariat was free of such danger.

(A) This choice is incorrect, as it repeats the original sentence.

(B) The plural verb were and the plural pronoun their refer, by default, to both of the social classes mentioned in the sentence. Therefore, this sentence, while grammatically correct, has the wrong meaning; it wrongly states that, according to Marx, both the proletariat and the bourgeoisie were free from the danger of moral decay. This choice also uses the construction due to incorrectly.

(C) CORRECT. This sentence uses a semicolon properly: the parts of the sentence before and after the semicolon are both independent clauses (i.e., complete sentence in their own right). The parenthetical he wrote is properly used to indicate that a stated opinion was included in Marx’s writing. The verb was and the pronoun its are both singular, in agreement with the singular noun proletariat.

(D) The plural verb were does not agree with the singular subject proletariat. The construction because of lacking is unidiomatic. The phrase he wrote should also be separated by commas.

(E) The use of being for characterization, as in this sentence, is unidiomatic. The construction because of lacking is unidiomatic.

The correct answer is C.

The answer will be "C".

Options "A" and "B" are wrong for the same reason:- The usage of "their lack of" because "the proletariat" is singular.

Option "D" used "were" and option "E" used "being" which make them wrong.

Hi

i would like to discuss this question..........i got it wrong in one of the simulation tests but i am not convinced why my answer is wrong


Karl Marx divided society into two broad classes, the bourgeoisie and the proletariat; the latter of which, he wrote, was free from the danger of moral decay due to their lack of material property.
1. proletariat; the latter of which, he wrote, was free from the danger of moral decay due to their lack of
2. proletariat, which, he wrote, were free from the danger of moral decay due to their lack of
3. proletariat; the latter, he wrote, was free from the danger of moral decay because of its lack of
4. proletariat, the latter of which he wrote were free from the danger of moral decay because of lacking
5. proletariat, the latter being free, he wrote, from the danger of moral decay because of lacking

Topic Merged. Please refer to the above discussions.

Karl Marx divided society into two broad classes, the bourgeoisie and the proletariat; the latter of which, he wrote, was free from the danger of moral decay due to their lack of material property.

A)proletariat; the latter of which, he wrote, was free from the danger of moral decay due to their lack of - here, there is no logical antecedent to 'their'. Besides, the two broad classes (highlighted in the prompt) are collective nouns; collective nouns are treated as singular nouns. since 'their' ( a plural pronoun in the subjective form) is trying to refer to one of the two broad classes (a singular noun), (A) is incorrect.

B)proletariat, which, he wrote, were free from the danger of moral decay due to their lack of - the singular subject cannot be matched by a plural verb(s). Hence, Eliminate (B).

C)proletariat; the latter, he wrote, was free from the danger of moral decay because of its lack of - neat and concise. the subject-verb agreement is correct. hence, (C) is the right answer.

D)proletariat, the latter of which he wrote were free from the danger of moral decay because of lacking - were is plural, but the subject it intends to modify is singular. Hence, eliminate (D)

E)proletariat, the latter being free, he wrote, from the danger of moral decay because of lacking - A super awkward answer choice. Eliminate (E)

Hello from the GMAT Club VerbalBot!

Thanks to another GMAT Club member, I have just discovered this valuable topic, yet it had no discussion for over a year. I am now bumping it up - doing my job. I think you may find it valuable (esp those replies with Kudos).

Want to see all other topics I dig out? Follow me (click follow button on profile). You will receive a summary of all topics I bump in your profile area as well as via email.