Debayandc wrote:
Although I have chosen D, why is E incorrect?
E modifies 'discovery" with correct tense "was".
Experts, please help.
The word "although" is problematic in choice (E). To understand why, first consider this example:
"Although I just ate an entire burrito, I could still eat some pizza."
The fact that I just ate an entire burrito is a reason why I would NOT want to eat pizza. But, DESPITE THE FACT that I just ate an entire burrito, I still want pizza.
In this case, "although" basically means "even though".
Now back to choice (E):
Quote:
(E) More than five thousand years ago, Chinese scholars accurately described {X}, although the discovery was unnoticed in the West.
Is the fact that the discovery was unnoticed in the West something that would have
interfered with the discovery by the Chinese scholars? Is it a reason why the Chinese scholars might NOT have accurately described {X}? In other words, did the Chinese scholars accurately describe {X} 5,0000 years ago DESPITE THE FACT that the discovery was unnoticed in the West?
No, not quite. Whether the discovery was noticed in the West would not have impacted the Chinese scholars' ability to accurately describe {X}, so "although" (i.e. "even though") isn't the best word choice.
Also, the verb "was" in choice (E) suggests that the West simply didn't notice the discovery
at the time it was made (more than 5,000 years ago). In choice (D), the verb "went" suggests that the West didn't notice the discovery for many years (centuries? millennia?) AFTER the discovery was made.
So, are we trying to say that the West simply didn't notice the discovery 5,000 years ago? Or that the West failed to notice the discovery for a long time after it was initially made? The latter makes a bit more sense, especially since the sentence begins by highlighting the fact that the Chinese scholars made the discovery a really long time ago.
Is either of those reasons a smoking gun? Probably not. But together, they make (D) a
better choice than (E).
I hope that helps!
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