Kanika3agg wrote:
GMATNinja wrote:
Kanika3agg wrote:
Can anyone explain why option B is wrong?
Addressed in detail by
AjiteshArun here:
https://gmatclub.com/forum/oberlin-coll ... l#p2245391. Let us know if that doesn't resolve the problem.
Thank you for replying!
I am sorry but I still cant understand the reasoning. Firstly, for is broad because it clearly doesn't pinpoint to the decision? If that is the case then I would not be sure of many answers in GMAT.
Secondly, Even if we dont know what the subject is, cant that be true?
Example - The Olympic Games helped to keep peace among the pugnacious states of the Greek world, for a sacred truce was proclaimed during the month of the festival -
OG question. We don't know what the subject is here?
In the "Olympic Games" example, "for" is used as a conjunction essentially meaning "because": "The Olympic Games helped to keep peace,
because a sacred truce was proclaimed..."
A similar usage of "for" would be, "Oberlin College was a renegade institution, for (because) its decision to accept both men and women at its 1833 founding opposed the social norms of that time."
The broader issue with choice (B) is that the use of "for" makes the meaning unclear. Was Oberlin a renegade institution IN ORDER TO REACH the decision at its 1833 founding? In other words, did Oberlin act like a rebel for a while SO THAT it could make that decision?
"For" can also mean "because of", but that usage would only make sense if we add another word, such as "considered": "Oberlin College was
considered a renegade institution for (because of) its decision...". Why was Oberlin considered a renegade institution? Because of its decision.
If we simply say that, "Oberlin College WAS a renegade institution BECAUSE OF its decision," we imply that the decision
caused Oberlin to become a renegade institution, and that's not quite right. As suggested by
AjiteshArun, we aren't necessarily trying to say that Oberlin was a renegade institution IN GENERAL. Instead, we are simply trying to say that deciding to accept both men and women was, by itself, a renegade act. Outside of that decision, Oberlin may have been the most conservative/traditional institution in the country.
This is admittedly a subtle point, but the correct meaning is more clear in choice (D).
I hope this helps a bit!