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Here is a detailed explanation to this question-
daagh wrote:
First published in 1946, and comparing the ways the world appears both in Homer’s Odyssey and in the Bible, Mimesis, a philosophical treatise written by Auerbach, laid the foundation for a unified theory of western literature beginning from the very early times to his days.
(A) and comparing the ways the world appears both in Homer’s Odyssey and in the Bible, Mimesis, a philosophical treatise written by Auerbach, laid the foundation for a unified theory of western literature beginning from the very early times to his days
(B and laying the foundation for a unified theory of western literature beginning from the very early times to his days, Mimesis, a philosophical treatise written by Auerbach compared the ways the world appears both in Homer’s Odyssey and in the Bible
(C) Mimesis, a philosophical treatise written by Auerbach, compares the ways the world appears both in Homer’s Odyssey and in the Bible, and lays the foundation for a unified theory of western literature beginning from the very early times to his days
(D) and comparing the ways the world appears both in Homer’s Odyssey and in the Bible, Mimesis, a philosophical treatise written by Auerbach, lays the foundation for a unified theory of western literature beginning from the very early times to his days
(E) and comparing Homer’s Odyssey with the Bible and the ways the world appears in both , Mimesis, a philosophical treatise written by Auerbach laid the foundation for a unified theory of western literature beginning from the very early times to his days
Meaning is crucial to solving this problem:Understanding the intended meaning is key to solving this question; the intended meaning of this sentence is that Mimesis is a philosophical treatise written by Auerbach that was first published in 1946, is comparing the ways the world appears both in Homer’s Odyssey and in the Bible. and laid the foundation for a unified theory of western literature beginning from the very early times to his days.
Concepts tested here: Tenses + Verb Forms• Present participles ("verb+ing" – “laying” in this sentence) are used to modify nouns, refer to ongoing events in any time period, and (when preceded by a comma) express cause-effect relationships.
• The simple present continuous tense is used to refer to actions that are currently ongoing and continuous in nature.
• The simple past tense is used to refer to events that concluded in the past.
• The simple present tense is used to indicate actions taking place in the current time frame, indicate habitual actions, state universal truths, and convey information that is permanent in nature.
A: Correct. This answer choice uses the phrase "comparing the ways the world appears both in Homer’s Odyssey and in the Bible", conveying the intended meaning - that Mimesis is comparing the
ways the world appears
in Homer's Odyssey and the
ways the world appears
in the Bible. Further, Option A correctly uses the present participle ("verb+ing" - "comparing" in this sentence) to refer to an action that is currently ongoing and continuous in nature. Additionally, Option A correctly uses the simple past tense verb "laid" to refer to an event that concluded in the past.
B: This answer choice incorrectly uses the present participle ("verb+ing" - "laying" in this sentence) to refer to an action that concluded in the past; please remember, the simple past tense is used to refer to events that concluded in the past, and present participles ("verb+ing" – “laying” in this sentence) are used to modify nouns, refer to ongoing events in any time period, and (when preceded by a comma) express cause-effect relationships. Further, Option B incorrectly uses the simple past tense verb "compared" to refer to an action that is currently ongoing and continuous in nature; please remember, the simple present continuous tense is used to refer to actions that are currently ongoing and continuous in nature, and the simple past tense is used to refer to events that concluded in the past.
C: This answer choice incorrectly uses the simple present tense verb "lays" to refer to an action that concluded in the past; please remember, the simple past tense is used to refer to events that concluded in the past, and the simple present tense is used to indicate actions taking place in the current time frame, indicate habitual actions, state universal truths, and convey information that is permanent in nature. Further, Option C incorrectly uses the simple present tense verb "compares" to refer to an action that is currently ongoing and continuous in nature; please remember, the simple present continuous tense is used to refer to actions that are currently ongoing and continuous in nature, and the simple present tense is used to indicate actions taking place in the current time frame, indicate habitual actions, state universal truths, and convey information that is permanent in nature.
D: This answer choice incorrectly uses the simple present tense verb "lays" to refer to an action that concluded in the past; please remember, the simple past tense is used to refer to events that concluded in the past, and the simple present tense is used to indicate actions taking place in the current time frame, indicate habitual actions, state universal truths, and convey information that is permanent in nature.
E: This answer choice alters the meaning of the sentence through the phrase "comparing Homer’s Odyssey with the Bible and the ways the world appears in both"; the construction of this phrase incorrectly implies that Mimesis is comparing Homer’s Odyssey and the Bible,
themselves, and comparing Homer’s Odyssey with
the ways the world appears in both texts; the intended meaning is that Mimesis is comparing the
ways the world appears
in Homer's Odyssey and the
ways the world appears
in the Bible.
Hence, A is the best answer choice.To understand the concept of "Simple Tenses" on GMAT, you may want to watch the following video (~1 minute):
To understand the concept of "Simple Continuous Tenses" on GMAT, you may want to watch the following video (~1 minute):
All the best!
Experts' Global Team