Dear Friends,
Here is a detailed explanation to this question-
Gnpth wrote:
Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz was making the case for women’s equality long before the cause had a name: Born in the mid-seventeenth century in San Miguel Nepantla, Mexico, the convent was the perfect environment for Sor Juana to pursue intellectual pursuits, achieving renown as a mathematician, poet, philosopher, and playwright.
(A) the convent was the perfect environment for Sor Juana to pursue intellectual pursuits, achieving
(B) Sor Juana found that the convent provided the perfect environment for intellectual pursuits, and she went on to achieve
(C) the convent provided the perfect environment for intellectual pursuits for Sor Juana; going on to achieve
(D) Sor Juana found that the convent provided the perfect environment for intellectual pursuits; achieving
(E) the convent was, Sor Juana found, the perfect environment for intellectual pursuits, and she went on to achieve
Meaning is crucial to solving this problem:Understanding the intended meaning is key to solving this question; the intended meaning of the crucial part of this sentence is that Sor Juana was born in the mid-seventeenth century in San Miguel Nepantla, Mexico, found that the convent provided the perfect environment for intellectual pursuits, and went on to achieve renown as a mathematician, poet, philosopher, and playwright.
Concepts tested here: Meaning + Modifiers + Grammatical Construction• In a “phrase + comma + noun” construction, the phrase must correctly modify the noun; this is one of the most frequently tested concepts on GMAT sentence correction.
• Semicolons and the “comma + conjunction” construction are used to link two independent clauses; commas are used to link an independent clause with a dependent one; comma cannot be used to join two independent clauses.
A: This answer choice incorrectly uses "Born in the mid-seventeenth century in San Miguel Nepantla, Mexico" to modify "the convent", illogically implying that
the convent was born in the mid-seventeenth century in San Miguel Nepantla, Mexico; the intended meaning is that
Sor Juana was born in the mid-seventeenth century in San Miguel Nepantla, Mexico; remember, in a “phrase + comma + noun” construction, the phrase must correctly modify the noun.
B: Correct. This answer choice correctly uses "Born in the mid-seventeenth century in San Miguel Nepantla, Mexico" to modify "Sor Juana", conveying the intended meaning - that
Sor Juana was born in the mid-seventeenth century in San Miguel Nepantla, Mexico. Further, Option B correctly uses the "comma + conjunction ("and" in this sentence)" construction to join the independent clauses " Sor Juana found that the convent provided the perfect environment for intellectual pursuits" and "she went on to achieve renown as a mathematician, poet, philosopher, and playwright.
C: This answer choice incorrectly uses "Born in the mid-seventeenth century in San Miguel Nepantla, Mexico" to modify "the convent", illogically implying that
the convent was born in the mid-seventeenth century in San Miguel Nepantla, Mexico; the intended meaning is that
Sor Juana was born in the mid-seventeenth century in San Miguel Nepantla, Mexico; remember, in a “phrase + comma + noun” construction, the phrase must correctly modify the noun. Further, Option C incorrectly uses a semicolon to link the independent clause "the convent provided the perfect environment for intellectual pursuits for Sor Juana" and the dependent clause "going on to achieve renown as a mathematician, poet, philosopher, and playwright"; remember, semicolons and the “comma + conjunction” construction are used to link two independent clauses; commas are used to link an independent clause with a dependent one; comma cannot be used to join two independent clauses.
D: This answer choice incorrectly uses a semicolon to link the independent clause "the convent provided the perfect environment for intellectual pursuits for Sor Juana" and the dependent clause "achieving renown as a mathematician, poet, philosopher, and playwright"; remember, semicolons and the “comma + conjunction” construction are used to link two independent clauses; commas are used to link an independent clause with a dependent one; comma cannot be used to join two independent clauses.
E: This answer choice incorrectly uses "Born in the mid-seventeenth century in San Miguel Nepantla, Mexico" to modify "the convent", illogically implying that
the convent was born in the mid-seventeenth century in San Miguel Nepantla, Mexico; the intended meaning is that
Sor Juana was born in the mid-seventeenth century in San Miguel Nepantla, Mexico; remember, in a “phrase + comma + noun” construction, the phrase must correctly modify the noun.
Hence, B is the best answer choice.To understand the concept of "Phrase Comma Subject" and "Subject Comma Phrase" on GMAT, you may want to watch the following video (~1 minute):
To understand the use of punctuation on GMAT, you may want to watch the following video (~10 minutes):
All the best!
Experts' Global Team