akhil911 wrote:
Hi,
Can anyone explain why e is incorrect.
I understand that it is in the form of an inverted expression but that too can be acceptable.
I am not able to get a convincing answer even after searching a lot on google as to why E is incorrect.
I realize that you posted this back in 2013, but I wanted to fully answer this question not for you but for other students who may be wondering the same thing.
Yes, it is possible to invert the normal sentence order in English, but there are specific rules about how this is accomplished. Let's examine a simple sentence:
I have
never been so insulted in my life.
The key to the inversion is the adverb, which I have placed in bold for clarity. The adverb must be moved to the front of the sentence, and the subject and auxiliary verb must be inverted.
Never have I been so insulted in my life.
Here are some additional examples.
Standard: I am
rarely late for class.
Inverted:
Rarely am I late for class.
Standard: I had
scarcely sat down when the phone rang.
Inverted:
Scarcely had I sat down when the phone rang.
The adverb can be replaced with an adverbial phrase as in the examples below:
Standard: You should
on no account sign this contract without a lawyer.
Inverted:
On no account should you sign this contract without a lawyer.
Standard: John is
so tall that he can touch the ceiling.
Inverted:
So tall is John that he can touch the ceiling.
Accordingly the standard and inverted form of the referenced sentence is:
A recording system was
so secretly installed and operated in the Kennedy White House that even Theodore C. Sorensen, the White House counsel, did not know it existed.
So secretly installed and operated was a recording system in the Kennedy White House that even Theodore C. Sorensen, the White House counsel, did not know it existed.
Therefore, Choice E, which does not start with the adverb
so, cannot be the best answer. It is true that the subject and verb have been inverted, but this has been inexpertly done, and the correct meaning and form have been lost.