OFFICIAL EXPLANATIONProject SC Butler: Day 158: Sentence Correction (SC2)
• HIGHLIGHTS
When all or almost all of a sentence is underlined, look for modifier errors, which are common in sentences with long underlined portions.
Causality is another common basis of error.
Try your best to understand the logical linkage and sequence.
There are no shortcuts for this problem and that fact is true of a number of official questions.
You have to read every sentence. (The moment you catch an error and are comfortable, though, move on. You need only one reason to eliminate.)
THE PROMPTQuote:
During the Renaissance, glass products made on the Island of Murano could only be crafted according to traditional techniques, and local artisans were forbidden to leave and sell their creations elsewhere.
This sentence means that
Because glass products made on the island of Murano could only be made according to traditional methods [that were secret and valuable], local artisans were forbidden to leave the island.Stated differently:
Because the traditional methods were secret and very valuable, the authorities wanted the artisans kept under tight watch and did not allow artisans to leave the island.THE OPTIONSQuote:
A) During the Renaissance, glass products made on the Island of Murano could only be crafted according to traditional techniques, and local artisans were forbidden to leave and sell their creations elsewhere.
• The clauses proceed in logical order.
• Nothing seems wrong, but it is hard to be certain. The best next step is to work through the options one by one.
KEEP
Quote:
B) Glass products, which were made on the island of Murano, could only be crafted during the Renaissance according to traditional techniques, and it was forbidden that local artisans leave and sell their creations elsewhere.
• aha! Modifier error.
--
according to traditional techniques modifies
crafted and should be placed right next to
crafted.-- True, the placement of adverbial modifiers is not as restricted as the placement of adjectivial modifiers (of nouns). In this case, though, the core of the sentence turns on "crafted according to traditional techniques."
-- compare to (A). Even if you cannot articulate the weird logic, is this placement better than that in option (A)? No. It's not as clear.
-- And why does a time modifier come between a verb that is heavily restricted by the "according to traditional techniques"? There is no good answer. You could eliminate B by comparing it to A on this basis and move on. Or you could spot:
• IDIOM / Standard usage error . Correct:
X is/was forbidden to do Y or (less common)
X forbids Y to do Z -- the
forbidden construction in B is wrong
--
it was forbidden that artisans leave is subjunctive (like command subjunctive)
-- that + subjunctive after
forbidden is not idiomatic
-- the passive voice is considered standard usage for that verb, this way:
local artisans were forbidden to leave
-- one more time, even if you don't know all the standard usage stuff, compare B's phrasing to A's.
Option A wins for clarity and familiarity (you've likely seen
forbidden to do X, whereas you are unlikely to have seen
it was forbidden that . . . subjunctive mood verb• Logic - does this sentence mean that the glass products could be made only on the island? As in, the island was the only place on the planet where glass could be made?
ELIMINATE B
Quote:
C) The crafting of glass products could only be done according to traditional techniques during the Renaissance on the Island of Murano, and local artisans were forbidden to leave and sell their creations elsewhere.
-- This option is the hardest call.
-- The logic is weird and echoes that in (B): is the island the only place on the entire planet that glass products could be crafted?
-- The passive construction leaves us with a very flabby sentence. Compare it to A.
--
The crafting of glass products is wordy and employs a gerund (verbING) unnecessarily.
-- The sentence structure is hard to absorb because too many adverbs are "stacked" against one another in a row.
The verb
done is followed by [adverb of manner] [adverb of time] [adverb of place].
-- Moving even one of those adverbs and adding commas makes the sentence much easier to understand.
Compare to (A), which opens with "During the Renaissance," a placement that breaks the sentence up. (A) is easier to follow and has better flow.
ELIMINATE C
Quote:
D) Local artisans, forbidden to leave the island of Murano, could not sell their creations elsewhere during the Renaissance, [weird logic] glass products only being crafted according to techniques of tradition.
• easiest error to spot:
techniques of tradition. Tradition itself, the generic kind, does not "have" techniques. The phrase is not standard and makes no sense.
-- At the least, compare "techniques of tradition" to "traditional techniques." The first phrase is confusing and weird.
• the logic is unclear
-- cause and effect are hazy:
local artisans [were] forbidden to leave the island is a
result of the fact that glass products could only be crafted according to traditional techniques on the island. The last part of the sentence,
glass products being seems tacked on at best.
• no reason exists to use
being• the seemingly disconnected part might be trying to be an absolute phrase. It is failing miserably. It does not modify the main clause in any logical way. In fact, we might argue that the logic seems backwards.
Eliminate D
Quote:
E) Only traditional techniques could be used during the Renaissance that crafted glass products on the island of Murano, so local artisans were forbidden to leave and sell their creations elsewhere.
• the time period itself (the Renaissance) did not craft glass products
Eliminate E
The correct answer is A• NOTESI think this question initially seems difficult, so if you had a hard time, don't worry, and don't worry about the stats.
COMMENTSTheNightKing - Verrrrry funny. (Actually, you are funny.)
No. Assume that I am
occasionally the absent-minded professor. Maybe I had some subconscious aversion to this question. I don't think so. I love history generally and little stories. (This story is true.)
shridhar786 ,
Keby1nja ,
J2S2019 ,
TheNightKing ,
amitanshumaity ,
ArtVandaley - thank you for being patient.
More importantly, I respect that you took a risk by posting an answer.
Cripes, writing the answer took a looonng time (I mean, in this one sitting). I don't replicate 4-line answers in books. I may have to start doing so.
The "extra" comments are often my favorite parts. Kudos to all.
_________________
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