Here is the OE (from GMATWhiz)Solution:
Step 1: Understanding Intended MeaningJeremiah's sojourns with his globe-trotting spouse motivated him to pen several crime plays
• We are talking about “Jeremiah’s sojourns” . Thus, “Jeremiah’s” here is an adjective for “sojourns”.
• There is an antecedent for the pronoun “his” since “his” means Jeremiah’s
• However, there is no noun for the pronoun “him” since this pronoun would need the noun “Jeremiah” as its antecedent.
• NP does not exist in pairs
• Correct Version: Jeremiah's sojourns with his globe-trotting spouse motivated Jeremiah to pen several crime plays
set against the backdrop of quaint settings;
• “Set” is modifying the noun “plays”.
people visiting the old town of Lichengarten can still put up at the Mount Pinaforte resort, the model for the resort in one of Jeremiah's most famous plays.
• This portion of the sentence tells us more about the quaint settings that still exist.
Intended meaning:
• Jeremiah's sojourns with his globe-trotting wife motivated Jeremiah to pen several crime plays
• These plays were set against the backdrop of quaint settings.
• People visiting the old town of Lichengarten can still put up at the Mount Pinaforte resort, the model for the resort in one of Jeremiah's most famous plays.
Step 2: Eliminate choices with identified errorsChecking for five aspects
1. Golden rules
a. NP does not exist in pairs
2. Lists
a. No error
3. Tenses
a. No error
4. Idioms
Eliminate
No other choice has the errors present in Choice A.
________________________________________
A. Jeremiah's sojourns with his globe-trotting spouse motivated him to pen several crime plays
Option A Feedback:
Incorrect and Eliminated in Step 2
B. Jeremiah used his sojourns with his globe-trotting spouse to motivate several crime plays
Option B Feedback:
Fitting in the original sentence:
Jeremiah used his sojourns with his globe-trotting spouse to motivate several crime plays set against the backdrop of quaint settings; people visiting the old town of Lichengarten can still put up at the Mount Pinaforte resort, the model for the resort in one of Jeremiah's most famous plays.
• The sentence means that Jeremiah used two things – sojourns and his wife to motivate the plays.
• How can one “motivate” a non-living thing such as a play?
• Totally illogical
Incorrect Choice.
C. Because his spouse was a globetrotter, Jeremiah was able to use their sojourns as motivation for several of his crime plays
Your Selection
Option C Feedback:
Fitting in the original sentence:
Because his spouse was a globetrotter, Jeremiah was able to use their sojourns as motivation for several of his crime plays set against the backdrop of quaint settings; people visiting the old town of Lichengarten can still put up at the Mount Pinaforte resort, the model for the resort in one of Jeremiah's most famous plays.
• Completely different from the intended meaning and also illogical.
• Implies a cause and effect relationship that is illogical.
• “Their” is a plural noun but has no antecedent.
Incorrect Choice.
D. Together with his globe-trotting spouse, Jeremiah was motivated to incorporate their sojourns into several of his crime plays
Option D Feedback:
Fitting in the original sentence:
Together with his globe-trotting spouse, Jeremiah was motivated to incorporate their sojourns into several of his crime plays set against the backdrop of quaint settings; people visiting the old town of Lichengarten can still put up at the Mount Pinaforte resort, the model for the resort in one of Jeremiah's most famous plays.
• Totally different meaning. The sentence means both were motivated to include the sojourns into the plays.
Incorrect Choice.
E. Jeremiah's sojourns with his globe-trotting spouse served as motivation for several of his crime plays
Correct Option
Option E Feedback:
Fitting in the original sentence
Jeremiah's sojourns with his globe-trotting spouse served as motivation for several of his crime plays set against the backdrop of quaint settings; people visiting the old town of Lichengarten can still put up at the Mount Pinaforte resort, the model for the resort in one of Jeremiah's most famous plays.
• “His” is a possessive pronoun and can refer to the possessive case “Jeremiah’s”
✓ Logical
✓ Clear,
✓ Same as the intended meaning
Correct Choice.