Among the Tsonga, a Bantu-speaking group of tribes in southeastern Afr

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Let's take a look at this question, one problem at a time, and determine which option is the best one! There are many ways to attack this question, but let's focus on the quickest way to get to the correct answer!

To get started, here is the original question with any major differences between each option highlighted in orange:

Among the Tsonga, a Bantu-speaking group of tribes in southeastern Africa, dance teams represent their own chief at the court of each other, providing entertainment in return for food, drink, and lodging.

(A) the court of each other, providing entertainment in return for
(B) the court of another and provide entertainment in return for
(C) the court of the other, so as to provide entertainment as a return on
(D) each other's court, entertainment being provided in return for
(E) another's court and provide entertainment as a return on

Right away, we can see two major differences between each option:

1. How they begin (refer to only two tribes / refer to many tribes)
2. How they end (in return for / as a return for / as a return on)

There are other differences, but these two are the easiest to spot and deal with quickly. To begin, let's tackle #1 on our list: how each option begins. The Tsonga is a group of several tribes, with each tribe having its own dance team. Each tribe is able to visit any other tribe it wants, and then provide entertainment to gain access to food, drink, and lodging.

However, some of the options below make it sound like there are only 2 tribes who send dance troupes to each other, rather than all of the tribes being able to visit any other tribe. So let's take a look at each option, and rule out any that are unclear or sound like only 2 tribes are involved:

(A) the court of each other, providing entertainment in return for
This is wrong because saying "each other" means we're only talking about 2 tribes visiting each other, instead of one tribe visiting any other tribe it wants.

(B) the court of another and provide entertainment in return for
This is okay because "another" means the dance troupe can visit any of the other troupes, not just one.

(C) the court of the other, so as to provide entertainment as a return on
This is wrong because "the other" suggests there is only one other tribe they can travel to, which isn't true.

(D) each other's court, entertainment being provided in return for
This is wrong because "each other's" suggests the 2 tribes always trade dance troupes, which isn't always the case.

(E) another's court and provide entertainment as a return on
This is okay because "another's court" means the dance troupe can visit any of the other tribes it wants, not just one.

We can eliminate options A, C, and D because they incorrectly state there are only 2 tribes involved in this behavior, not ALL of the tribes!

Now that we're left with only options B and E to choose from, let's try #2 on our list: their endings (in return for / as a return on). Whenever we talk about two people or groups exchanging something, we say:

X is doing [insert action here] in exchange for Y
OR
X is doing [insert action here] in return for Y

Let's see which of our remaining options uses this correctly:

(B) the court of another and provide entertainment in return for

This is the CORRECT answer! It's clear that we're talking about several tribes being able to visit any other tribe it wants, and it's clear that they provide entertainment in exchange for / in return for food, drink, and lodging!

(E) another's court and provide entertainment as a return on

This is INCORRECT because it says that the tribe's dance troupe provides entertainment as a return on food, drink, and lodging. This not only sounds awkward, but it also suggests that tribes provide entertainment after they've already been given food, drink, and lodging, which doesn't really make sense.

There you go - option B is the correct answer!


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