I’m jumping aboard the C train for reasons related to meaning issues. However, I spent the better part of over a minute attempting to verify and pinpoint the intended meaning and deciding which answer choice, C or D, best expressed that intended meaning.
A, B, and E can be eliminated because “John” can not be “piled up in the sink.” This is a Classic Misplaced Modifier issue.
(D) “Piled up in the sink, the dishes were washed by John.”
I get the sense that the question writers weren’t as focused on the subtle meaning issues with (C) and (D) as they were on the misplaced modifier issue in (A) , (B), and (E).
Even though (D) is written using the passive voice, I don’t see this fact, on its own, as a reason to eliminate the answer choice.
My issue with answer (D) is tough to convey in a clear manner, but I will try my best. In the end, it may be a non-issue and I could be wrong.
It is my understanding that a Participial Modifier set off by commas (such as “piled up in the sink,....”) latches on to the time-frame of the main working verb in the sentence.
“Piled up in the sink” refers to these dishes. Also, the simple past tense is used to show that the washing was done as a single action in the past. From a meaning standpoint, we could have either dishes “piled up in the sink” or the dishes “washed” by John. The sentence makes it seem as if both descriptions occurred at the same time. I’m not sure whether this is a completely logical description of events.
On the other hand, Answer choice (C), as stated above, lacks the verb “were” in the Relative Clause.
However, the sentence provided by answer (C) gives us a clearer picture of the sequence of events. Furthermore, this sequence of events seems logical.
“John began washing dishes that piled up in the sink.”
The implication of this sentence is that John is in the present or near-present time. The sentence discusses an ongoing action that John is performing. What is John doing? John began washing. The Direct Object being washed? The dishes.
More importantly, the relative pronoun “that” modifies “dishes,” telling us that these are dishes “that piled up in the sink” in the Past. This occurs before John began washing the dishes, a sequence of events that makes logical sense.
Although not perfect (very few of the upper level 700+ questions in the newer O.G.’s seem to be written in a perfect manner), I believe Answer Choice (C) fixes the Misplaced Modifier Issue in a way that clearly conveys the sequence of events and meaning of the intended sentence.
AndrewN , as always, is spot on. These subtle problems that show up in some of the unofficial questions should be looked at as exercises for us to stretch our brains. Sticking to the Official Questions for guidelines and rules is always the best course of action.
EDIT AFTER FURTHER REFLECTION:
Please ignore this explanation. A poor question, and an even worse response by me.
I guess we’ll have to wait and see what the final answer will be, C or D.
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