Dear Friends,
Here is a detailed explanation to this question-
Balvinder wrote:
The themes that Rita Dove explores in her poetry is universal, encompassing much of the human condition while occasionally she deals with racial issues.
A. is universal, encompassing much of the human condition while occasionally she deals
B. is universal, encompassing much of the human condition, also occasionally it deals
C. are universal, they encompass much of the human condition and occasionally deals
D. are universal, encompassing much of the human condition while occasionally dealing
E. are universal, they encompass much of the human condition, also occasionally are dealing
Meaning is crucial to solving this problem:
Understanding the intended meaning is key to solving this question; the intended meaning of this sentence is that the themes that Rita Dove explores in her poetry are universal because these themes encompass much of the human condition and simultaneously on occasion deal with racial issues.
Concepts tested here: Subject-Verb Agreement + Meaning + Grammatical Construction + Parallelism• Semicolons and the “comma + conjunction” construction are used to link two independent clauses; commas are used to link an independent clause with a dependent one; comma cannot be used to join two independent clauses.
• Any elements linked by a conjunction ("also" and "while" in this case) must be parallel.
• If a list contains only two elements, they must be joined with a conjunction.
A: This answer choice incorrectly refers to the plural noun "themes" with the singular verb "is". Further, Option A alters the meaning of the sentence with the phrase "while occasionally she deals"; the construction of this phrase incorrectly implies that
Rita Dove occasionally deals with racial issues; the intended meaning is that
the themes that Rita Dove explores in her poetry occasionally deal with racial issues.
B: This answer choice incorrectly refers to the plural noun "themes" with the singular verb "is". Further, Option A alters the meaning of the sentence with the phrase "also occasionally it deals"; the construction of this phrase incorrectly implies that the themes that Rita Dove explores in her poetry are universal because these themes encompass much of the human condition, and
as a separate action Rita Dove's poetry occasionally deals with racial issues; the intended meaning is that the themes that Rita Dove explores in her poetry are universal because these themes encompass much of the human condition
and because the
themes simultaneously on occasion deal with racial issues.
C: This answer choice incorrectly refers to the plural noun "themes" with the singular verb "deals". Further, Option C incorrectly uses a comma to join the independent clauses "The themes that Rita Dove explores in her poetry are universal" and "they encompass much of the human condition and occasionally deals with racial issues"; remember, semicolons and the “comma + conjunction” construction are used to link two independent clauses; commas are used to link an independent clause with a dependent one; comma cannot be used to join two independent clauses.
D: Correct. This answer choice correctly refers to the plural noun "themes" with the plural verb "are" and avoids the subject-verb disagreement seen in Option C, as it uses the present participle ("verb+ing" - "dealing" in this sentence) rather than an active verb. Further, Option D correctly uses the phrase "while occasionally dealing", conveying the intended meaning - that the themes that Rita Dove explores in her poetry are universal because these themes encompass much of the human condition
and because the
themes simultaneously on occasion deal with racial issues. Additionally, Option D correctly uses a comma to join the independent clause "The themes that Rita Dove explores in her poetry are universal" to the dependent clause "encompassing much of the human condition while occasionally dealing". Moreover, Option D correctly uses conjunction ("while" in this case) to join two elements in a list "encompassing much of the human condition" and "occasionally dealing with racial issues". Besides, Option D correctly maintains parallelism between "encompassing much of the human condition" and "occasionally dealing with racial issues".
E: This answer choice fails to maintain parallelism between "they encompass much of the human condition" and "are dealing with racial issues"; remember, any elements linked by a conjunction ("also" in this case) must be parallel. Further, Option E incorrectly uses a comma to join the independent clauses "The themes that Rita Dove explores in her poetry are universal" and "they encompass much of the human condition"; remember, semicolons and the “comma + conjunction” construction are used to link two independent clauses; commas are used to link an independent clause with a dependent one; comma cannot be used to join two independent clauses. Additionally, Option E incorrectly uses the "comma + conjunction ("also" in this sentence)" to join two elements in a list; remember, if a list contains only two elements, they must be joined with a conjunction.
Hence, D is the best answer choice.To understand the use of punctuations on GMAT, you may want to watch the following video (~10 minutes):
All the best!
Experts' Global Team