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Here is a detailed explanation to this question-
nakib77 wrote:
A New York City ordinance of 1897 regulated the use of bicycles, mandated a maximum speed of eight miles an hour, required of cyclists to keep feet on pedals and hands on handlebars at all times, and it granted pedestrians right-of-way.
(A) regulated the use of bicycles, mandated a maximum speed of eight miles an hour, required of cyclists to keep feet on pedals and hands on handlebars at all times, and it granted
(B) regulated the use of bicycles, mandated a maximum speed of eight miles an hour, required cyclists to keep feet on pedals and hands on handlebars at all times, granting
(C) regulating the use of bicycles mandated a maximum speed of eight miles an hour, required cyclists that they keep feet on pedals and hands on handlebars at all times, and it granted
(D) regulating the use of bicycles, mandating a maximum speed of eight miles an hour, requiring of cyclists that they keep feet on pedals and hands on handlebars at all times, and granted
(E) regulating the use of bicycles mandated a maximum speed of eight miles an hour, required cyclists to keep feet on pedals and hands on handlebars at all times, and granted
Source : GMATPrep Default Exam Pack
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 a New York City ordinance of 1897 regulating the use of bicycles mandated a maximum speed of eight miles an hour, required cyclists to keep feet on pedals and hands on handlebars at all times, and granted pedestrians right of way.
Concepts tested here: Meaning + Parallelism + Grammatical Construction• All elements in a list must be parallel.
• A list separated by commas represents similar elements; in this case, the phrases involved have different roles in the correct meaning of the sentence.
• The introduction of the present participle ("verb+ing"- “granting” in this case) after comma generally leads to a cause-effect relationship.
A: This answer choice incorrectly places "regulated the use of bicycles", "mandated a maximum speed of eight miles an hour", "required...all time", and "it granted...way" together in a list; remember, a list separated by commas represents similar elements; in this case, the phrases involved have different roles in the correct meaning of the sentence; "regulated" is the primary purpose of the ordinance, and "mandated", "required", and "granted" are subordinate actions. Further, Option A fails to maintain parallelism among "regulated the use of bicycles", "mandated a maximum speed of eight miles an hour", "required...all time", and "it granted...way"; please remember, all elements in a list must be parallel.
B: This answer choice incorrectly places "regulated the use of bicycles", "mandated a maximum speed of eight miles an hour", and "required...all time" together in a list; remember, a list separated by commas represents similar elements; in this case, the phrases involved have different roles in the correct meaning of the sentence; "regulated" is the primary purpose of the ordinance, and "mandated" and "required". Further, Option B alters the meaning of the question through the phrase "granting pedestrians right-of-way"; the use of the "comma + present participle ("verb+ing"- “granting” in this case)" construction incorrectly implies that the ordinance required cyclists to keep feet on pedals and hands on handlebars at all times, and
as a result, granted pedestrians the right of way; the intended meaning is that the ordinance required cyclists to keep feet on pedals and hands on handlebars at all times, and
as a separate action, granted pedestrians the right of way; remember, the introduction of the present participle ("verb+ing"- “granting” in this case) after comma generally leads to a cause-effect relationship.
C: This answer choice alters the meaning of the sentence through the phrase "required cyclists that they keep feet on pedals and hands on handlebars at all times"; the construction of this phrase leads to an incoherent meaning; the intended meaning is that the ordinance required cyclists to keep feet on pedals and hands on handlebars at all times. Further, Option C fails to maintain parallelism among "mandated a maximum speed of eight miles an hour", "required...all time", and "it granted...way"; please remember, all elements in a list must be parallel.
D: This answer choice fails to form a complete sentence; "regulating", "mandating", and "requiring" are all present participles ("verb+ing") acting as noun modifiers, and "granted" is part of a dependent clause, so there is no independent verb to act upon the subject - ordinance.
E: Correct. This answer choice acts upon the subject - "ordinance" - with the active verbs "mandated", "required", and "granted" to form a complete thought, leading to a complete sentence. Further, Option E uses the phrases "required cyclists to...all times" and "granted pedestrians right of way", conveying the intended meaning - that the ordinance required cyclists to keep feet on pedals and hands on handlebars at all times and,
as a separate action, granted pedestrians right of way. Additionally, Option E correctly places only the similar elements - "mandated a maximum speed of eight miles an hour", "required...all time", and "granted...way" - in a list together; these three phrases all refer to actions subordinate to "regulating the use of bicycles". Besides, Option E maintains parallelism among "mandated a maximum speed of eight miles an hour", "required...all time", and "granted...way".
Hence, E is the best answer choice.To understand the concept of "Comma + Present Participle for Cause-Effect Relationship" on GMAT, you may want to watch the following video (~3 minutes):
All the best!
Experts' Global Team