souvik101990 wrote:
Art experts have attributed the enduring intrigue of Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa to everything from
having an enigmatic smile, which was never explained, to her association with the rich and powerful families of Europe.
A .having an enigmatic smile, which was never explained
B. having an enigmatic smile, which has never been explained
C. her enigmatic smile, for which there has never been an explanation
D. her enigmatic smile, which has never been explained
E. having an enigmatic smile, for which there has never been an explanation
This question is part of the GMAT Club Sentence Correction : Parallelism" Revision Project. Official Solution (Credit: Manhattan Prep)
The original sentence contains two errors. First, the expression "from X to Y" requires that X and Y be in parallel form. Here, however, "having an enigmatic smile" and "her association with the rich and powerful families of Europe" are not parallel. The first is a verb construction while the second is a noun construction. Since the second construction is not underlined, the first construction must be altered. Second, the clause "which was never explained" incorrectly uses the simple past "was never explained." Instead, it should be in the present perfect ("has never been explained") because the potential for an explanation began in the past and continues to the present.
(A) This choice is incorrect as it repeats the original sentence.
(B) The parallelism error is not corrected here: "from having an enigmatic smile" is the same as in the original sentence. However, the present perfect tense ("has never been explained") is correctly used here.
(C) The parallelism error is corrected here: "her enigmatic smile" is parallel with "her association with the rich and powerful families of Europe." However, "for which there has never been an explanation" is wordy.
(D) CORRECT. Here, "her enigmatic smile" is parallel with "her association with the rich and powerful families of Europe." Moreover, "which has never been explained" is concise and properly in the present perfect tense.
(E) The parallelism error is not corrected here: "having an enigmatic smile" is the same as in the original sentence. Moreover, "for which there has never been an explanation" is wordy.