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Here is a detailed explanation to this question-
LithiumIon wrote:
Although Alice Walker published a number of essays, poetry collections, and stories during the 1970s, her third novel, The Color Purple,
which was published in 1982, brought her the widest acclaim in that it won both the National Book Award as well as the Pulitzer Prize.
(A) which was published in 1982, brought her the widest acclaim in that it won both the National Book Award as well as the Pulitzer Prize
(B) published in 1982, bringing her the widest acclaim by winning both the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize
(C) published in 1982, brought her the widest acclaim, winning both the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize
(D) was published in 1982 and which, winning both the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize, brought her the widest acclaim
(E) was published in 1982, winning both the National Book Award as well as the Pulitzer Prize, and bringing her the widest acclaim
2016
GMAT Official Guide, Question 13
Meaning is crucial to solving this problem:Understanding the intended meaning is key to solving this question; the intended core meaning of this sentence is that despite the fact that Alice Walker published a number of essays, poetry collections, and stories during the 1970s, her third novel brought her the widest acclaim, and as a result, it won both the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize.
Concepts tested here: Meaning + Modifiers + Grammatial Construction + Idioms + Awkwardness/Redundancy• “both A and B" or "A as well as B" are the correct usages; A and B must be parallel and comparable.
• The introduction of present participle ("verb+ing"- “winning” and "bringing" in this case) after comma generally leads to a cause-effect relationship.
A: This answer choice incorrectly uses "in that" to refer to a cause-effect relationship; remember, "because" is used to refer to a cause-effect relationship, and "in that" is used to refer to intrinsic properties. Further, Option A incorrectly uses the unidiomatic construction “both A as well as B”; remember, “both A and B" or "A as well as B" are the correct usages; A and B must be parallel and comparable. Additionally, Option A uses the needlessly wordy phrase "which was published in 1982", leading to awkwardness and redundancy.
B: This answer choice fails to form a complete sentence; as "published", "bringing", and "winning" are all modifiers, there is no active verb to act upon the subject, "her third novel".
C: Correct. This answer choice acts upon the independent noun phrase "her third novel" with the active verb "brought" to form a complete thought, leading to a complete sentence. Further, Option C uses the phrase " brought her the widest acclaim, winning both the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize"; the construction of this phrase and the use of the "comma + present participle ("verb+ing" - "winning" in this sentence)" construction convey the intended meaning - that despite the fact that Alice Walker published a number of essays, poetry collections, and stories during the 1970s,
her third novel brought her the widest acclaim, and, as a result of
bringing her the most acclaim, it won the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize. Further, Option C correctly uses the idiomatic construction "both A and B". Additionally, Option C avoids the idiom error seen in Option A, as it uses the "comma + present participle ("verb+ing" - "winning" in this sentence)" construction to convey a cause-effect relationship. Besides, Option C is free of any awkwardness or redundancy.
D: This answer choice uses the phrase "was published in 1982 and which...brought her the widest acclaim", forming an incoherent meaning; the intended meaning is that despite the fact that Alice Walker published a number of essays, poetry collections, and stories during the 1970s, her third novel brought her the widest acclaim.
E: This answer choice alters the meaning of the sentence through the phrase "was published in 1982, winning both the National Book Award as well as the Pulitzer Prize, and bringing her the widest acclaim"; the construction of this phrase and the use of the "comma + present participle ("verb+ing" - "winning" and "bringing" in this sentence) incorrectly imply that despite the fact that Alice Walker published a number of essays, poetry collections, and stories during the 1970s,
her third novel was published in 1982, and, as a result of
being published in 1982, it
both brought her the widest acclaim
and won the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize; the intended meaning is that despite the fact that Alice Walker published a number of essays, poetry collections, and stories during the 1970s,
her third novel brought her the widest acclaim, and, as a result of
bringing her the most acclaim, it won the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize; remember, the introduction of present participle ("verb+ing"- “winning” and "bringing" in this case) after comma generally leads to a cause-effect relationship. Further, Option E incorrectly uses the unidiomatic construction “both A as well as B”; remember, “both A and B" or "A as well as B" are the correct usages; A and B must be parallel and comparable.
Hence, C is the best answer choice.To understand the concept of "Comma Plus Present Participle for Cause-Effect Relationship", you may want to watch the following video (~3 minutes):
All the best!
Experts' Global Team