Intent: CC refused to accept a conventional wisdom, He had to endure a lot for the acceptance of a voyage.

A) Refusing to accept the conventional wisdom that the earth was flat, Christopher Columbus pressed tirelessly for royal support for a westward voyage to Asia, enduring several rejections before securing
Correct Answer as per the intent

B)Christopher Columbus refused to accept the conventional wisdom of the earth being flat; he pressed tirelessly for royal support for a westward voyage to Asia and endured several rejections, finally securing
Being - Earth was not in the process of being flat, it was thought to be flat -> Eliminate

C) Refusing to accept the conventional wisdom of the earth being flat, Christopher Columbus pressed tirelessly for royal support to sail westward to Asia and to endure several rejections; he finally secured
and conjunction is present without parallelism

D) Christopher Columbus not only refused to accept the conventional wisdom that the earth was flat, he pressed tirelessly for royal support for a westward voyage to Asia, endured several rejections, and he finally secured
Not Only X incorrectly used. No contrast is present.

E) Refusing to accept the conventional wisdom that the earth was flat, Christopher Columbus's effort was tireless in pressing for royal support for a westward voyage to Asia; he endured several rejections before the securing of
Effort wont Refuse -> Out
_________________

A) Refusing to accept the conventional wisdom that the earth was flat, Christopher Columbus pressed tirelessly for royal support for a westward voyage to Asia, enduring several rejections before securing - Correct

B)Christopher Columbus refused to accept the conventional wisdom of the earth being flat; he pressed tirelessly for royal support for a westward voyage to Asia and endured several rejections, finally securing - Wrong: 1) Distorts meaning 2) "being" makes it passive.

C) Refusing to accept the conventional wisdom of the earth being flat, Christopher Columbus pressed tirelessly for royal support to sail westward to Asia and to endure several rejections; he finally secured - Wrong: 1) Distorts meaning 2) "being" makes it passive 3) Idiom: Correct idiom is "support for".

D) Christopher Columbus not only refused to accept the conventional wisdom that the earth was flat, he pressed tirelessly for royal support for a westward voyage to Asia, endured several rejections, and he finally secured - Wrong: 1) "not only" is not followed by "but also". 2) Not parallel

E) Refusing to accept the conventional wisdom that the earth was flat, Christopher Columbus's effort was tireless in pressing for royal support for a westward voyage to Asia; he endured several rejections before the securing of - Wrong: 1) Modifier issue 2) Use of complex gerund "the securing of" instead of preferred present participle "securing". (

This question is based on Modifiers and Construction.

In Option A, the modifier “Refusing to accept the conventional wisdom that the earth was flat” is placed next to its appropriate subject – Christopher Columbus. The modifier at the end of the sentence - enduring several rejections before securing approval and financing from Spain's King Ferdinand in 1492 – also modifies the same subject. Therefore, A is the most appropriate option.

Option B contains the awkward phrase - the conventional wisdom of the earth being flat. Even if it had been phrased as such – the earth’s being…. – the phrase would be awkward and clumsy. In comparison to Option B, Option A is clearer. So, Option B can be eliminated.

The same awkward phrasing is repeated in Option C. Furthermore, the meaning is distorted in this option - Christopher Columbus pressed tirelessly for royal support to sail westward to Asia and to endure several rejections – this phrasing conveys the meaning that Columbus pressed for royal support to sail and to endure rejections. Since Columbus is unlikely to have pressed for support to endure rejections, Option C can also be eliminated.

Option D contains the error of comma splice. It has two main clauses one after the other joined by a comma. It also contains the correlative conjunction ‘not only’, which is generally paired with the conjunction ‘but also’. The pair of conjunctions is incomplete in this option. So, Option D can be eliminated.

Option E contains an error of modifier. “Christopher Columbus's effort” would not refuse to accept the conventional wisdom that the Earth was flat. So, Option E can also be eliminated.

Therefore, A is the most appropriate option.

Jayanthi Kumar.
_________________