Sakoku, enacted by the Tokugawa Shogunate, was a policy under which a

Hi team,

Could you please provide an official explanation on how to distinguish A and B?

Regards.

Experts' Global Official Explanation:

Grammatical Construction + Idioms + Modifiers + Meaning + Redundancy/Awkwardness

Understanding the intended meaning is key to solving this question; the intended core meaning of this sentence is that under Sakoku, foreigners and Japanese individuals could not enter or leave Japan without the Shogun’s clearance.

• “neither A nor B” and “either A or B” are idiomatic constructions and are only used when referring to two elements; A and B must be parallel.

A. Trap. This answer choice incorrectly and unidiomatically uses “any” to modify “clearance”, leading to an incoherent meaning; logically, “clearance” cannot be partially granted; one either has clearance to perform an action or one does not.

B. Correct. This answer choice correctly modifies the clause “no foreigner or Japanese individual could enter or leave Japan” with the phrase “without the Shogun’s clearance”, conveying the intended meaning of the sentence- that under Sakoku, foreigners and Japanese individuals could not enter or leave Japan without the Shogun’s clearance. Further, Option B avoids the idiom error seen in Options D and E by using the “no A (foreigner) or B (Japanese individual)” construction. Additionally, Option B is free of any awkwardness or redundancy.

C. Trap. This answer choice incorrectly modifies the clause “a foreigner or Japanese individual could enter or leave Japan” with the phrase “without the Shogun’s clearance only”, incorrectly implying that a foreigner or Japanese individual could enter or leave Japan without the Shogun’s clearance; the intended meaning is that under Sakoku, foreigners and Japanese individuals could not enter or leave Japan without the Shogun’s clearance.

D. This answer choice incorrectly uses “only” to alter “enter or leave Japan”, incorrectly implying that under Sakoku neither foreigners nor Japanese individuals could only enter or leave Japan, without the Shogun’s clearance; the intended meaning is that under Sakoku, foreigners and Japanese individuals could not enter or leave Japan without the Shogun’s clearance. Further, Option D incorrectly uses the unidiomatic construction “neither A (foreigner) or B (Japanese individual)” rather than the idiomatic construction “neither A nor B”; please remember, “neither A nor B” and “either A or B” are idiomatic constructions and are only used when referring to two elements.

E. This answer choice incorrectly uses the unidiomatic construction “neither A (foreigner) or B (Japanese individual)” rather than the idiomatic construction “neither A nor B”; please remember, “neither A nor B” is a correct, idiomatic usage and is only used when referring to two elements. Further, Option E uses the passive voice constructions “to enter or leave Japan without the Shogun’s clearance” and “neither foreigner or Japanese individual could do”, rendering it needlessly indirect and wordy.

B is the best answer choice.

Experts' Global Video Explanation: