The Emperor Augustus, it appears, commissioned an idealized sculpture

Question

The Emperor Augustus, it appears, commissioned an idealized sculpture portrait, the features of which are  so unrealistic as to constitute  what one scholar calls an "artificial face."

(A) so unrealistic as to constitute
(B) so unrealistic they constituted
(C) so unrealistic that they have constituted
(D) unrealistic enough so that they constitute
(E) unrealistic enough so as to constitute

The verbs  are  and  calls  indicate that the sculpture is being viewed and judged in the present.

Thus, neither the past tense verb  constituted  (in B) nor the present perfect verb  have constituted  (in C) is correct; both suggest that the statue’s features once constituted an artificial face but no longer do so.

Also, B would be better if that were inserted after so  unrealistic , although the omission of that is not ungrammatical.

Choices D and E use unidiomatic constructions with  enough: unrealistic enough to constitute  would be idiomatic, but the use of enough is imprecise and awkward in this context.

Choice A, which uses the clear, concise, and idiomatic construction  so unrealistic as to constitute , is best.

https://www.nytimes.com/1984/01/10/science/scholar-detectives-learn-how-augustus-idealized-his-image.html

THE Emperor Augustus, it seems,  had trouble with his image - and he fixed it just as many a polititian would today: with good public relations.

An idealized vision might well have persisted today had it not been for the recent detective work of archeologists and scholars, especially in West Germany, about the way Rome's first Emperor is shown in the more than 200 ancient sculptural portraits of him that have survived.

The researchers have concluded that around 27 B.C.  the Emperor commissioned  a model portrait head whose features were far more serene and ideal than those he bore in life. The adopted son of Julius Caesar, Augustus was born in 63 B.C., became sole ruler in 31 B.C., at the age of 32, and reigned until his death at 77, in A.D. 14.

Copies of Idealized Face

Faithful copies of this idealized prototype, they say, were made available for further copying by sculptors in Rome and elsewhere, and copies of it, and copies of copies, make up the majority of the surviving portraits.

In the sculptures of this variety, often called the Prima Porta type after a statue discovered at Prima Porta, just outside Rome,  the features are  so unrealistic as to constitute  an ''artificial face,''  according to Paul Zanker, director of the University of Munich's Institute of Classical Archeology. Professor Zanker's remarks, given in a lecture last summer, were published later last year in Forschung (Research), a journal published by the West German Institute for Research.

KarishmaB · Accepted Answer

The errors in this question deal with tenses and idioms.

so that shows purpose - I will go tomorrow so that she can join me.
Purpose of going tomorrow - she can join

so as to shows purpose too - I am planning to move so as to be closer to my parents' house.
Purpose of moving - to be closer to my parents' house.

so ... that ... - shows cause and effect - The bracelet was so expensive that I could not afford it. 
Cause - very expensive, Effect - I cannot afford

so ... as to ... shows cause and effect too - The hurricane was so devastating as to leave nothing standing. 
Cause - devastating hurricane, Effect - Nothing left standing

With enough, you should use "to" - The girl from Wisconsin was pretty enough to make it big in Hollywood.

As for the tenses, you should use present tense. 
the features of which  are  so unrealistic as to constitute what one scholar  calls  an "artificial face."
We are evaluating the features at present.

(A) so unrealistic as to constitute
(B) so unrealistic they constituted - that missing and uses past tense
(C) so unrealistic that they have constituted - Wrong tense. Present is needed, not present perfect
(D) unrealistic enough so that they constitute - enough to is needed
(E) unrealistic enough so as to constitute - enough to is needed

Note that "unrealistic enough" is a bit illogical since it is not a defined concept. We want to talk about how the sculptor took the features so far that they became unrealistic.

Answer (A)

yangsta8 · Answer

I choose A.

(A) so unrealistic as to constitute
"So X as to Y" is idiomatic.
(B) so unrealistic they constituted
"So X they Y" is unidiomatic.
(C) so unrealistic that they have constituted
Same as B. Also "have constituted" is unnecessary and indicates a continued action or effect.
(D) unrealistic enough so that they constitute
Awkward and unidiomatic.
(E) unrealistic enough so as to constitute
Awkward and unidiomatic.

keats · Answer

egmat 
 carcass

Can anyone explain what is the problem with choice C here. Why is Present Perfect incorrect ?

Carcass · Answer

OE

subrataroy0210 · Answer

The Emperor Augustus, it appears, commissioned an idealized sculptured portrait, the features of which are  so unrealistic as to constitute  what one scholar calls an “artificial face.”

Logical meaning: The features of the portrait are so unrealistic that they appear to constitute an "artificial face" as per one scholar.

(A) so unrealistic as to constitute

(B) so unrealistic they constituted  If the verb used for the scholar is 'calls' then the appropriate verb form in the underlined portion should be 'constitute'. The parts also are disconnected without a 'that'

(C) so unrealistic that they have constituted  The use of present perfect is unnecessary.

(D) unrealistic enough so that they constitute  The option suggests a purpose. The features were intentionally made unrealistic so that they constitute an artificial face. The option instills a sense of purpose and that goes against the logical meaning.

(E) unrealistic enough so as to constitute  This option brings in the idea that there's some criterion to be met for the features to be unrealistic and once they do they qualify to constitute an artificial face. This is not what the logical meaning of the sentence is.

Thus, option A.

BillyZ · Answer

Nevernevergiveup  You CAN use " so X as to Y " if  X  is an  adjective  or  adverb . " X enough to Y " is also idiomatic. You should, however, avoid "so X as to Y" if X is NOT an adjective or adverb.

The perfectly correct sentences: 
- Would you be  so  kind  as to  tell me the time? (Swan, "Practical English Usage," Oxford University Press 2005, p. 539) 
- Its smell was  so  foul  as to  make a lady faint.

sanpreetsingh · Answer

A - hold
B,C,D - Incorrect "They" is referencing to the singular noun portrait --> Pronoun agreement error. 
E - wordy, "unrealistic enough" is awkward.

Hence, Answer is A.

teaserbae · Answer

aragonn   GMATNinja   Vyshak   generis   broall   daagh   AjiteshArun

I rejected B as idiom error
D and E has error enough so
Why C is wrong ?

daagh · Answer

In C, 'have constituted' is a shift of tense from ' were', and 'commissioned' which are past tense verbs.

teaserbae · Answer

daagh 
The features of which are , there is present tense also

daagh · Answer

sorry I mistook 'are' as 'were'. But even then, 'have constituted' will be wrong because, if it has to sync with 'are', then it must say ' constitute' rather the present perfect 'have constituted'. 'Have constituted' puts a cap on the features while are gives an inherentness and everness.

generis · Answer

teaserbae  , you correctly focused on the verb ARE in the non-underlined portion. CALLS gives another hint.
Try to focus on meaning, not just rules.

The Emperor Augustus, it appears, commissioned an idealized sculpture portrait,  the features of which  are   so unrealistic as to constitute  what one scholar  calls  an "artificial face."

The first part of the sentence is meant to distract us, to make us think that the Emperor's action matters.
What part of this sentence is truly the issue?

Underlined portion? It's in a relative clause that begins with WHICH and describes features.
Now examine the verbs before and after the underlined part:  are  and  calls.  Both are present tense.*

The features of the statue ARE in the present. (The author is observing and describing those features in the present.)
A scholar in the present CALLS these features "___"

C)   have constituted
The author is not in the past. The scholar is not in the past. 
 Why are the features (being observed and described in the present) suddenly jumping into the past?

(C) "have constituted" incorrectly propels the features into the past.
It incorrectly implies that features are no longer unrealistic.

If necessary, compare to (A). Why prefer (C) over (A)?

Hope that helps.

*We are no longer concerned with what Emperor A did.

RohitSaluja · Answer

Hi  VeritasKarishma   EducationAisle

I know we have other issues with C and D but I wanted to check if the pronoun 'they' is logical in the sentence? Is it the "features that constitute to artificial face" or "the scultpure that constitute to artifical face". If it's the second one then we can also eliminate C/D for that reasons right without going into whole idiom issues. Appreciate your time and help

KarishmaB · Answer

'They' can logically refer to the plural noun 'features' only. The features are what constitute an artificial face. So use of 'they' is not a problem.

CainC · Answer

I'm good with the options and the answer. But I'm so confused about the sentence structure:

The Emperor Augustus(S) , it appears,  commissioned(V)   an idealized sculpture portrait(O) ,  the features of which are so unrealistic as to constitute what one scholar calls an "artificial face."(modifier)

what is the role "it appears" here plays?

what does "it" refer?

and "it appears" seems like a complete sentence, why the whole sentence not run-on?

Tanchat · Answer

Dear experts,

Why present perfect in (C) is wrong?

ExpertsGlobal5 · Answer

Hello  Tanchat ,

We hope this finds you well.

To answer your query, the use of the simple present tense verb "are" indicates that the action of the features being unrealistic is an action that takes place in the current time frame, thus the action of these features constituting an "artificial face" must also logically take place in the current time frame.

Therefore, the use of the present perfect tense is incorrect because present perfect tense is used to refer to actions that concluded in the past but continue to affect the present.

To understand the concept of "Present Perfect Tense" on GMAT, you may want to watch the following video (~2 minutes):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNmT9obXukI

All the best!
Experts' Global Team

achloes · Answer

“So X as to Y” → when characteristic X is so extreme that Y results

In this question: 
X = unrealistic 
Y = constitute an "artificial face"

“X enough to Y” → when X is the criteria by which an ability to achieve Y is measured. Also conveys the subject's intent

An example based on this question would be: 
 The Emperor Augustus commissioned an idealized sculpture portrait that is perfect enough to be hung in the ballroom.

The Emperor Augustus, it appears, commissioned an idealized sculpture

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GMAT Sentence Correction (SC - EA only) Questions

The Emperor Augustus, it appears, commissioned an idealized sculpture

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