Dear Friends,
Here is a detailed explanation to this question-
stevegt wrote:
The first shots of the American Revolution, fired at Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts, were, according to legend, heard around the world, but news of these shots, which were sent by swift messenger, took four days in reaching New York City as well as another additional eleven days to reach Charleston, South Carolina.
(A) shots, which were sent by swift messenger, took four days in reaching New York City as well as another additional eleven days
(B) shots that was sent by swift messenger took four days in order to reach New York City, and also another eleven days
(C) shots that were sent by swift messenger took four days to reach New York City and another eleven days
(D) shots took four days by swift messenger in order to reach New York City and another eleven days in addition
(E) shots took four days by swift messenger to reach New York City and another eleven days
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 the first shots of the American Revolution were, according to legend, heard around the world, but news of these shots took four days by swift messenger to reach New York City and another eleven days to reach Charleston, South Carolina.
Concepts tested here: Subject-Verb Agreement + Meaning + Modifiers + Verb Forms + Awkwardness/Redundancy• For referring to the purpose or intent of an action, the infinitive verb form (“to + base form of verb" - "to + reach" in this sentence) is preferred over the present participle ("verb+ing" - "reaching" in this sentence) construction.
• If a list contains only two elements, they must be joined by a conjunction.
A: This answer choice incorrectly refers to the singular noun "news" with the plural verb "were". Further, Option A uses the present participle ("verb+ing" - "reaching" in this sentence) to refer to the purpose of the action "took four days"; remember, for referring to the purpose or intent of an action, the infinitive verb form (“to + base form of verb") is preferred over the present participle ("verb+ing" - "reaching" in this sentence) construction. Additionally, Option A uses the needlessly wordy phrases "which were sent by swift messenger" and "another additional", leading to awkwardness and redundancy.
B: This answer choice alters the meaning of the sentence through the phrase "that was sent by swift messenger"; the construction of this phrase incorrectly implies that that
specific news about the shots
that was sent by swift messenger took four days to reach New York; the intended meaning is that news about the shots was,
in general, sent by swift messenger and took four days to reach New York. Further, Option B incorrectly uses the "comma + conjunction ("and" in this case)" construction to join two elements in a list; please remember, if a list contains only two elements, they must be joined by a conjunction. Additionally, Option B uses the needlessly wordy phrase "in order to" and "and also", leading to awkwardness and redundancy.
C: Trap. This answer choice incorrectly refers to the singular noun "news" with the plural verb "were". Further, Option C alters the meaning of the sentence through the phrase "that were sent by swift messenger"; the construction of this phrase incorrectly implies that that
specific news about the shots
that was sent by swift messenger took four days to reach New York; the intended meaning is that news about the shots was,
in general, sent by swift messenger and took four days to reach New York.
D: This answer choice uses the needlessly wordy phrase "in order to" and redundantly uses "another" alongside "in addition", rendering it awkward and needlessly wordy.
E: Correct. This answer choice correctly refers to the singular noun "news" with the verb "took", which refers to both plural and singular nouns. Further, Option E uses the phrase "took four days by swift messenger", conveying the intended meaning - that news about the shots was,
in general, sent by swift messenger and took four days to reach New York. Additionally, Option E correctly uses conjunction ("and" in this case) to join two elements in a list. Additionally, Option E uses the infinitive verb form ("to + base form of verb" - "to + reach" in this sentence) to refer to the purpose of the action "took four days". Besides, Option E is free of any awkwardness or redundancy.
Hence, E is the best answer choice.To understand the concept of "Infinitive" vs "Present Participle" on GMAT, you may want to watch the following video (~2 minutes):
All the best!
Experts' Global Team
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