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The first trenches that were cut into a 500-acre site at Tell Hamoukar

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The first trenches that were cut into a 500-acre site at Tell Hamoukar [#permalink] New post   Updated on: 12 Jun 2021, 14:15
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The first trenches that were cut into a 500-acre site at Tell Hamoukar, Syria, have yielded strong evidence for centrally administered complex societies in northern regions of the Middle East that were arising simultaneously with but independently of the more celebrated city-states of southern Mesopotamia, in what is now southern Iraq.


(A) that were cut into a 500-acre site at Tell Hamoukar, Syria, have yielded strong evidence for centrally administered complex societies in northern regions of the Middle East that were arising simultaneously with but

(B) that were cut into a 500-acre site at Tell Hamoukar, Syria, yields strong evidence that centrally administered complex societies in northern regions of the Middle East were arising simultaneously with but also

(C) having been cut into a 500-acre site at Tell Hamoukar, Syria, have yielded strong evidence that centrally administered complex societies in northern regions of the Middle East were arising simultaneously but

(D) cut into a 500-acre site at Tell Hamoukar, Syria, yields strong evidence of centrally administered complex societies in northern regions of the Middle East arising simultaneously but also

(E) cut into a 500-acre site at Tell Hamoukar, Syria, have yielded strong evidence that centrally administered complex societies in northern regions of the Middle East arose simultaneously with but


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https://www.nytimes.com/2000/05/23/science/ruins-alter-ideas-of-how-civilization-spread.html

The first trenches cut into the large 500-acre site, Tell Hamoukar, have yielded strong evidence that centrally administered complex societies in northern regions of the Middle East apparently arose simultaneously but independently of the more celebrated city-states of southern Mesopotamia, in what is now southern Iraq. In the conventional view, civilization was thought to begin solely in the south and then move north through trade and colonization.

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E

Originally posted by jerrywu on 28 Aug 2006, 10:59.
Last edited by Bunuel on 12 Jun 2021, 14:15, edited 2 times in total.
Renamed the topic and edited the question.
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Re: The first trenches that were cut into a 500-acre site at Tell Hamoukar [#permalink] New post   Updated on: 03 Apr 2019, 13:54
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Hello Everyone!

Let's take a look at this question, one issue at a time, and narrow it down to the correct answer! To begin, let's take a quick look at the question and highlight any major differences between the options in orange:

The first trenches that were cut into a 500-acre site at Tell Hamoukar, Syria, have yielded strong evidence for centrally administered complex societies in northern regions of the Middle East that were arising simultaneously with but independently of the more celebrated city-states of southern Mesopotamia, in what is now southern Iraq.

(A) that were cut into a 500-acre site at Tell Hamoukar, Syria, have yielded strong evidence for centrally administered complex societies in northern regions of the Middle East that were arising simultaneously with but
(B) that were cut into a 500-acre site at Tell Hamoukar, Syria, yields strong evidence that centrally administered complex societies in northern regions of the Middle East were arising simultaneously with but also
(C) having been cut into a 500-acre site at Tell Hamoukar, Syria, have yielded strong evidence that centrally administered complex societies in northern regions of the Middle East were arising simultaneously but
(D) cut into a 500-acre site at Tell Hamoukar, Syria, yields strong evidence of centrally administered complex societies in northern regions of the Middle East arising simultaneously but also
(E) cut into a 500-acre site at Tell Hamoukar, Syria, have yielded strong evidence that centrally administered complex societies in northern regions of the Middle East arose simultaneously with but

After a quick glance over the options, a few key differences jumped out:

1. that were cut / having been cut / cut
2. have yielded vs. yields
3. how each option ends (hint: it's a parallelism issue)

The best one for us to start with is actually #2 on our list: have yielded vs. yields. This is the best place to start because regardless of which one we choose, we'll eliminate 2-3 options rather quickly. Since these are both verbs, we should check to make sure they agree with the subject:

The first trenches that were cut into a 500-acre site at Tell Hamoukar, Syria, have yielded strong evidence for centrally administered complex societies in northern regions of the Middle East that were arising simultaneously with but independently of the more celebrated city-states of southern Mesopotamia, in what is now southern Iraq.

Since the subject of the sentence is plural, we need to make sure the verbs we use are also plural. Let's see how each option breaks down:

(A) that were cut into a 500-acre site at Tell Hamoukar, Syria, have yielded strong evidence for centrally administered complex societies in northern regions of the Middle East that were arising simultaneously with but
(B) that were cut into a 500-acre site at Tell Hamoukar, Syria, yields strong evidence that centrally administered complex societies in northern regions of the Middle East were arising simultaneously with but also
(C) having been cut into a 500-acre site at Tell Hamoukar, Syria, have yielded strong evidence that centrally administered complex societies in northern regions of the Middle East were arising simultaneously but
(D) cut into a 500-acre site at Tell Hamoukar, Syria, yields strong evidence of centrally administered complex societies in northern regions of the Middle East arising simultaneously but also
(E) cut into a 500-acre site at Tell Hamoukar, Syria, have yielded strong evidence that centrally administered complex societies in northern regions of the Middle East arose simultaneously with but

We can eliminate options B and D because they use the singular "yields" with the plural subject "trenches," which doesn't agree.

Now that we're down to 3 options, let's go back and take a look at #1 and #3 on our list. We need to make sure that we're being as clear and concise as possible here, so let's rule out any options that are overly wordy, unclear, or don't use parallel structure:

(A) that were cut into a 500-acre site at Tell Hamoukar, Syria, have yielded strong evidence for centrally administered complex societies in northern regions of the Middle East that were arising simultaneously with but

This is INCORRECT because it's overly wordy. There is no difference between saying "that were cut" and "cut" in this sentence, so why add unnecessary extras? We also have an idiom problem with the phrase "evidence for." In English, we say "evidence of," "evidence that," or "evidence which," but we do NOT say "evidence for."

(C) having been cut into a 500-acre site at Tell Hamoukar, Syria, have yielded strong evidence that centrally administered complex societies in northern regions of the Middle East were arising simultaneously but

Again, this is INCORRECT because the phrase "having been cut" is overly wordy and awkward. You can just say "cut" and it conveys essentially the same thing. There's also a parallelism issue here, too! Here's the problem - both items need to work with the phrase "southern Mesopotamia" directly after them:

were arising simultaneously but independently of southern Mesopotamia --> NOT PARALLEL
were arising simultaneously with but independently of southern Mesopotamia --> PARALLEL

(E) cut into a 500-acre site at Tell Hamoukar, Syria, have yielded strong evidence that centrally administered complex societies in northern regions of the Middle East arose simultaneously with but

This is CORRECT! It's clear, concise, follow idiom rules, and uses parallel structure.


There you have it - option E is the correct choice!


Don't study for the GMAT. Train for it.

Originally posted by EMPOWERgmatVerbal on 09 Jan 2019, 16:30.
Last edited by EMPOWERgmatVerbal on 03 Apr 2019, 13:54, edited 1 time in total.
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The first trenches that were cut into a 500-acre site at Tell Hamoukar [#permalink] New post   Updated on: 31 Aug 2022, 05:31
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Dear Friends,

Here is a detailed explanation to this question-
jerrywu wrote:
The first trenches that were cut into a 500-acre site at Tell Hamoukar, Syria, have yielded strong evidence for centrally administered complex societies in northern regions of the Middle East that were arising simultaneously with but independently of the more celebrated city-states of southern Mesopotamia, in what is now southern Iraq.


(A) that were cut into a 500-acre site at Tell Hamoukar, Syria, have yielded strong evidence for centrally administered complex societies in northern regions of the Middle East that were arising simultaneously with but

(B) that were cut into a 500-acre site at Tell Hamoukar, Syria, yields strong evidence that centrally administered complex societies in northern regions of the Middle East were arising simultaneously with but also

(C) having been cut into a 500-acre site at Tell Hamoukar, Syria, have yielded strong evidence that centrally administered complex societies in northern regions of the Middle East were arising simultaneously but

(D) cut into a 500-acre site at Tell Hamoukar, Syria, yields strong evidence of centrally administered complex societies in northern regions of the Middle East arising simultaneously but also

(E) cut into a 500-acre site at Tell Hamoukar, Syria, have yielded strong evidence that centrally administered complex societies in northern regions of the Middle East arose simultaneously with but



Concepts tested here: Subject-Verb Agreement + Tenses + Parallelism + Idioms + Awkwardness/Redundancy

• Any elements linked by a conjunction ("but" in this sentence) must be parallel.
• The simple past tense is used to refer to events that concluded in the past.
• The present perfect tense (marked by the use of the helping verb “has/have”) is used to describe events that concluded in the past but continue to affect the present.
• The simple present tense is used to indicate actions taking place in the current time frame, indicate habitual actions, state universal truths, and convey information that is permanent in nature.
• The simple past continuous tense is used to refer to actions that were ongoing over a period of time in the past.
• Present participles ("verb+ing" – “having” and “arising” in this sentence) are used to modify nouns, refer to ongoing events in any time period, and (when preceded by a comma) express cause-effect relationships.
• In modifying a noun, the past participle implies that the noun took an action that concluded in the past.
• "evidence of + noun" and "evidence that + clause" are the correct, idiomatic constructions.

A: Trap. This answer choice incorrectly uses the simple past continuous tense verb "were arising" to refer to an action that concluded in the past; please remember, the simple past tense is used to refer to events that concluded in the past, and the simple past continuous tense is used to refer to actions that were ongoing over a period of time in the past. Further, Option A incorrectly uses the unidiomatic construction "evidence for"; please remember, "evidence of + noun" and "evidence that + clause" are the correct, idiomatic constructions. Additionally, Option A uses the needlessly wordy phrase "that were cut", leading to awkwardness and redundancy.

B: This answer choice incorrectly refers to the plural noun "trenches" with the singular noun "yields". Further, Option B incorrectly uses the simple present tense verb "yields" to refer to an action that concluded in the past but continues to affect the present; please remember, the present perfect tense (marked by the use of the helping verb “has/have”) is used to describe events that concluded in the past but continue to affect the present, and the simple present tense is used to indicate actions taking place in the current time frame, indicate habitual actions, state universal truths, and convey information that is permanent in nature. Additionally, Option B incorrectly uses the simple past continuous tense verb "were arising" to refer to an action that concluded in the past; please remember, the simple past tense is used to refer to events that concluded in the past, and the simple past continuous tense is used to refer to actions that were ongoing over a period of time in the past.

C: This answer choice incorrectly uses the present participle phrase ("verb+ing" - "having" in this sentence) "having been cut" to refer to an action that concluded in the past; please remember, the simple past tense is used to refer to events that concluded in the past, and present participles ("verb+ing" – “having” in this sentence) are used to modify nouns, refer to ongoing events in any time period, and (when preceded by a comma) express cause-effect relationships. Further, Option C incorrectly uses the simple past continuous tense verb "were arising" to refer to an action that concluded in the past; please remember, the simple past tense is used to refer to events that concluded in the past, and the simple past continuous tense is used to refer to actions that were ongoing over a period of time in the past. Additionally, Option C fails to maintain parallelism between "arising simultaneously" and "independently of"; please remember, any elements linked by a conjunction ("but" in this sentence) must be parallel.

D: This answer choice incorrectly refers to the plural noun "trenches" with the singular noun "yields". Further, Option D incorrectly uses the simple present tense verb "yields" to refer to an action that concluded in the past but continues to affect the present; please remember, the present perfect tense (marked by the use of the helping verb “has/have”) is used to describe events that concluded in the past but continue to affect the present, and the simple present tense is used to indicate actions taking place in the current time frame, indicate habitual actions, state universal truths, and convey information that is permanent in nature. Moreover, Option D incorrectly uses the present participle ("verb+ing" - "arising" in this sentence) to refer to an action that concluded in the past; please remember, the simple past tense is used to refer to events that concluded in the past, and present participles ("verb+ing" – “arising” in this sentence) are used to modify nouns, refer to ongoing events in any time period, and (when preceded by a comma) express cause-effect relationships. Additionally, Option D fails to maintain parallelism between "arising simultaneously" and "independently of"; please remember, any elements linked by a conjunction ("but also" in this sentence) must be parallel. Besides, Option D uses the needlessly wordy phrase "but also", leading to awkwardness and redundancy.

E: Correct. This answer choice correctly refers to the plural noun "trenches" with the plural verb "have yielded". Further, Option E correctly uses the past participle "cut" to refer to an action that concluded in the past; please remember, in modifying a noun, the past participle implies that the noun took an action that concluded in the past. Moreover, Option E correctly uses the simple past tense verb "arose" to refer to an event that concluded in the past and uses the present perfect tense verb "have yielded" to refer to an action that concluded in the past but continues to affect the present. Additionally, Option E maintains parallelism between "simultaneously with" and "independently of". Plus, Option E correctly uses the idiomatic construction "evidence that + clause". Besides, Option D is free of any awkwardness or redundancy.

Hence, E is the best answer choice.

To understand the concept of "Simple Tenses" on GMAT, you may want to watch the following video (~1 minute):



To understand the concept of "Simple Continuous Tenses" on GMAT, you may want to watch the following video (~1 minute):



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



All the best!
Experts' Global Team

Originally posted by ExpertsGlobal5 on 21 Nov 2021, 07:09.
Last edited by ExpertsGlobal5 on 31 Aug 2022, 05:31, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: The first trenches that were cut into a 500-acre site at Tell Hamoukar [#permalink] New post   15 Apr 2021, 04:26
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The first trenches that were cut into a 500-acre site at Tell Hamoukar, Syria, have yielded strong evidence for centrally administered complex societies in northern regions of the Middle East that were arising simultaneously with but independently of the more celebrated city-states of southern Mesopotamia, in what is now southern Iraq.


(A) that were cut into a 500-acre site at Tell Hamoukar, Syria, have yielded strong evidence for centrally administered complex societies in northern regions of the Middle East that were arising simultaneously with but

(B) that were cut into a 500-acre site at Tell Hamoukar, Syria, yields strong evidence that centrally administered complex societies in northern regions of the Middle East were arising simultaneously with but also

(C) having been cut into a 500-acre site at Tell Hamoukar, Syria, have yielded strong evidence that centrally administered complex societies in northern regions of the Middle East were arising simultaneously but

(D) cut into a 500-acre site at Tell Hamoukar, Syria, yields strong evidence of centrally administered complex societies in northern regions of the Middle East arising simultaneously but also

(E) cut into a 500-acre site at Tell Hamoukar, Syria, have yielded strong evidence that centrally administered complex societies in northern regions of the Middle East arose simultaneously with but

The use of evidence for/of is not idiomatic and is incorrect in the given sentence. What have they yielded?
Trenches (subject) cut into..(modifier) have yielded (verb) evidence (what is the evidence?) that centrally…

Options that use “evidence of/for” are incorrect- A, D.

that were arising- “that” is ambiguous. What does that refer to? Complex societies? Or northern regions?
"Trenches" cut into a 500-acre site is more concise compared to “trenches that were cut into a 500-acre site”- Eliminate A and B.
The preposition “with” is missing in options C and D. It should be simultaneously with and independently of. Eliminate C and D

(E) cut into a 500-acre site at Tell Hamoukar, Syria, have yielded strong evidence that centrally administered complex societies in northern regions of the Middle East arose simultaneously with but

E is correct.

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Re: The first trenches that were cut into a 500-acre site at Tell Hamoukar [#permalink] New post   28 Aug 2006, 12:46
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i have doubt with option E.
"cut into a 500-acre site at Tell Hamoukar, Syria, have yielded strong evidence that centrally administered complex societies in northern regions of the Middle East arose simultaneously with but"
"The first trenches cut into........." is a clause.
I think cut is a verb for the subject "first trenches"......Now in the same sentence, another verb "have yielded" too stands fr the subject "The first trenches"
So my doubt is hwo can there be two verb fr the same subject, when there is no connector.

Consider kudos if my post helps!!!!!

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Re: The first trenches that were cut into a 500-acre site at Tell Hamoukar [#permalink] New post   07 Aug 2010, 17:32
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Ok,I did POE and reached at E

First subject is trenches --- anywhere you see yields is out , B and D - out

left with A, C and E - having is almost always wrong on gmat - quickly eliminated C

A has got evidence for and E has got evidence that

evidence that is correct - So,E
Also, not sure whether were arising is correct in A , since the question talks about past - arose is better
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Re: The first trenches that were cut into a 500-acre site at Tell Hamoukar [#permalink] New post   04 Mar 2012, 21:28
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Can some one explain "why A is wrong"?.

E: States: Trenches cut into a 500-acre site . How can Trenches cut themselves?
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Re: The first trenches that were cut into a 500-acre site at Tell Hamoukar [#permalink] New post   05 Feb 2013, 03:48
The first trenches that were cut into a 500-acre site at Tell Hamoukar, Syria, have yielded strong evidence for centrally administered complex societies in northern regions of the Middle East that were arising simultaneously with but independently of the more celebrated city-states of southern Mesopotamia, in what is now southern Iraq.
(A) that were cut into a 500-acre site at Tell Hamoukar, Syria, have yielded strong evidence for centrally administered complex societies in northern regions of the Middle East that were arising simultaneously with but
(B) that were cut into a 500-acre site at Tell Hamoukar, Syria, yields strong evidence that centrally administered complex societies in northern regions of the Middle East were arising simultaneously with but also
(C) having been cut into a 500-acre site at Tell Hamoukar, Syria, have yielded strong evidence that centrally administered complex societies in northern regions of the Middle East were arising simultaneously but
(D) cut into a 500-acre site at Tell Hamoukar, Syria, yields strong evidence of centrally administered complex societies in northern regions of the Middle East arising simultaneously but also
(E) cut into a 500-acre site at Tell Hamoukar, Syria, have yielded strong evidence that centrally administered complex societies in northern regions of the Middle East arose simultaneously with but

Have issues with the use of "that",I have read forums for the discussion about this one.
Although I accept that "evidence for" is wrongly used and "evidence that" is the right usage, some discussions said about the use of "that"
Why don't we need "that" after trenches ?
How do we know that author is talking about "first trenches" or he is talking about the "first trenches that were cut into"?
And for the second "that" used after "Middle East" is there any reason why it is wrongly used other than that it modifies "middle east" ,although it should have modified "societies"
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Re: The first trenches that were cut into a 500-acre site at Tell Hamoukar [#permalink] New post   05 Feb 2013, 12:06
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fameatop wrote:
The first trenches that were cut into a 500-acre site at Tell Hamoukar, Syria, have yielded strong evidence for centrally administered complex societies in northern regions of the Middle East that were arising simultaneously with but independently of the more celebrated city-states of southern Mesopotamia, in what is now southern Iraq.
(A) that were cut into a 500-acre site at Tell Hamoukar, Syria, have yielded strong evidence for centrally administered complex societies in northern regions of the Middle East that were arising simultaneously with but
(B) that were cut into a 500-acre site at Tell Hamoukar, Syria, yields strong evidence that centrally administered complex societies in northern regions of the Middle East were arising simultaneously with but also
(C) having been cut into a 500-acre site at Tell Hamoukar, Syria, have yielded strong evidence that centrally administered complex societies in northern regions of the Middle East were arising simultaneously but
(D) cut into a 500-acre site at Tell Hamoukar, Syria, yields strong evidence of centrally administered complex societies in northern regions of the Middle East arising simultaneously but also
(E) cut into a 500-acre site at Tell Hamoukar, Syria, have yielded strong evidence that centrally administered complex societies in northern regions of the Middle East arose simultaneously with but

Have issues with the use of "that",I have read forums for the discussion about this one.
Although I accept that "evidence for" is wrongly used and "evidence that" is the right usage, some discussions said about the use of "that"
Why don't we need "that" after trenches ?
How do we know that author is talking about "first trenches" or he is talking about the "first trenches that were cut into"?
And for the second "that" used after "Middle East" is there any reason why it is wrongly used other than that it modifies "middle east" ,although it should have modified "societies"

I'm happy to help with this. :-) This is SC#70 from the OG13.

The opening choices ------
"The first trenches that were cut ...." ----- this modifies "trenches" with a subordinate clause, a clause beginning with "that". This is perfectly correct.
"The first trenches having been cut ...." --- participle with a strange tense, not correct
"The first trenches cut ...." ---- as fameatop pointed out above, this is participial phrase, also 100% correct. For more on participial phrases, see:
https://magoosh.com/gmat/2012/participle ... -the-gmat/

The difference between this would be like the difference between
(a) The horse that was traded for an electric guitar was now .....
(b) The horse, traded for an electric guitar, was now ....
(a) is a "that" clause construction, (b) is a participial construction, and both are correct.

You see, grammar is complex. You can just memorize a simple rule like don't drop the word "that" ----- There are two very different "that" clauses to consider.

Category #1: relative clauses
This is what appears in this sentence. Here, the word "that" acting as a relative pronoun -- others include who, whom, whoever, etc. Within the relative clause, the relative pronoun acts as a pronoun within the clause, often the subject of the clause. Let's look at (A) from the prompt ---- the relative clause is in green.
(1) The first trenches that were cut into a 500-acre site at Tell Hamoukar, Syria have yielded ...
Within that clause, the pronoun "that" is the subject of the clause, the subject of the verb "were cut."
Other examples includes
(2) The horse that was traded for an electric guitar was now ....
(3) The regions of Europe that Julius Caesar conquered were not .....
In #2, the word "that" is also the subject of the clause, now the subject of the verb "was traded." In #3, the word "that" is the direct object of the verb "conquered."

Nobody drops the "that" from a relative clause ----- since "that" is acts as a pronoun in the clause, it always sound terribly awkward to drop a pronoun. Pick any sentence with a pronoun, and say the sentence without the pronoun --- it will sound bizarre and incomplete Nobody makes this mistake. The dropping the "that" mistake is never a concern with relative clauses.

Category #2: substantive clauses
For more on this structure, read these two posts:
https://magoosh.com/gmat/2012/substantiv ... -the-gmat/
https://magoosh.com/gmat/2012/gmat-idiom ... ieve-that/
This is what we have following the word "evidence" in the SC sentence above ---- evidence that ..., know that ...., hope that ...., wish that ...., believe that ..... hypothesis that .... etc. etc. etc.
Here, the word "that" is followed by a full [noun] + [verb] clause. Examples, with substantive clause in green ----
(4) .... evidence that centrally administered complex societies in northern regions of the Middle East arose simultaneously with but independently of the more celebrated city-states of southern Mesopotamia, in what is now southern Iraq.
(5) The Declaration of Independence states that all men are created equal.
(6) The senator said that he will not seek reelection.
In all three cases, what follows "that" is a full clause --- in each case, we could extract the green section, throw away the word "that", and the rest of the green part could stand on its own as a full complete sentence. Here, the word "that" is NOT acting as a pronoun --- rather, it is serving to introduce a full clause. Because the word "that" plays no essential role within the clause, it is very tempting to drop it --- in fact, people do all the time in casual conversation, and the GMAT always tests this. This is where one has to have one's antennae up, looking for this very predictable mistake.

Does all this make sense?

Mike :-)
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Re: The first trenches that were cut into a 500-acre site at Tell Hamoukar [#permalink] New post   22 Feb 2013, 08:07
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greatps24 wrote:
Can some one explain "why A is wrong"?.

E: States: Trenches cut into a 500-acre site . How can Trenches cut themselves?


Hi greatps24,

The first trenches that were cut into a 500-acre site at Tell Hamoukar, Syria, have yielded strong evidence for centrally administered complex societies in northern regions of the Middle East that were arising simultaneously with but independently of the more celebrated city-states of southern Mesopotamia, in what is now southern Iraq.

A. that were cut into a 500-acre site at Tell Hamoukar, Syria, have yielded strong evidence for centrally administered complex societies in northern regions of the Middle East that were arising simultaneously with but

(A) is incorrect because of two reasons, "evidence for" is incorrect and "that" in the relative clause "that were arising simultaneously.." may either refer to "northern regions" or "centrally administered societies". The correct answer choice (E) express this clearly and concisely.

"The trenches cut into a 500-acre" is not implying that the "The trenches" cut themselves.

For example.

The apple cut into four pieces is being loved by all.

Actually the sentence is saying "The apple that was cut into four pieces is being loved by all"

We can drop the "that was" part without changing the meaning of the sentence.

consider one more example: Both the sentences convey the same thing; however, the first one will be better because of concision.

The movies produced by Steven Spielberg are unique in their cinematographic techniques.

The movies that are produced by Steven Spielberg are unique in their cinematographic techniques.

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Re: The first trenches that were cut into a 500-acre site at Tell Hamoukar [#permalink] New post   07 Apr 2013, 22:09
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paddyboy wrote:
Hi
i have doubt with option E.
"cut into a 500-acre site at Tell Hamoukar, Syria, have yielded strong evidence that centrally administered complex societies in northern regions of the Middle East arose simultaneously with but"
"The first trenches cut into........." is a clause.
I think cut is a verb for the subject "first trenches"......Now in the same sentence, another verb "have yielded" too stands fr the subject "The first trenches"
So my doubt is hwo can there be two verb fr the same subject, when there is no connector.



"cut into a 500 acre ..." is a modifier. It modifies 'trenches' i.e. it tells you more about the trenches.
As pointed out by Vercules above, "cut into a 500 acre" can be replaced by "that were cut into a 500 acre". The meaning doesn't change but you can see clearly that "cut into..." is modifying trenches.
The verb is 'have yielded'.
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Re: The first trenches that were cut into a 500-acre site at Tell Hamoukar [#permalink] New post   11 Sep 2013, 08:50
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The first trenches ...

that were cut into a 500-acre site at Tell Hamoukar, Syria,

Contd...have yielded strong evidence for centrally administered complex societies in northern regions of the Middle East

that( Refers to societies) were arising simultaneously with but independently of the more celebrated city-states of southern Mesopotamia, in what is now southern Iraq.

I have a question regarding the idiom "Evidence that", "Evidence for" and "Evidence of". Evidence that is the right idiom? It was between A and E ( I eliminated A cos it was passive voice) Others had subject-verb agreement issues ( yields)
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Re: The first trenches that were cut into a 500-acre site at Tell Hamoukar [#permalink] New post   12 Sep 2013, 00:57
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nelz007 wrote:
The first trenches ...

that were cut into a 500-acre site at Tell Hamoukar, Syria,

Contd...have yielded strong evidence for centrally administered complex societies in northern regions of the Middle East

that( Refers to societies) were arising simultaneously with but independently of the more celebrated city-states of southern Mesopotamia, in what is now southern Iraq.

I have a question regarding the idiom "Evidence that", "Evidence for" and "Evidence of". Evidence that is the right idiom? It was between A and E ( I eliminated A cos it was passive voice) Others had subject-verb agreement issues ( yields)


Hi Nelson,

Let me address your confusion regarding the above mentioned usages of “evidence” with simple examples.

a. The police found evidence that Syrio was present at the crime scene when the crime happened.
b. The police found evidence for Syrio was present at the crime scene… (Police found evidence because Syrio was present at the crime scene. Changes the meaning).
c. The police found evidence of Syrio was present at the crime scene…(Completely incorrect. It doesn’t make sense to use a clause after “evidence of”)
d. There was ample evidence for the police to file a case against Syrio.
e. The police found no evidence of gun at the crime scene.

Notice how when “evidence” is followed by that, the “that clause” describes what that evidence in fact is. This is absolutely in line with how a typically noun modifier works. You have a noun that is followed by a that clause that explains this noun.

Likewise, when evidence is followed by “for” or “on”, you can see that it is followed by a noun.

So really speaking you do not need to think of “evidence” in terms of an idiom. It works in the same way as any other noun entity would work. But yes, whether evidence should be followed by “that” or by a preposition “for” or “on” depends on what you want to communicate through the sentence.

Hope this helps! :)

Regards,
Krishna
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Re: The first trenches that were cut into a 500-acre site at Tell Hamoukar [#permalink] New post   07 Jun 2014, 06:23
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OG 13 : SC-70.

The first trenches
that were cut into a 500-acre site at Tell Hamoukar, Syria,
have yielded strong evidence for centrally administered complex societiesin northern regions of the Middle East
that were arising simultaneously with but independently of the more celebrated city-states of southern Mesopotamia, in what is now southern Iraq.

(A). that were cut into a 500-acre site at Tell Hamoukar, Syria, have yielded strong evidence for centrally administered complex societies in northern regions of the Middle East that were arising simultaneously with but ----> Not sure what really wrong

1. I have choose the answer A , after down to A and E kind stuck and did not found any clue to start , now when reading post looks like we have another issues like idioms , but is there any other easy iussue that we can look esially , actually the idiomic list is very long and always confusing as what to use with what ?

2. I was confused in “Tell Hamoukar, Syria,Have …” (to many commas was not sure its correct) can someone point out similar structure ?

(B). that were cut into a 500-acre site at Tell Hamoukar, Syria, yields strong evidence that centrally administered complex societies in northern regions of the Middle East were arising simultaneously with but also --> S-V error

(C). having been cut into a 500-acre site at Tell Hamoukar, Syria, have yielded strong evidence that centrally administered complex societies in northern regions of the Middle East were arising simultaneously but --> Having been

(D). cut into a 500-acre site at Tell Hamoukar, Syria, yields strong evidence of centrally administered complex societies in northern regions of the Middle East arising simultaneously but also --> S-V error

(E). cut into a 500-acre site at Tell Hamoukar, Syria, have yielded strong evidence that centrally administered complex societies in northern regions of the Middle East arose simultaneously with but --> same as Ans choice A , I was stuck as did not see any clue to choose or eliminate

Any help from Verbal forum experts on above doubts ?
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The first trenches that were cut into a 500-acre site at Tell Hamoukar [#permalink] New post   Updated on: 03 Nov 2021, 09:55
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vishuyadav wrote:
OG 13 : SC-70.

The first trenches
that were cut into a 500-acre site at Tell Hamoukar, Syria,
have yielded strong evidence for centrally administered complex societiesin northern regions of the Middle East
that were arising simultaneously with but independently of the more celebrated city-states of southern Mesopotamia, in what is now southern Iraq.

(A). that were cut into a 500-acre site at Tell Hamoukar, Syria, have yielded strong evidence for centrally administered complex societies in northern regions of the Middle East that were arising simultaneously with but ----> Not sure what really wrong

1. I have choose the answer A , after down to A and E kind stuck and did not found any clue to start , now when reading post looks like we have another issues like idioms , but is there any other easy iussue that we can look esially , actually the idiomic list is very long and always confusing as what to use with what ?

2. I was confused in “Tell Hamoukar, Syria,Have …” (to many commas was not sure its correct) can someone point out similar structure ?

(B). that were cut into a 500-acre site at Tell Hamoukar, Syria, yields strong evidence that centrally administered complex societies in northern regions of the Middle East were arising simultaneously with but also --> S-V error

(C). having been cut into a 500-acre site at Tell Hamoukar, Syria, have yielded strong evidence that centrally administered complex societies in northern regions of the Middle East were arising simultaneously but --> Having been

(D). cut into a 500-acre site at Tell Hamoukar, Syria, yields strong evidence of centrally administered complex societies in northern regions of the Middle East arising simultaneously but also --> S-V error

(E). cut into a 500-acre site at Tell Hamoukar, Syria, have yielded strong evidence that centrally administered complex societies in northern regions of the Middle East arose simultaneously with but --> same as Ans choice A , I was stuck as did not see any clue to choose or eliminate

Any help from Verbal forum experts on above doubts ?




Hi vishuyadav,

You have correctly identified the S-V agreement errors in the options. However, you have missed the errors caused by the incorrect idiomatic usage.
Let’s first understand the structure and the meaning of the sentence:



Sentence Structure


Meaning
The sentence begins by mentioning “The first trenches.” These trenches were made in a 500-acre site in Tell Hamoukar in Syria. They have produced solid evidence. The evidence is that in northern regions of the Middle East, there were centrally managed complex societies. These societies emerged together with the more famous city-states of southern Mesopotamia. However, these societies emerged independently of these city-states. The last bit of the sentence presents more information about “southern Mesopotamia.” Southern Iraq is now in southern Mesopotamia.



1. Expression Error: The use of the preposition “for” in the phrase ‘evidence for” is incorrect. We get evidence of something.

When we have to state what the evidence is, then the idiom ‘evidence that’ is used. Here, ‘that’ is always followed by a clause, and this clause represents the evidence.
The expressions ‘evidence of’ and ‘evidence for’ are always followed by a noun. Hence these expressions tell us what the evidence is of/for.

• The police did not find any evidence of a gun at the crime scene. (Followed by a noun)

• There was ample evidence for the police to register a case against the landlord. (Followed by a noun)

• The police found evidence that the accused came to the crime scene after 4:30 pm. (Followed by a clause)

So, the usage of ‘evidence’ depends on the meaning that we want to convey through the sentence. Accordingly, it is followed by ‘of/for/that’. Please refer to the following article to learn more about the usage of “evidence that” and “evidence of”:
https://gmatclub.com/forum/evidence-of-v ... 71574.html

2. Verb Tense Error: This sentence presents facts relevant to the past. Therefore, the sentence must use the simple past tense to present such information. The use of the past continuous/progressive tense verb “were arising” is incorrect.



A. that were cut into a 500-acre site at Tell Hamoukar, Syria, have yielded strong evidence for centrally administered complex societies in northern regions of the Middle East that were arising simultaneously with but
Incorrect: This choice is incorrect, as explained in the Error Analysis section.


B. that were cut into a 500-acre site at Tell Hamoukar, Syria, yields strong evidence that centrally administered complex societies in northern regions of the Middle East were arising simultaneously with but also
Incorrect:
1. SV Number Agreement Error: The use of the singular verb “yields” for the plural subject “The first trenches” is incorrect.

2. Verb Tense Error: This choice repeats the verb tense error we identified in the original sentence.

3. Expression Error: The use of the phrase “but also” without the phrase “not only” is incorrect.


C. having been cut into a 500-acre site at Tell Hamoukar, Syria, have yielded strong evidence that centrally administered complex societies in northern regions of the Middle East were arising simultaneously but
Incorrect:
1. Modifier Error leading to Meaning Error: The use of the modifier “having been cut…” seems to suggest that right after being cut, these trenched have produced the evidence. This meaning is certainly not logical.

2. Verb Tense Error: This choice repeats the verb tense error we identified in the original sentence.

3. Expression Error: The use of the word “simultaneously” without “with” is incorrect. The sentence intends to say that the complex societies emerged together/simultaneously WITH the said city-sates.

The following are the correct idiomatic usages:

• Event A and B happened simultaneously. Correct
• Event A happened simultaneously with event B. Correct
• Event A happened simultaneously event B. Incorrect


D. cut into a 500-acre site at Tell Hamoukar, Syria, yields strong evidence of centrally administered complex societies in northern regions of the Middle East arising simultaneously but also
Incorrect:
1. SV Number Agreement Error: This choice repeats the SV number agreement error we see in Choice B.

2. Expression Errors:
    a. The use of the phrase “but also” without the phrase “not only” is incorrect.
    b. The use of the word “simultaneously” without “with” is incorrect.

E. cut into a 500-acre site at Tell Hamoukar, Syria, have yielded strong evidence that centrally administered complex societies in northern regions of the Middle East arose simultaneously with but
Correct: This indeed is the correct answer choice as it does not repeat any errors of the original sentence and does not introduce any other error. The use of the modifier “cut into…” is correct as it correctly modifies the preceding noun “The first trenches.”



1. The progressive/continuous verb tense should be used only for ongoing actions. General facts must be written in simple tense verbs according to the appropriate timeframe.
2. The subject and the verb must agree in number.
3. Certain words are always followed by a specific preposition for correct usage. Removal of prepositions from such expressions leads to expression errors.


Hope this helps. :-)
Regards,
e-GMAT Verbal Experts

Originally posted by egmat on 10 Jun 2014, 11:57.
Last edited by egmat on 03 Nov 2021, 09:55, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: The first trenches that were cut into a 500-acre site at Tell Hamoukar [#permalink] New post   18 Jun 2014, 13:53
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The first trenches that were cut into a 500-acre site at Tell Hamoukar. Svria. have yielded strong evidence for centrally administered complex societies in northern regions of the Middle East that were arising simultaneously with but independently of the more celebrated city-states of southern Mesopotamia, in what is now southern Iraq.

evidence for or evidence of is incorrectly used in option A and D. centrally administered complex societies is not the intended object that preposition of or for meaning wise intends to modify. In some cases we can use evidence of or for but in this question it is used in a worst manner.

e.g: We have not found any evidence of food poisoning. (correct)
We have not found any evidence of my brother stealing bread ( incorrect). Here intention is to express evidence of theft not evidence of my brother and that can be best expressed by using restrictive clause that and same is done in B, D, and E.

(A) that were cut into a 500-acre site at Tell Hamoukar, Syria, have yielded strong evidence for centrally administered complex societies in northern regions of the Middle East that were arising simultaneously with but

(B) that were cut into a 500-acre site at Tell Hamoukar, Syria, yields strong evidence that centrally administered complex societies in northern regions of the Middle East were arising simultaneously with but also
S-V error, trenches is plural but verb yields is in singular form. best half of But also that is not only is missing. thus, such use is incorrect.

(C) having been cut into a 500-acre site at Tell Hamoukar, Syria, have yielded strong evidence that centrally administered complex societies in northern regions of the Middle East were arising simultaneously but
99.99% use of having modifying a noun is incorrect in official incorrect options. I don't have any other reason to reject this choice.

(D) cut into a 500-acre site at Tell Hamoukar, Syria, yields strong evidence of centrally administered complex societies in northern regions of the Middle East arising simultaneously but also
S-V error + evidence of error as explained above.

(E) cut into a 500-acre site at Tell Hamoukar, Syria, have yielded strong evidence that centrally administered complex societies in northern regions of the Middle East arose simultaneously with but[/quote]
Here cut is acting as -ed modifier modifying trenches. Evidence that is fine . Arose past tense verb is fine. simultaneously with but independently of X is fine.

Therefore, E is the best.
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Re: The first trenches that were cut into a 500-acre site at Tell Hamoukar [#permalink] New post   09 Jan 2017, 06:16
can we use "but also" or do we need to have "not only " before that
can you share an official example if any, where "but also" is used without"not only"
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Re: The first trenches that were cut into a 500-acre site at Tell Hamoukar [#permalink] New post   19 May 2017, 02:17
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rahulkiller321 wrote:
can we use "but also" or do we need to have "not only " before that
can you share an official example if any, where "but also" is used without"not only"


Logically "but also" can be used indepedently. The difference between the structure (a) "but also" without "not only" and (b) "not only X, but also Y" is as follows.

(a) "But also" without "not only":
The structure would be as follows:
Clause, but (also) Clause.
In this case two clauses are combined by the conjunction "but". No further parallelsim is applicable in such case.
You did your work in time, but you also made many mistakes.... correct.

(b) "Not only X, but also Y":
However for a "not only....but also" structure, the two elements can be anything: noun, verb, participles, modifiers etc.
Noun: I have not only a pen, but also a book.
Verb: I not only have a pen, but also can write with it.

When I come across an official example with the first structure, I shall revert back.
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Re: The first trenches that were cut into a 500-acre site at Tell Hamoukar [#permalink] New post   22 Aug 2018, 00:26
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VeritasKarishma wrote:
Archit143 wrote:
Hi
i have doubt with option E.
"cut into a 500-acre site at Tell Hamoukar, Syria, have yielded strong evidence that centrally administered complex societies in northern regions of the Middle East arose simultaneously with but"
"The first trenches cut into........." is a clause.
I think cut is a verb for the subject "first trenches"......Now in the same sentence, another verb "have yielded" too stands fr the subject "The first trenches"
So my doubt is hwo can there be two verb fr the same subject, when there is no connector.

Consider kudos if my post helps!!!!!

Archit


"cut into a 500 acre ..." is a modifier. It modifies 'trenches' i.e. it tells you more about the trenches.
As pointed out by Vercules above, "cut into a 500 acre" can be replaced by "that were cut into a 500 acre". The meaning doesn't change but you can see clearly that "cut into..." is modifying trenches.
The verb is 'have yielded'.


Responding to a pm:
Quote:
Here I'm completely confused with the first usage of "that" in the sentence "The first trenches THAT were cut into a 500-acre site at Tell Hamoukar,". Isn't "THAT" a relative pronoun here, which should refer to "TRENCHES", and if it refers to trenches here, isn't this redundant to use.
"The first trenches that(trenches) were cut into a 500-acre site at Tell Hamoukar,"


Yes, "that" is a relative pronoun and "that were cut ...Syria" is a defining relative clause.
You can omit the relative pronoun when it acts as the object of the relative clause. You cannot omit it when it acts as the subject of the relative clause.
Here it acts as the subject "trenches were cut ..." hence you cannot omit "that".

Alternatively, option (E) uses a participle and that is correct too.
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Re: The first trenches that were cut into a 500-acre site at Tell Hamoukar [#permalink] New post   31 Dec 2018, 15:53
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It's certainly okay to use "but also" without first saying "not only." It works as long as we are presenting contrasting elements, as the word "but" normally indicates. The "not only . . . but also" structure is an exception where "but" is used to link two similar elements. The word "also" isn't really needed in B, but it's not wrong, either. It's much simpler to eliminate B for subject-verb agreement ("trenches . . . yields"). In fact, looking for S-V agreement should almost always be the first thing we do.
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Re: The first trenches that were cut into a 500-acre site at Tell Hamoukar [#permalink]
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