The first woman elected to Congress in the United States, many people

Dear Friends,

Here is a detailed explanation to this question-

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 Jeanette Rankin was the first woman elected to Congress in the United States and is regarded by many people as a role model because of her commitment to peace.

Concepts tested here: Meaning + Modifiers + Idioms

• In a “phrase + comma + noun” construction, the phrase must correctly modify the noun; this is one of the most frequently tested concepts on GMAT sentence correction.
• The word "considered" does not require a conjunction or a helping word/phrase; “consider/considered” is always followed directly by the noun, and the similar word "regarded" must be followed by the conjunction "as"; correct usages: Jack is “considered a math genius” or Jack is “regarded as a math genius”.

A: This answer choice incorrectly uses "The first woman elected to Congress in the United States" to modify "many people", illogically implying that many people were the first woman elected to Congress in the United States; the intended meaning is that Jeanette Rankin was the first woman elected to Congress in the United States; please remember, in a “phrase + comma + noun” construction, the phrase must correctly modify the noun. Further, Option A incorrectly uses the unidiomatic construction "regard + to be" rather than the idiomatic construction "regard + as"; please remember, the word "regarded" must be followed by the conjunction "as".

B: This answer choice incorrectly uses "The first woman elected to Congress in the United States" to modify "many people", illogically implying that many people were the first woman elected to Congress in the United States; the intended meaning is that Jeanette Rankin was the first woman elected to Congress in the United States; please remember, in a “phrase + comma + noun” construction, the phrase must correctly modify the noun.

C: Trap. This answer choice incorrectly uses the unidiomatic construction "considered + as"; please remember, the word "considered" does not require a conjunction or a helping word/phrase; “consider/considered” is always followed directly by the noun.

D: This answer choice incorrectly uses "The first woman elected to Congress in the United States" to modify "many people", illogically implying that many people were the first woman elected to Congress in the United States; the intended meaning is that Jeanette Rankin was the first woman elected to Congress in the United States; please remember, in a “phrase + comma + noun” construction, the phrase must correctly modify the noun.

E: Correct. This answer choice correctly uses "The first woman elected to Congress in the United States" to modify "Jeanette Rankin", conveying the intended meaning - that Jeanette Rankin was the first woman elected to Congress in the United States. Further, Option E correctly uses the idiomatic construction "regarded...+ as".

Hence, E is the best answer choice.

To understand the concept of "Phrase Comma Subject" and "Subject Comma Phrase" on GMAT, you may want to watch the following video (~1 minute):



To understand the concept of "Considered" and "Regarded as" on GMAT, you may want to watch the following video (~1 minute):



All the best!
Experts' Global Team