Dear Friends,
Here is a detailed explanation to this question-
AbdurRakib
In 1776 Adam Smith wrote that it is young people
who have “the contempt of risk and the presumptuous hope of success” needed to found new businesses.
(A) who have
(B) with
(C) having
(D) who are those with
(E) who are the ones to have
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 young people are the ones who have the contempt of risk and the presumptuous hope of success needed to found new businesses.
Concepts tested here: Meaning + Grammatical Construction + Awkwardness/Redundancy• The infinitive verb form (“to + base form of verb"- "to + have" in this sentence) is the preferred construction for referring to the purpose or intent of an action.
A: Correct. This answer choice acts upon the independent noun "young people" with the active verb "have" to form a complete thought, leading to a complete sentence. Further, Option A uses the phrase "who have", conveying the intended meaning - that young people are the ones who have the contempt of risk and the presumptuous hope of success needed to found new businesses. Additionally, Option A is free of any awkwardness or redundancy.
B: This answer choice fails to form a complete sentence; as "needed" is a noun modifier, there is no active verb to act upon the subject noun "young people".
C: This answer choice fails to form a complete sentence; as "having" and "needed" are noun modifiers, there is no active verb to act upon the subject noun "young people".
D: This answer choice uses the redundant phrase "who are those with", rendering it awkward and needlessly wordy; this phrase is redundant, as it uses two pronouns "who" and "those", to refer to the noun phrase "young people".
E: This answer choice alters the meaning of the sentence through the phrase "are the ones to have"; the use of the infinitive verb form ("to + base form of verb" - "to + have" in this sentence) illogically implies that young people are "the ones"
for the purpose of having the contempt of risk and the presumptuous hope of success needed to found new businesses; the intended meaning is that young people are the ones who
practically have the contempt of risk and the presumptuous hope of success needed to found new businesses; please remember, the infinitive verb form (“to + base form of verb"- "to + have" in this sentence) is the preferred construction for referring to the purpose or intent of an action. Further, Option E uses the redundant phrase "who are the ones", rendering it awkward and needlessly wordy; this phrase is redundant, as it uses two pronouns "who" and "ones", to refer to the noun phrase "young people".
Hence, A is the best answer choice.To understand the concept of using "Infinitive Verb Forms" and "Present Participles" on GMAT, you may want to watch the following video (~2 minutes):
All the best!
Experts' Global Team