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BillyZ
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D
Be sure to select an answer first to save it in the Error Log before revealing the correct answer (OA)!
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66% (01:27) correct
34%
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Long overshadowed by the Maya and Aztec civilizations, historians are now exploring the more ancient Olmec culture for the legacy it had for succeeding Mesoamerican societies.
(A) historians are now exploring the more ancient Olmec culture for the legacy it had for succeeding Mesoamerican societies
(B) historians’ exploration is now of the more ancient Olmec culture's legacy to the Mesoamerican societies succeeding them
(C) the legacy of the more ancient Olmec culture to the Mesoamerican societies that succeeded them is what historians are now exploring
(D) the more ancient Olmec culture is now being explored by historians for its legacy to succeeding Mesoamerican societies
(E) the Olmec culture is more ancient and had a legacy to succeeding Mesoamerican societies that historians are now exploring
(A) historians are now exploring the more ancient Olmec culture for the legacy it had for succeeding Mesoamerican societies
(B) historians’ exploration is now of the more ancient Olmec culture's legacy to the Mesoamerican societies succeeding them
(C) the legacy of the more ancient Olmec culture to the Mesoamerican societies that succeeded them is what historians are now exploring
(D) the more ancient Olmec culture is now being explored by historians for its legacy to succeeding Mesoamerican societies
(E) the Olmec culture is more ancient and had a legacy to succeeding Mesoamerican societies that historians are now exploring
13 Aug 2018, 18:50
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Blackishmamba
The nice thing about legacies is that they never go away. (Or, depending on the legacy in question, maybe that's not such a nice thing?
) Though the Olmec culture may be long gone, its legacy is still intact in the present, so the use of the past tense "had" is not appropriate here. The question writer gives us a hint about the tense by connecting the present tense "is" with the past tense "had." It can be completely fine to have two different tenses in the same sentence, but there has to be a good reason for the tense shift. In this case, there isn't a good reason for it at all.
I hope that helps!
20 Jun 2018, 04:49
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Long overshadowed by the Maya and Aztec civilizations, historians are now exploring the more ancient Olmec culture for the legacy it had for succeeding Mesoamerican societies.
(A) historians are now exploring the more ancient Olmec culture for the legacy it had for succeeding Mesoamerican societies: 'Olmec culture' is Overshadowed; not 'Historians'. Modifier Error.
(B) historians’ exploration is now of the more ancient Olmec culture's legacy to the Mesoamerican societies succeeding them: 'Olmec culture' is Overshadowed; not 'Historians's exloration'. Modifier Error.
(C) the legacy of the more ancient Olmec culture to the Mesoamerican societies that succeeded them is what historians are now exploring: 'Olmec culture' is Overshadowed; not 'legacy'. Modifier Error.
(D) the more ancient Olmec culture is now being explored by historians for its legacy to succeeding Mesoamerican societies: concise and correct choice.
(E) the Olmec culture is more ancient and had a legacy to succeeding Mesoamerican societies that historians are now exploring: incorrect usage of 'had'.
(A) historians are now exploring the more ancient Olmec culture for the legacy it had for succeeding Mesoamerican societies: 'Olmec culture' is Overshadowed; not 'Historians'. Modifier Error.
(B) historians’ exploration is now of the more ancient Olmec culture's legacy to the Mesoamerican societies succeeding them: 'Olmec culture' is Overshadowed; not 'Historians's exloration'. Modifier Error.
(C) the legacy of the more ancient Olmec culture to the Mesoamerican societies that succeeded them is what historians are now exploring: 'Olmec culture' is Overshadowed; not 'legacy'. Modifier Error.
(D) the more ancient Olmec culture is now being explored by historians for its legacy to succeeding Mesoamerican societies: concise and correct choice.
(E) the Olmec culture is more ancient and had a legacy to succeeding Mesoamerican societies that historians are now exploring: incorrect usage of 'had'.
10 Jul 2022, 03:02
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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 meaning of this sentence is that the Olmec culture has been long overshadowed by the Maya and Aztec civilizations, but historians are now exploring it because of its legacy to succeeding Mesoamerican societies.
Concepts tested here: Meaning + Modifiers + Tenses + Pronouns + Awkwardness/Redundancy
• 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.
• Information that is permanent in nature is best conveyed through the simple present tense.
• The simple past tense is used to refer to actions that concluded in the past.
A: This answer choice incorrectly uses "Long overshadowed by the Maya and Aztec civilizations" to modify "historians", illogically implying that historians have long been overshadowed by the Maya and Aztec civilizations; the intended meaning is that the Olmec culture has been long overshadowed by the Maya and Aztec civilizations; remember, in a “phrase + comma + noun” construction, the phrase must correctly modify the noun. Further, Option A incorrectly uses the simple past tense verb "had" to refer to information that is permanent in nature; remember, information that is permanent in nature is best conveyed through the simple present tense, and the simple past tense is used to refer to actions that concluded in the past.
B: This answer choice incorrectly refers to the singular noun "Olmec culture" with the plural pronoun "them". Further, Option B incorrectly uses "Long overshadowed by the Maya and Aztec civilizations" to modify "historians’ exploration", illogically implying that the historians' exploration of the Olmec culture have long been overshadowed by the Maya and Aztec civilizations; the intended meaning is that the Olmec culture itself has been long overshadowed by the Maya and Aztec civilizations; remember, in a “phrase + comma + noun” construction, the phrase must correctly modify the noun.
C: This answer choice incorrectly refers to the singular noun "Olmec culture" with the plural pronoun "them". Further, Option C incorrectly uses "Long overshadowed by the Maya and Aztec civilizations" to modify "the legacy of the more ancient Olmec culture", incorrectly implying that the legacy of the Olmec culture has long been overshadowed by the Maya and Aztec civilizations; the intended meaning is that the Olmec culture itself has been long overshadowed by the Maya and Aztec civilizations; remember, in a “phrase + comma + noun” construction, the phrase must correctly modify the noun. Further, Option C uses the passive construction "the legacy...is what historians are now exploring", rendering it awkward and needlessly indirect.
D: Correct. This answer choice correctly refers to the singular noun "Olmec culture" with the singular pronoun "its". Further, Option D correctly uses "Long overshadowed by the Maya and Aztec civilizations" to modify "the more ancient Olmec culture", conveying the intended meaning - that the Olmec culture itself has been long overshadowed by the Maya and Aztec civilizations. Additionally, Option D avoids the tense error seen in Options A and E, as it uses the phrase "its legacy to succeeding Mesoamerican societies" rather than an active verb -- "had", as seen in Options A and E. Besides, Option D is free of any awkwardness or redundancy.
E: This answer choice incorrectly uses the simple past tense verb "had" to refer to information that is permanent in nature; remember, information that is permanent in nature is best conveyed through the simple present tense, and the simple past tense is used to refer to actions that concluded in the past. Further, Option E uses the needlessly wordy phrase "is more ancient" and the passive construction "had a legacy to succeeding Mesoamerican societies that historians are now exploring", leading to awkwardness and redundancy.
Hence, D is the best answer choice.
To understand the concept of "Simple Tenses" on GMAT, you may want to watch the following video (~2 minutes):
To understand the concept of "Phrase Comma Subject" and "Subject Comma Phrase" on GMAT, you may want to watch the following video (~1 minute):
All the best!
Experts' Global Team
Here is a detailed explanation to this question-
BillyZ
Meaning is crucial to solving this problem:
Understanding the intended meaning is key to solving this question; the intended meaning of this sentence is that the Olmec culture has been long overshadowed by the Maya and Aztec civilizations, but historians are now exploring it because of its legacy to succeeding Mesoamerican societies.
Concepts tested here: Meaning + Modifiers + Tenses + Pronouns + Awkwardness/Redundancy
• 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.
• Information that is permanent in nature is best conveyed through the simple present tense.
• The simple past tense is used to refer to actions that concluded in the past.
A: This answer choice incorrectly uses "Long overshadowed by the Maya and Aztec civilizations" to modify "historians", illogically implying that historians have long been overshadowed by the Maya and Aztec civilizations; the intended meaning is that the Olmec culture has been long overshadowed by the Maya and Aztec civilizations; remember, in a “phrase + comma + noun” construction, the phrase must correctly modify the noun. Further, Option A incorrectly uses the simple past tense verb "had" to refer to information that is permanent in nature; remember, information that is permanent in nature is best conveyed through the simple present tense, and the simple past tense is used to refer to actions that concluded in the past.
B: This answer choice incorrectly refers to the singular noun "Olmec culture" with the plural pronoun "them". Further, Option B incorrectly uses "Long overshadowed by the Maya and Aztec civilizations" to modify "historians’ exploration", illogically implying that the historians' exploration of the Olmec culture have long been overshadowed by the Maya and Aztec civilizations; the intended meaning is that the Olmec culture itself has been long overshadowed by the Maya and Aztec civilizations; remember, in a “phrase + comma + noun” construction, the phrase must correctly modify the noun.
C: This answer choice incorrectly refers to the singular noun "Olmec culture" with the plural pronoun "them". Further, Option C incorrectly uses "Long overshadowed by the Maya and Aztec civilizations" to modify "the legacy of the more ancient Olmec culture", incorrectly implying that the legacy of the Olmec culture has long been overshadowed by the Maya and Aztec civilizations; the intended meaning is that the Olmec culture itself has been long overshadowed by the Maya and Aztec civilizations; remember, in a “phrase + comma + noun” construction, the phrase must correctly modify the noun. Further, Option C uses the passive construction "the legacy...is what historians are now exploring", rendering it awkward and needlessly indirect.
D: Correct. This answer choice correctly refers to the singular noun "Olmec culture" with the singular pronoun "its". Further, Option D correctly uses "Long overshadowed by the Maya and Aztec civilizations" to modify "the more ancient Olmec culture", conveying the intended meaning - that the Olmec culture itself has been long overshadowed by the Maya and Aztec civilizations. Additionally, Option D avoids the tense error seen in Options A and E, as it uses the phrase "its legacy to succeeding Mesoamerican societies" rather than an active verb -- "had", as seen in Options A and E. Besides, Option D is free of any awkwardness or redundancy.
E: This answer choice incorrectly uses the simple past tense verb "had" to refer to information that is permanent in nature; remember, information that is permanent in nature is best conveyed through the simple present tense, and the simple past tense is used to refer to actions that concluded in the past. Further, Option E uses the needlessly wordy phrase "is more ancient" and the passive construction "had a legacy to succeeding Mesoamerican societies that historians are now exploring", leading to awkwardness and redundancy.
Hence, D is the best answer choice.
To understand the concept of "Simple Tenses" on GMAT, you may want to watch the following video (~2 minutes):
To understand the concept of "Phrase Comma Subject" and "Subject Comma Phrase" on GMAT, you may want to watch the following video (~1 minute):
All the best!
Experts' Global Team
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