Last visit was: 27 Apr 2026, 14:39 It is currently 27 Apr 2026, 14:39
Home
Messages
Tests
Schools
Events
Close
GMAT Club Daily Prep
Thank you for using the timer - this advanced tool can estimate your performance and suggest more practice questions. We have subscribed you to Daily Prep Questions via email.

Customized
for You

we will pick new questions that match your level based on your Timer History

Track
Your Progress

every week, we’ll send you an estimated GMAT score based on your performance

Practice
Pays

we will pick new questions that match your level based on your Timer History
Not interested in getting valuable practice questions and articles delivered to your email? No problem, unsubscribe here.
Go to My Error Log Learn more
Close
Request Expert Reply
Confirm Cancel
Back to Forum
Create Topic
 1   2   3   4   
User avatar
Bunuel
User avatar
Math Expert
Joined: 02 Sep 2009
Last visit: 27 Apr 2026
Posts: 109,929
Own Kudos:
811,609
 [5]
Given Kudos: 105,914
Products:
GMAT Club Tests Forum Quiz
Expert
Expert reply
Active GMAT Club Expert! Tag them with @ followed by their username for a faster response.
Posts: 109,929
Kudos: 811,609
 [5]
Around the World in 80 Questions (Day 7): Based on accounts of his 25 Jul 2023, 08:00
1
Kudos
Add Kudos
4
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
00:00
Start Timer
Pause Timer
Resume Timer
Show Answer
Hide
Show
History
D
Be sure to select an answer first to save it in the Error Log before revealing the correct answer (OA)!

Difficulty:

35% (medium)

Question Stats:

60% (01:02) correct 40% (01:11) wrong based on 313 sessions

History

Date
Time
Result
Not Attempted Yet
Based on accounts of his contemporaries, academicians have reconstructed a rough timeline of the life and career of William Shakespeare, who left behind virtually no firsthand accounts of his childhood in Stratford-upon-Avon or career in London.

(A) Based on accounts of his contemporaries
(B) Basing it on his contemporaries’ accounts
(C) With accounts of his contemporaries used for a basis
(D) Using accounts of his contemporaries
(E) By the account of his contemporaries they used


 


This question was provided by Experts Global
for the Around the World in 80 Questions

Win over $20,000 in prizes: Courses, Tests & more

 

ShowHide Answer
Official Answer
D
Most Helpful Reply
User avatar
Bunuel
User avatar
Math Expert
Joined: 02 Sep 2009
Last visit: 27 Apr 2026
Posts: 109,929
Own Kudos:
811,609
 [3]
Given Kudos: 105,914
Products:
GMAT Club Tests Forum Quiz
Expert
Expert reply
Active GMAT Club Expert! Tag them with @ followed by their username for a faster response.
Posts: 109,929
Kudos: 811,609
 [3]
Around the World in 80 Questions (Day 7): Based on accounts of his 25 Jul 2023, 09:00
1
Kudos
Add Kudos
2
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Bunuel
Based on accounts of his contemporaries, academicians have reconstructed a rough timeline of the life and career of William Shakespeare, who left behind virtually no firsthand accounts of his childhood in Stratford-upon-Avon or career in London.

(A) Based on accounts of his contemporaries
(B) Basing it on his contemporaries’ accounts
(C) With accounts of his contemporaries used for a basis
(D) Using accounts of his contemporaries
(E) By the account of his contemporaries they used
Show more

Experts' Global Official Explanation:

Modifiers + Pronouns + Redundancy/Awkwardness

Understanding the intended meaning is key to solving this question; the intended meaning of this sentence is that the academicians used the accounts of Shakespeare’s contemporaries to reconstruct a rough timeline of his life and career.

    • In the “phrase + comma + noun” construction, the phrase must correctly modify the noun; this is one of the most frequently tested concepts on GMAT sentence correction.

A. Trap. This answer choice incorrectly uses “based on accounts of his contemporaries” to modify “academicians”, illogically implying that the academicians are based on the accounts of his (Shakespeare’s) contemporaries; the intended meaning of the sentence is that the academicians used the accounts of Shakespeare’s contemporaries to reconstruct a rough timeline of his life and career.

B. This answer choice features a pronoun error, as the pronoun “it” has no clear referent.

C. This answer choice uses the needlessly wordy phrase “used for a basis”, leading to awkwardness.

D. Correct. This answer choice correctly uses “using accounts of his contemporaries” to modify “academicians have reconstructed” conveying the intended meaning of the sentence- that the academicians used the accounts of Shakespeare’s contemporaries to reconstruct a rough timeline of his life and career.

E. This answer choice alters the meaning of the sentence through the phrase “by the account of his contemporaries they used”; the construction of this phrase incorrectly implies that the academicians used a singular account drawn from his (Shakespeare’s) contemporaries to reconstruct a rough timeline of his life and career; the intended meaning of this sentence is that the academicians used the accounts of Shakespeare’s contemporaries to reconstruct a rough timeline of his life and career.

D is the best answer choice.
User avatar
Bunuel
User avatar
Math Expert
Joined: 02 Sep 2009
Last visit: 27 Apr 2026
Posts: 109,929
Own Kudos:
811,609
Given Kudos: 105,914
Products:
GMAT Club Tests Forum Quiz
Expert
Expert reply
Active GMAT Club Expert! Tag them with @ followed by their username for a faster response.
Posts: 109,929
Kudos: 811,609
Around the World in 80 Questions (Day 7): Based on accounts of his 25 Jul 2023, 09:00
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Bunuel
Based on accounts of his contemporaries, academicians have reconstructed a rough timeline of the life and career of William Shakespeare, who left behind virtually no firsthand accounts of his childhood in Stratford-upon-Avon or career in London.

(A) Based on accounts of his contemporaries
(B) Basing it on his contemporaries’ accounts
(C) With accounts of his contemporaries used for a basis
(D) Using accounts of his contemporaries
(E) By the account of his contemporaries they used


 


This question was provided by Experts Global
for the Around the World in 80 Questions

Win over $20,000 in prizes: Courses, Tests & more

 

Show more

Experts Global Video Explanation:

General Discussion
User avatar
nivivacious
User avatar
Joined: 10 Mar 2015
Last visit: 18 Aug 2024
Posts: 238
Own Kudos:
313
Given Kudos: 175
Location: India
Concentration: Strategy, Marketing
GPA: 3.5
WE:Advertising (Advertising and PR)
Posts: 238
Kudos: 313
Around the World in 80 Questions (Day 7): Based on accounts of his 25 Jul 2023, 08:41
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Bunuel
Based on accounts of his contemporaries, academicians have reconstructed a rough timeline of the life and career of William Shakespeare, who left behind virtually no firsthand accounts of his childhood in Stratford-upon-Avon or career in London.

(A) Based on accounts of his contemporaries
(B) Basing it on his contemporaries’ accounts
(C) With accounts of his contemporaries used for a basis
(D) Using accounts of his contemporaries
(E) By the account of his contemporaries they used


 


This question was provided by Experts Global
for the Around the World in 80 Questions

Win over $20,000 in prizes: Courses, Tests & more

 

Show more

(A) Based on accounts of his contemporaries
Correct. This is clear and concise

(B) Basing it on his contemporaries’ accounts
Incorrect. 'it' here is vague

(C) With accounts of his contemporaries used for a basis
Incorrect. Sentence is awkward and less clear than A

(D) Using accounts of his contemporaries
A is better in terms of being more concise than D otherwise grammatically okay

(E) By the account of his contemporaries they used
Incorrect. It's not clear who "they" refers to, and "used" is unnecessary.
User avatar
Jarvis07
User avatar
Joined: 06 Sep 2017
Last visit: 20 Apr 2026
Posts: 306
Own Kudos:
241
 [1]
Given Kudos: 163
GMAT 1: 750 Q50 V41
GMAT 1: 750 Q50 V41
Posts: 306
Kudos: 241
 [1]
Around the World in 80 Questions (Day 7): Based on accounts of his 25 Jul 2023, 08:42
1
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Bunuel
Based on accounts of his contemporaries, academicians have reconstructed a rough timeline of the life and career of William Shakespeare, who left behind virtually no firsthand accounts of his childhood in Stratford-upon-Avon or career in London.

(A) Based on accounts of his contemporaries
(B) Basing it on his contemporaries’ accounts
(C) With accounts of his contemporaries used for a basis
(D) Using accounts of his contemporaries
(E) By the account of his contemporaries they used


 


This question was provided by Experts Global
for the Around the World in 80 Questions

Win over $20,000 in prizes: Courses, Tests & more

 

Show more
The correct sentence is (D) Using accounts of his contemporaries. It is grammatically correct because it uses the present participle “using” as a gerund to modify the noun “academicians” and create a participial phrase that functions as an adverbial phrase of manner. The phrase “based on accounts of his contemporaries” is also grammatically correct but it is not as concise as the phrase “using accounts of his contemporaries”.

(A) Based on accounts of his contemporaries - This sentence is grammatically correct but it is not as concise as the phrase “using accounts of his contemporaries”.

(B) Basing it on his contemporaries’ accounts - This sentence is incorrect because it uses the present participle “basing” as a gerund to modify the pronoun “it” which is unclear and does not have a clear antecedent.

(C) With accounts of his contemporaries used for a basis - This sentence is incorrect because it uses a prepositional phrase “with accounts of his contemporaries” to modify the noun “basis” which is awkward and unclear.

(E) By the account of his contemporaries they used - This sentence is incorrect because it uses a prepositional phrase “by the account of his contemporaries” to modify the pronoun “they” which is unclear and does not have a clear antecedent.
User avatar
limuengaoey
User avatar
Joined: 09 Jun 2021
Last visit: 07 Feb 2025
Posts: 38
Own Kudos:
79
 [1]
Given Kudos: 239
Location: Thailand
Schools: Judge '26 (A$) LBS '26 (A)
GMAT 1: 680 Q49 V34
GPA: 3.59
Schools: Judge '26 (A$) LBS '26 (A)
GMAT 1: 680 Q49 V34
Posts: 38
Kudos: 79
 [1]
Around the World in 80 Questions (Day 7): Based on accounts of his 25 Jul 2023, 08:42
1
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
the answer is D because the underlying part should modify the subject which is the academicians.
Hence the academicians use is make sense
User avatar
Harshita21988
User avatar
Joined: 14 Jun 2023
Last visit: 14 Mar 2025
Posts: 27
Own Kudos:
22
 [1]
Given Kudos: 27
Posts: 27
Kudos: 22
 [1]
Around the World in 80 Questions (Day 7): Based on accounts of his 25 Jul 2023, 08:43
1
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Imo D is correct as they must have used Shakespeare's contemporaries' accounts to gather information about him since there were no first hand accounts provided by him that they could have used. Option a could not be the right ans as his contemporaries did not provide accounts about him exclusively but about themselves which were then used by academicians to get a rough timeline of Shakespeare's life
Answer D

Posted from my mobile device
User avatar
Saburjon
User avatar
Joined: 29 Sep 2021
Last visit: 16 Mar 2024
Posts: 33
Own Kudos:
56
 [1]
Given Kudos: 12
Location: Uzbekistan
Posts: 33
Kudos: 56
 [1]
Around the World in 80 Questions (Day 7): Based on accounts of his 25 Jul 2023, 08:44
1
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Based on accounts of his contemporaries, academicians have reconstructed a rough timeline of the life and career of William Shakespeare, who left behind virtually no firsthand accounts of his childhood in Stratford-upon-Avon or career in London.

(A) Based on accounts of his contemporaries
(B) Basing it on his contemporaries’ accounts
(C) With accounts of his contemporaries used for a basis
(D) Using accounts of his contemporaries
(E) By the account of his contemporaries they used
_______________________________________________________________
Understanding the meaning of the question is important to solve it. We cant separate answer choices by the use of pronoun '' his'' as all the choices contain it. Let's take a look at answer choices.

A- ''Based on'' modifies ''Academics''. It is incorrect. Academics cant be based on accounts. Illogic meaning. A is out.
B - ''Basing'' modifies ''Academics''. Intended meaning of the answer choice is distorted. B is out.
C - Use of ''with'' as a modifier is not preferred in gmat. Moreover, ''used for a basis'' is not correct. C is out
D - ''Using'' modifies ''Academics''. It gives precise meaning. Let's keep D.
E - Answer choice has some redundant portions such as '' they used'' , but we can compare it to other answer choices. Keep E.

Between Dand E. E is wordy and D gives more precise meaning than E does.

D is our winner.
Hope it helps.
User avatar
NiranjanaV
User avatar
Joined: 20 Apr 2022
Last visit: 18 May 2025
Posts: 53
Own Kudos:
78
 [1]
Given Kudos: 125
Location: India
Schools: Ross '26 (A$$) Darden '26 (D) Tepper '26 (WL) Tuck '26 (D) Kellogg '26 (D)
GMAT 1: 730 Q48 V42
GPA: 3.23
Schools: Ross '26 (A$$) Darden '26 (D) Tepper '26 (WL) Tuck '26 (D) Kellogg '26 (D)
GMAT 1: 730 Q48 V42
Posts: 53
Kudos: 78
 [1]
Around the World in 80 Questions (Day 7): Based on accounts of his 25 Jul 2023, 08:58
1
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Based on accounts of his contemporaries, academicians have reconstructed a rough timeline of the life and career of William Shakespeare, who left behind virtually no firsthand accounts of his childhood in Stratford-upon-Avon or career in London.

(A) Based on accounts of his contemporaries - time sequence issue; based on x... have reconstructed y

(B) Basing it on his contemporaries’ accounts - it? unclear

(C) With accounts of his contemporaries used for a basis - awkward; we have better choices

(D) Using accounts of his contemporaries - CORRECT

(E) By the account of his contemporaries they used - does not work with the non-underlined portion
User avatar
Znas
User avatar
Joined: 27 Jun 2022
Last visit: 23 Jun 2024
Posts: 16
Own Kudos:
17
Given Kudos: 2
Location: India
Posts: 16
Kudos: 17
Around the World in 80 Questions (Day 7): Based on accounts of his 25 Jul 2023, 09:15
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Based on accounts of his contemporaries, academicians have reconstructed a rough timeline of the life and career of William Shakespeare, who left behind virtually no firsthand accounts of his childhood in Stratford-upon-Avon or career in London.

IMO A

(A) Based on accounts of his contemporaries - correct
(B) Basing it on his contemporaries’ accounts - present tense basing it is at odds with past tense construction of sentence
(C) With accounts of his contemporaries used for a basis - changes the meaning
(D) Using accounts of his contemporaries - using it doesn’t work in this situation
(E) By the account of his contemporaries they used - they used is repetitive with academicians
User avatar
walterwhite756
User avatar
Joined: 09 Jun 2020
Last visit: 14 Jun 2025
Posts: 235
Own Kudos:
203
 [1]
Given Kudos: 171
Location: India
GMAT 1: 720 Q50 V36
GPA: 4
GMAT 1: 720 Q50 V36
Posts: 235
Kudos: 203
 [1]
Around the World in 80 Questions (Day 7): Based on accounts of his 25 Jul 2023, 09:18
1
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Based on accounts of his contemporaries, academicians have reconstructed a rough timeline of the life and career of William Shakespeare, who left behind virtually no firsthand accounts of his childhood in Stratford-upon-Avon or career in London.

(A) Based on accounts of his contemporaries: Incorrect use of Verb-ed modifier
(B) Basing it on his contemporaries’ accounts: Incorrect, "it" lacks antecedent
(C) With accounts of his contemporaries used for a basis: Incorrect, wordy
(D) Using accounts of his contemporaries: Correct, Verb-ing modifier placed correct
(E) By the account of his contemporaries they used: Incorrect, awkward construction

IMO D.

Bunuel
Based on accounts of his contemporaries, academicians have reconstructed a rough timeline of the life and career of William Shakespeare, who left behind virtually no firsthand accounts of his childhood in Stratford-upon-Avon or career in London.

(A) Based on accounts of his contemporaries
(B) Basing it on his contemporaries’ accounts
(C) With accounts of his contemporaries used for a basis
(D) Using accounts of his contemporaries
(E) By the account of his contemporaries they used


 


This question was provided by Experts Global
for the Around the World in 80 Questions

Win over $20,000 in prizes: Courses, Tests & more

 

Show more
User avatar
harish555
User avatar
Joined: 10 Apr 2019
Last visit: 15 Apr 2025
Posts: 156
Own Kudos:
37
Given Kudos: 386
Location: India
Concentration: Marketing, Strategy
Schools: Kelley '24 (A$$)
GMAT 1: 640 Q48 V30
GPA: 3.03
WE:Marketing (Retail Banking)
Schools: Kelley '24 (A$$)
GMAT 1: 640 Q48 V30
Posts: 156
Kudos: 37
Around the World in 80 Questions (Day 7): Based on accounts of his 25 Jul 2023, 09:24
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Academicians modify the phrase using accounts ….

Posted from my mobile device
User avatar
1111fate
User avatar
Joined: 19 Oct 2021
Last visit: 27 Apr 2026
Posts: 90
Own Kudos:
63
 [1]
Given Kudos: 1,075
Location: India
Posts: 90
Kudos: 63
 [1]
Around the World in 80 Questions (Day 7): Based on accounts of his 25 Jul 2023, 09:35
1
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
The answer is D
Statement A uses based on and have in the later sentence. Hence there is incorrect tense usage here.
Statement B uses basing it which is incorrect tense to describe something that happened in the past.
Statement C uses with accounts- that leads to ambiguity over the logical meaning of the sentence.
Statement D uses using and have which is logically parallel and uses the correct tense
Statement E uses By the accounts which is logically incorrect
User avatar
ARSarkar
User avatar
Joined: 26 Nov 2022
Last visit: 08 Aug 2023
Posts: 31
Own Kudos:
29
 [1]
Given Kudos: 42
Location: India
GMAT 1: 700 Q49 V36
GMAT 1: 700 Q49 V36
Posts: 31
Kudos: 29
 [1]
Around the World in 80 Questions (Day 7): Based on accounts of his 25 Jul 2023, 09:36
1
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Based on some thing, Basing on something, By the accounts are examples of incorrect modifiers in GMAT.
D is the correct answer.
User avatar
Archit3110
User avatar
Major Poster
Joined: 18 Aug 2017
Last visit: 27 Apr 2026
Posts: 8,633
Own Kudos:
5,191
 [1]
Given Kudos: 243
Status:You learn more from failure than from success.
Location: India
Concentration: Sustainability, Marketing
GMAT Focus 1: 545 Q79 V79 DI73
GMAT Focus 2: 645 Q83 V82 DI81
GPA: 4
WE:Marketing (Energy)
Products:
GMAT Club Tests Forum Quiz
GMAT Focus 2: 645 Q83 V82 DI81
Posts: 8,633
Kudos: 5,191
 [1]
Around the World in 80 Questions (Day 7): Based on accounts of his 25 Jul 2023, 09:45
1
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
subject is William Shakespeare

(A) Based on accounts of his contemporaries meaning issue
(B) Basing it on his contemporaries’ accounts it causing modifier issue
(C) With accounts of his contemporaries used for a basis for a basis usage is incorrect
(D) Using accounts of his contemporaries correct option
(E) By the account of his contemporaries they used
 meaning issue

OPTION D is correct

Bunuel
Based on accounts of his contemporaries, academicians have reconstructed a rough timeline of the life and career of William Shakespeare, who left behind virtually no firsthand accounts of his childhood in Stratford-upon-Avon or career in London.

(A) Based on accounts of his contemporaries
(B) Basing it on his contemporaries’ accounts
(C) With accounts of his contemporaries used for a basis
(D) Using accounts of his contemporaries
(E) By the account of his contemporaries they used


 


This question was provided by Experts Global
for the Around the World in 80 Questions

Win over $20,000 in prizes: Courses, Tests & more

 

Show more
User avatar
NoobGmatTaker
User avatar
Joined: 09 Jul 2023
Last visit: 25 Oct 2025
Posts: 28
Own Kudos:
53
Given Kudos: 23
Posts: 28
Kudos: 53
Around the World in 80 Questions (Day 7): Based on accounts of his 25 Jul 2023, 09:46
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Option (A) "Based on accounts of his contemporaries" is the clearest and most concise phrasing, effectively conveying the information about how academicians have reconstructed the timeline of William Shakespeare's life and career.

Option (B) "Basing it on his contemporaries’ accounts" introduces the pronoun "it," which is unnecessary and slightly awkward. The original sentence already provides a clear subject ("academicians") without the need for an additional pronoun.

Option (C) "With accounts of his contemporaries used for a basis" is wordy and less clear than option (A). The phrase "used for a basis" is less direct and can be simplified to "based on" in option (A).

Option (D) "Using accounts of his contemporaries" is a viable option, but it slightly changes the emphasis of the sentence. Option (A) is more effective in emphasizing that the reconstruction is "based on" accounts.

Option (E) "By the account of his contemporaries they used" is grammatically incorrect and awkward. It introduces unnecessary repetition and lacks clarity.

Therefore, the most effective sentence is option (A).
User avatar
AHMoe1995
User avatar
Joined: 21 Jul 2023
Last visit: 20 Jun 2024
Posts: 12
Own Kudos:
16
 [1]
Location: Myanmar
Posts: 12
Kudos: 16
 [1]
Around the World in 80 Questions (Day 7): Based on accounts of his 25 Jul 2023, 09:56
1
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Based on accounts of his contemporaries, academicians have reconstructed a rough timeline of the life and career of William Shakespeare, who left behind virtually no firsthand accounts of his childhood in Stratford-upon-Avon or career in London.

(A) Based on accounts of his contemporaries It somewhat confusingly modifies academicians
(B) Basing it on his contemporaries’ accounts
(C) With accounts of his contemporaries used for a basis Unnecessarily wordy
(D) Using accounts of his contemporaries Correct
(E) By the account of his contemporaries they used Unnecessarily wordy
User avatar
Oppenheimer1945
User avatar
Joined: 16 Jul 2019
Last visit: 27 Apr 2026
Posts: 783
Own Kudos:
664
 [1]
Given Kudos: 236
Location: India
Schools: INSEAD '26 (D) ISB '27 (D) IIMB '26 (A) IIMA '26 (A) HEC '26 (D) LBS '26 IESE '27 (D) Fuqua '27 (WL) Tepper '27 (WL)
GMAT Focus 1: 645 Q90 V76 DI80
GPA: 7.81
Schools: INSEAD '26 (D) ISB '27 (D) IIMB '26 (A) IIMA '26 (A) HEC '26 (D) LBS '26 IESE '27 (D) Fuqua '27 (WL) Tepper '27 (WL)
GMAT Focus 1: 645 Q90 V76 DI80
Posts: 783
Kudos: 664
 [1]
Around the World in 80 Questions (Day 7): Based on accounts of his 25 Jul 2023, 10:06
1
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Based on accounts of his contemporaries, academicians have reconstructed a rough timeline of the life and career of William Shakespeare, who left behind virtually no firsthand accounts of his childhood in Stratford-upon-Avon or career in London.

(A) Based on accounts of his contemporaries (academicians are not based on accounts)
(B) Basing it on his contemporaries’ accounts (Wrong modification, it has non antedecent)
(C) With accounts of his contemporaries used for a basis (wordy: a very clunky way to express the fact)
(D) Using accounts of his contemporaries (correct -ing modifer is perfect here)
(E) By the account of his contemporaries they used (Not correct as per meaning. the right meaning is that acad, using the accounts of his contemp have reconstructed...)
User avatar
Flower_Child
User avatar
Joined: 28 Dec 2020
Last visit: 17 Mar 2025
Posts: 104
Own Kudos:
167
 [1]
Given Kudos: 523
Posts: 104
Kudos: 167
 [1]
Around the World in 80 Questions (Day 7): Based on accounts of his 25 Jul 2023, 10:07
1
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Based on accounts of his contemporaries, academicians have reconstructed a rough timeline of the life and career of William Shakespeare, who left behind virtually no firsthand accounts of his childhood in Stratford-upon-Avon or career in London.

(A) Based on accounts of his contemporaries
Incorrect. In this choice the modifier 'Based on accounts of his contemporaries' incorrectly modifies academicians .Academicians were not themselves based on accounts.

(B) Basing it on his contemporaries’ accounts
Incorrect. 'It' does not have an antecedent.

(C) With accounts of his contemporaries used for a basis
Incorrect. For me, the usage 'used for a basis' is doubtful. Correct usage could have been 'used as a basis' . 'With....' sometimes acts as a modifier. But we have a better option (D) available . So this choice will be rejected.

(D) Using accounts of his contemporaries
Correct '. Using accounts of his contemporaries' properly modifies academicians . Also the singular pronoun 'his' has only one valid antecedent 'William Shakespeare' .

(E) By the account of his contemporaries they used
Incorrect. 'They used' refers to academicians and so this choice suggests that the contemporaries were used by the academicians . This does not make sense as it alters the meaning.
User avatar
missionmba2025
User avatar
Joined: 07 May 2023
Last visit: 07 Sep 2025
Posts: 341
Own Kudos:
431
 [1]
Given Kudos: 52
Location: India
Posts: 341
Kudos: 431
 [1]
Around the World in 80 Questions (Day 7): Based on accounts of his 25 Jul 2023, 10:08
1
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Bunuel
Based on accounts of his contemporaries, academicians have reconstructed a rough timeline of the life and career of William Shakespeare, who left behind virtually no firsthand accounts of his childhood in Stratford-upon-Avon or career in London.

(A) Based on accounts of his contemporaries
(B) Basing it on his contemporaries’ accounts
(C) With accounts of his contemporaries used for a basis
(D) Using accounts of his contemporaries
(E) By the account of his contemporaries they used


 


This question was provided by Experts Global
for the Around the World in 80 Questions

Win over $20,000 in prizes: Courses, Tests & more

 

Show more

(A) Based on accounts of his contemporaries

The ed modifier phrase modifies the nearest noun academicians and gives an illogical meaning that the academicians were based on something. Eliminate.

(B) Basing it on his contemporaries’ accounts

Incorrect opening modifier phrase. Eliminate.

(C) With accounts of his contemporaries used for a basis

The opening modifier is incorrect. used for a basis gives an illogical meaning. Eliminate.

(D) Using accounts of his contemporaries

Looks correct.

(E) By the account of his contemporaries they used

Incorrect prepositional modifier. By the account is incorrect. Eliminate.

IMO D
 1   2   3   4   
Moderators:
GMATNinja
GMAT Club Verbal Expert
7391 posts
AbhishekP220108
507 posts
bhanu29
363 posts