One important aspect of Haydn's genius lays in his sense of the energy

Question

Project SC Butler: Day 160: Sentence Correction (SC2) 
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One important aspect of Haydn's genius  lays in his sense of the energy latent in his material—or perhaps it was his invention of material that gave  him the requisite energy to sustain such remarkable musical compositions.

A) lays in his sense of the energy latent in his material—or perhaps it was his invention of material that gave

B) lays in his sense of the energy latent in his material—or perhaps it was his inventing of material that gave

C) lies in his sense of the energy latent in his material—or perhaps in his invention of material that gave

D) lay in his sense of the latent energy of his material—or perhaps his invention of material that would give

E) lies in his sense of his material's latent energy—or perhaps his invention of material to give

generis · Accepted Answer

• MEANING This sentence describes two possibilities: Haydn's genius could come from the sense of energy in his material OR from his invention of material that gave him energy. • HIGHLIGHTS The source of Haydn's genius LIES in one of two possible sources. The verb is LIES The preposition is IN. Both sources must be presented in parallel fashion. Only answer (C) maintains clear parallelism. The source of his genius lies in X—or perhaps in Y. I discuss the lay/lie distinction and the use of em dashes after the POE. PROCESS OF ELIMINATION • Split # 0 The two possible sources of his genius should be presented in parallel fashion. The verb is LIES. The source of X lies in Y or in Z. In parallel structures, usually we do not omit prepositions. The rarer situation - when we do not repeat a preposition in a parallel structure If there is more than one object of a preposition, unless those two objects are both not too long and placed very close together, we repeat the preposition. This example does not repeat the preposition and is less typical of the GMAT than repeating the preposition. -- Correct: I dressed warmly in a coat and hat. -- Probably wrong on the GMAT: I dressed warmly in a coat and in a hat. The sentence is grammatical. But the nouns are short and placed close together. This sentence could be considered wordy or needlessly repetitious on the GMAT. -- Omitting the preposition is not as common as repeating the preposition, especially when the verb (LIES) and the first preposition (IN) are far away from the second object. Most of the time, by contrast, we should repeat the preposition—repeating the preposition makes the Y element easy to find, especially in sentences that contain ellipsis and substitution. Correct: He filed a complaint with the local police and their specialists as soon as possible to protect forensic evidence and with the Dean of Students. Wrong: He filed a complaint with the local police and their specialists as soon as possible to protect forensic evidence and the Dean of Students. We need the word IN before both sources. Eliminate options A, B, D, and E, none of which uses IN before the second source.

(No kidding.) Option C is the answer. Suppose that the parallelism issue made you nervous or you didn't catch it. Then you would take a different route. • Split #1: LIE/LAY This distinction is hard, but it will hit if you just read examples. Find sentences and read them. I would bet that within 30 minutes' time you will get the pattern from the examples. Present tense LAY, whose A rhymes with place , requires an object. What does he lay down? (What does he place somewhere?) He lays his pen down on his desk. Genius cannot lay anything down, anywhere. A source of genius cannot lay anything down anywhere, either. Abstract nouns (characteristics such as genius) can and do LIE (reside in, can be found in) other nouns. The correct verb is LIE. The source of Haydn's genius LIES in X or perhaps in Y. Options A and B incorrectly use LAY (We are not eliminating option D. Lay is the past tense of . . . lies/lie. D stays on this issue.) Eliminate A and B • Split #2 - VERBS and PHRASES • Option (E) says that H's genius lies . . perhaps IN his invention of material to give him the requisite energy to sustain such remarkable musical compositions. -- too purposeful. He may have invented material that did give him the needed energy to sustain his amazing work. He did not mean to give himself the needed energy. That is, to say that he invented the material in order to give himself the needed energy to continue is too purposeful. The "genius" part, in fact, is that he happened to compose material that gave him the energy he needed. -- the infinitive in "material to give him the requisite energy" should be a descriptor without conscious purpose: material that gave . • Phrasing about latent energy? Option C says, his sense of the energy latent in his material. Option E says, his sense of his material's latent energy -- not much meaning difference, but there is a style difference in two ways 1) his sense of the energy latent in his material is clearer than his sense of his material's latent energy . The first energy in (C) takes the spotlight. Although energy is a bit vague, the phrase he both imbued the music with latent energy and sensed what he was doing. He was "tapped into" the latent energy that he was creating. The second energy comes well after "his sense of." Energy gets lost in an awkward phrase "material's latent energy." 2) although C is longer, when abstract nouns are involved, the preference is to avoid possessive construction with the use of Option E is not preferred, stylistically, to C. Most of the time, choose Y of X for things rather than X's Y. (Choose menace in his expression rather than his expression's menace. ) Comparing E to C? -- The phrase "material to give" is too purposeful. Option C's material that gives is better. -- Option E's phrasing that contains his material's latent energy is not as clear as the phrasing in C, and abstract noun possessives are not preferred. C wins. Eliminate E • Split #3 - parallelism and clarity Compare options C and D. Option (D) uses lay . (Who made this verb up? I wanna have a talk with him. Where was I? Oh. D is weird.) Lay is the past tense of lies. If this statement were one of scientific fact or general truth, it would still be true, and we would use present tense, lies. But this is expert critical opinion. Both past (lay) and present (lies) tense will work. We have another problem, though, in D, that is similar to the problem in E. Option D uses the phrasing, "invention of material that would give. " That structure is either (1) too purposeful, as in E ( that would give can mean that was intended to give ) or (2) the wrong verb tense. This way is correct: His genius lay (past tense) in ___ or perhaps in material that gave (past tense) Finally, option (D) does not have a second preposition in the second possibility. Option C does have two prepositions. Option C presents more clarity, (C) is clearly parallel. Eliminate D The answer is C ISSUES • LAY / LIE? This distinction is often hard even for native speakers. As the word is used in this sentence, LIE means: "(of something abstract) reside or be found. The solution lies in a return to traditional values. See Oxford Dictionary online, here. Present tense lay means to put something down. Lay requires a direct object. Present tense lie means to reside or be found in. (Lie also means to recline or to tell a falsehood.) "Lie" never takes a direct object. "Reside or be found in"? Something abstract such as creativity or talent can lie in or within another noun. You may want to try a mnemonic. The long "I' is a long vowel that sounds like EYE. The "I" in LIES rhymes with RESIDES (abstract nouns) and RECLINES (people and things). For abstract nouns, to lie means to reside in something. For people or things, to lie means to recline . Think: Recline, reside . . . rhyme with lie . -- Is this person or thing reclining? Use lie. Is this abstract idea, such as a solution, residing in some other noun? Use lie. This saying is very famous: Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder. (Google it!) On the other hand, the long "A" in lay sounds like "day" and rhymes with place, as in, to place something somewhere. Is someone putting something down? Then that person is pl a cing the something. Use lay. • LIE/LAY and direct objects Lie does not take a direct object. Lie resembles sit in this way. No direct objects! Correct: The eggs sit in the nest. The eggs lie in the nest. I sit in a chair. I lie on a bed. Lay, present tense, means to put something down. Lay requires a direct object . Lay what ? And often, lay where ? I laid a blanket on him. (I placed a blanket on him.) • EXAMPLES - reading examples is the best way to pick up the pattern LIE -- Hope often lies in the knowledge that possibility exists. -- Creativity lies in the mysterious urge to reinterpret the meaning of human existence. -- Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder. -- The responsibility for the alarming rise in U.S. hate crimes LIES partly with leaders whose constant public scorn for certain groups emboldens others. -- The source of her constant willingness to challenge bullies lies in her conviction that silence encourages bullies. -- I lie in the bed. -- The eggs lie in the nest. -- The book lies on the coffee table. LAY -- Lay your pencil down; the test is over. -- Chickens lay eggs in nests. -- When she refinishes old chairs, after the last coat of paint seems dry, she lays a sheet over the chair for a few days. -- Read about the difference - For more on the distinction between LAY and LIE, go here. • The EM dash Mostly, do not worry too much.

I'm fairly sure that it was Strunk (of Strunk & White) who said "An em dash is a mark of separation stronger than a comma, less formal than a colon, and more relaxed than parentheses." What are em dashes for? Four basic things. 1) EM dashes are used to emphasize something, often to highlight irony, paradox, or the unexpected. Three years ago I joked about becoming an ex-pat if the TV guy with the bad comb over and the scary attitude got elected—now my ex-pat talk is no joke. (Dramatic. I did not expect him to be elected. I joked about becoming an expat. To my surprise, he was elected. My expat talk ironically turned out to be pretty accurate and at present, not a joke.) Three years ago I joked about becoming an ex-pat if the TV guy with the bad comb over and the bad attitude got elected, but now I don't have to worry because he has decided not to run for reelection. (No EM dash. The sentence is not dramatic. I can just tell my horror story with commas.) 2) EM dashes set off description. I ran into the ocean in Tunis to get away from an infuriated camel—with huge yellow teeth and a glare that was a lot scarier than the riptides coming in. (True story. Camels are HUGE. And fast. Who knew? Okay, which American knew?) 3) EM dashes set off parenthetical statements. I ran into the ocean in Tunis to get away from infuriated camel—hoping desperately that he could not swim—and stayed in the Mediterranean Sea for what seemed like hours. 4) EM dashes can make complicated or confusing things clear. Some examples of onomatopoeia—words that sound like what they describe—are buzz, hiss, thwack, and cuckoo. The offset words that sound like what they describe explains what is meant by onomatopoeia . Two rules: 1) if you set off a description with dashes in the middle of the sentence, you must use two dashes. The description must be contained between the dashes. 2) you do not end a sentence with a second EM dash. OG 2020 SC #s 834, 876, and 886 contain EM dashes, as does OG VR 2020 SC #311 • COMPARE - if all else fails, compare every option to (c) C wins. COMMENTS amarprajapati92 and saltbae , welcome to SC Butler. Okay, it's a few hours past midnight where I am. I will edit this response, but not right now. I am so impressed by many of these answers! There are some stellar explanations here. Just as importantly, people weren't afraid to guess. Good! You will find yourselves having to guess. It's okay if you couldn't explain— this time. (Into what category of EM dash function does that offset go?

) This thread will be a goldmine for those who follow. In every post, no exceptions, there is something to learn. Nice work. Kudos to all.

saltbae · Answer

My guess is (D).

This is simply because D is the only option set in the past, as is the tone of the entire sentence.

The difference b/w ‘lies’ and ‘lays’ is that the latter requires a doer (eg: he lay the pillow on the bed), whereas the former is used independently (eg: he lies on the sofa).

‘Lay’, however, is the past tense of ‘lie(s)’. And since no doer is required and the tense has to be in the past, D seems like the appropriate answer.

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Lampard42 · Answer

One important aspect of Haydn's genius lays in his sense of the energy latent in his material—or perhaps it was his invention of material that gave him the requisite energy to sustain such remarkable musical compositions.

generis  - Could you brief upon the usage of dash in this sentence as part of OE.

Not sure of elimination process. 
i)Lies is better than Lays.
ii) Would give/ to give - at the end of the sentence is incorrect
iii) may be i am gasping at straws - But i feel the construction in Option C - in his sense is parallel to in his material.

IMO Option C

ccheryn · Answer

One important aspect of Haydn's genius  lays in his sense of the energy latent in his material—or perhaps it was his invention of material that gave  him the requisite energy to sustain such remarkable musical compositions.

actually as a history i started admiring generis ( jonshukhrat introduced me to his language genius) for his teaching on transitive and intransitive verbs and its usage . thanks for both. for teaching me this.
This is his trademark question lets explore ( please correct me if my analysis is wrong)

lays - transitive verb - needs object eg Hen lays eggs on the nest
lies - intransitive verb- stands on its own eg Hen lies on the nest

here lays is the wrong usage. As our sentence doesnot need direct object following the lies. so lies intransitive verb is the right usage.

so A,b,D are wrong

E) lies in his sense of his material's latent energy—or perhaps his invention of material to give   ( he got the energy because of the invention, he didnt invent to get the energy . so its wrong)

C) lies in his sense of the energy latent in his material—or perhaps in his invention of material that gave  ( so this is correct choice for correct usage of lies , the parallelism oof in his material to in his invention ,and the absence of infinitive to make it more attractive)..

pzgupta · Answer

Yikes I am so not sure but here is how I came to choose C
I think lies is the right verb here but i am so not sure about this.

Based on this choices are down to C and E. Between C and E, E is weird with "his sense of his...", Hence IMO C.

AkshdeepS · Answer

Using POE :

Subject is singular "One aspect" , therefore we need singular verb "Lays or Lies". In option D, "Lay" is plural. Eliminate D.

"Lays" is a wrong verb.  Lay  means "put something down gently or carefully". (Lay....Laid.....Laid).

1. Lie : An intentionally false statement. (Lie....Lied....Lied) : We don't require it here.

2. Lie : Be in or assume a horizontal or resting position OR exist, lie around). (Lie....Lay....Lain)

We need second one. Eliminate A and B.

Also, we need a prepositional phrase after  "or perhaps"  to make things parallel.

Lies  in his sense .....or perhaps  in his invention

Eliminate E,

Hence C is correct.
 
A)  lays  in his sense of the energy latent in his material—or perhaps  it was his  invention of material that gave

B)  lays  in his sense of the energy latent in his material—or perhaps  it was his inventing  of material that gave

C) lies in his sense of the energy latent in his material—or perhaps in his invention of material that gave

D)  lay  in his sense of the latent energy of his material—or  perhaps his invention  of material that would give

E) lies in his sense of his material's latent energy—or  perhaps his invention  of material to give

ahabib · Answer

A)  lays  in his sense of the energy latent in his material—or perhaps it was his invention of material that gave
 
Wrong verb tense

B)  lays  in his sense of the energy latent in his material—or perhaps it was his inventing of material that gave
 
Wrong verb tense

C)  lies in  his sense of the energy latent in his material— or perhaps in his  invention of material that gave
 
Good

D)  lay  in his sense of the latent energy of his material—or perhaps his invention of material that would give
 
SVA Error

E)  lies in his sense  of his material's latent energy— or perhaps his invention  of material to give

Not parallel. 
Should be: Lies in his sense   or perhaps  in

kunaldutt15 · Answer

One important aspect of Haydn's genius lays in his sense of the energy latent in his material—or perhaps it was his invention of material that gave him the requisite energy to sustain such remarkable musical compositions.

A) lays in his sense of the energy latent in his material—or perhaps it was his invention of material that gave -  lies should be used instead of lays. Also, there is parallelism error

B) lays in his sense of the energy latent in his material—or perhaps it was his inventing of material that gave -  lies should be used instead of lays. Also, there is parallelism error. "His inventing of material" is awkward.

C) lies in his sense of the energy latent in his material—or perhaps in his invention of material that gave -  Correct. Parallelism error corrected. Uses lies instead of lays.

D) lay in his sense of the latent energy of his material—or perhaps his invention of material that would give -  SVA error ("lay"). Parallelism error.

E) lies in his sense of his material's latent energy—or perhaps his invention of material to give -  Parallelism error.

adkikani · Answer

Have a look at  this post on deciding verb for subject verb agreement  and  guidelines for using words with either/or construction  by  generis  for your support. Happy learning to everyone!

One important aspect of Haydn's genius  lays in his sense of the energy latent in his material—or perhaps it was his invention of material that gave  him the requisite energy to sustain such remarkable musical compositions.

Subject - Aspect (Singular)
Verb - lays (singular)

||ism
(Either) in his sense of the energy latent in his material (prepositional phrase in underlined portion is INSIDE either construction)
So, what should follow:
or  perhaps  in his invention of material that gave him the requisite energy to sustain such remarkable musical compositions. (Or must be followed by a prepositional phrase too , rule followed is TWICE INSIDE in above link)
 Only C matches above construction.

TheNightKing · Answer

IMO C.
"lays in" is incorrect usage. Eliminate A and B.
"lay" is incorrect in D. It violates Subject Verb agreement; "subject being one important aspect"
Between C and E, the later uses "to give" which is not the usage required here.
So by Process of Elimination C is the right choice.

Sorry for not writing a detailed response.

Thank you!

chaitralirr · Answer

The first split between lays and lies used and eliminated A, B and E.

In between C and E the structure of the sentence in short parallelism was checked and it was observed that C is parallel ... Also C uses that gave which is correct....

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amarprajapati92 · Answer

Correct option is C, invention of it's maintains nice parallelism with in in both part of sentences

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generis · Answer

I have posted the official explanation  HERE

hero_with_1000_faces · Answer

There are different splits here,  Lays and Lies is very subtle , unless you are sure this should not be played with.
Parallelism may be difficult to spot here.

Easier approach IMO, would be look at the end part of choices.

One important aspect of Haydn's genius lays in his sense of the energy latent in his material—or  perhaps it was his invention of material that gave   him the requisite energy to sustain such remarkable musical compositions.

Easily Eliminated below Choices:

D) lay in his sense of the latent energy of his material—or perhaps his invention of material that   would   give
Would is incorrect here. I think I need not explain this.

E) lies in his sense of his material's latent energy—or perhaps his invention of material  to  give
"To" usage is incorrect, The Invention was not created with intention to give him power. Invention is stated here as a fact.

Rest:

B) lays in his sense of the energy latent in his material—or perhaps it was  his inventing  of material that gave
 His Inventing is terrible.

A) lays in his sense of the energy latent in his material—or perhaps  it was his invention  of material that gave

was is incorrect here, we want to make a general fact.

Only option that remains is "C"

C) lies in his sense of the energy latent in his material—or perhaps in his invention of material that gave

Would like to know your opinion on this  generis

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One important aspect of Haydn's genius lays in his sense of the energy

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GMAT Sentence Correction (SC - EA only) Questions

One important aspect of Haydn's genius lays in his sense of the energy

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