Unaware of what it was like to be subjected to the Jim Crow laws

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 grandchildren of local African Americans in Kentucky are unaware of what it was like to be subjected to the Jim Crow laws in the South and to be forced to move to another state in order to live without fear, have a somewhat limited view of racism, and cannot imagine what it was like to be refused service in a restaurant.

Concepts tested here: Meaning + Modifiers + Grammatical Construction + Awkwardness/Redundancy

• The introduction of present participle ("verb+ing"- “having” in this case) after comma generally leads to a cause-effect relationship.
• Two or more elements should only be included in a list if they play the same role.
• If a list contains only two elements they must be joined by a conjunction.
• “being” is only to be used when it is part of a noun phrase or represents the passive continuous verb tense; the use of passive continuous must be justified in the context.

A: Correct. This answer choice uses the phrases "Unaware of what it was like to be subjected to the Jim Crow laws" and "have a somewhat limited view of racism and cannot imagine what it was like to be refused service in a restaurant", conveying the intended meaning - that the grandchildren of local African Americans in Kentucky are unaware of what it was like to be subjected to the Jim Crow laws in the South and to be forced to move to another state in order to live without fear, and as two separate actions have a somewhat limited view of racism and cannot imagine what it was like to be refused service in a restaurant. Further, Option A correctly uses a conjunction ("and" in this sentence) to join two elements in a list: "to be subjected to the Jim Crow laws in the South" and "to be forced to move to another state in order to live without fear". Additionally, Option A is free of any awkwardness or redundancy.

B: This answer choice incorrectly uses a comma to join two elements in a list - "subjected to the Jim Crow laws in the South" and "forced to move to another state in order to live without fear"; please remember, if a list contains only two elements they must be joined by a conjunction. Further, Option B is awkward and needlessly wordy, due to its unnecessary uses of "Being"; please remember, “being” is only to be used when it is part of a noun phrase or represents the passive continuous verb tense; the use of passive continuous must be justified in the context. Additionally, Option B uses the independent clause "they cannot imagine what it was like to be refused service in a restaurant"; the use of an independent clause leads to further awkwardness and redundancy.

C: Trap. This answer choice alters the meaning of the sentence through the phrases "cannot imagine...subjected to the Jim Crow laws in the South, or forced to move to another state in order to live without fear" and "having a somewhat limited view of racism"; the inclusion of the phrases "subjected to the Jim Crow laws in the South" and "forced to move...without fear" in a list alongside "what it was like to be refused service in a restaurant" and the use of the "comma + present participle ("verb+ing" - "having" in this sentence) construction incorrectly imply that the grandchildren of local African Americans in Kentucky cannot imagine three things: what it was like to be refused service in a restaurant, what it was like to be subjected to the Jim Crow laws in the South, and what it was like to be forced to move to another state in order to live without fear, and as a result they have a somewhat limited view of racism; the intended meaning is that the grandchildren of local African Americans in Kentucky are unaware of what it was like to be subjected to the Jim Crow laws in the South and to be forced to move to another state in order to live without fear, and as two separate actions have a somewhat limited view of racism, and they cannot imagine one thing - what it was like to be refused service in a restaurant; please remember, two or more elements should only be included in a list if they play the same role; further, the introduction of present participle ("verb+ing"- “having” in this case) after comma generally leads to a cause-effect relationship.

D: This answer choice alters the meaning of the sentence through the phrase "Unaware of the subjugation of the Jim Crow laws"; the construction of this phrase incorrectly implies that the grandchildren of local African Americans in Kentucky are generally unaware of the subjugation caused by the Jim Crow laws; the intended meaning is that the grandchildren of local African Americans in Kentucky are unaware of what it was like to be subjected to the Jim Crow laws. Moreover, Option D further alters the meaning of the sentence through the phrase "having a somewhat limited view of racism"; the use of the "comma + present participle ("verb+ing" - "having" in this sentence) construction incorrectly implies that the grandchildren of local African Americans in Kentucky cannot imagine what it was like to be refused service in a restaurant, and as a result they have a somewhat limited view of racism; the intended meaning is that the grandchildren of local African Americans in Kentucky have a somewhat limited view of racism, and as a separate action cannot imagine what it was like to be refused service in a restaurant; please remember, the introduction of the present participle ("verb+ing"- “having” in this case) after comma generally leads to a cause-effect relationship.

E: This answer choice alters the meaning of the sentence through the phrase "Unaware of the subjugation of the Jim Crow laws"; the construction of this phrase incorrectly implies that the grandchildren of local African Americans in Kentucky are generally unaware of the subjugation caused by the Jim Crow laws; the intended meaning is that the grandchildren of local African Americans in Kentucky are unaware of what it was like to be subjected to the Jim Crow laws.

Hence, A is the best answer choice.

To understand the concept of "Comma + Present Participles for Cause-Effect Relationships" on GMAT, you may want to watch the following video (~3 minutes):



All the best!
Experts' Global Team