Azurite, a carbonate mineral also known as Chessylite, has an exceptio

Question

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Azurite, a carbonate mineral also known as Chessylite, has an exceptionally deep blue  hue that has been described to be reminiscent of the color of winter skies since antiquity .

A) hue that has been described to be reminiscent of the color of winter skies since antiquity

B) hue that since antiquity described as reminiscent of the color that winter skies have

C) hue, whose descriptions since antiquity are reminiscent of the color of winter skies

D) hue, of which the descriptions have reminisced since antiquity about the color of winter skies

E) hue, which since antiquity has been described as reminiscent of the color of winter skies

generis · Accepted Answer

OFFICIAL EXPLANATION

Project SC Butler: Sentence Correction (SC2)

THE PROMPT

THE OPTIONS

• the placement of "since antiquity" implies that the  color  of winter skies has only resembled that of azurite for a few millennia.
More logically, the  comparison  between the color of azurite and that of winter skies has been made for a long time (since antiquity).
•  described to be  is not idiomatic—the correct idiom is  described as 
Eliminate A

• The words "since antiquity" create a verb problem.
→ Namely, part of the verb is missing:  described  should be  has been described 
→ A deep blue hue certainly did not  describe  anything.
→ We need a passive construction ( has been described, ) which emphasizes what got described rather than who did the describing
•  the color the winter skies have  is awkward; the color of winter skies is better, and the latter avoids comparing a noun ( color ) to a relative clause ( that winter skies have )
The verb error is fatal.
Eliminate B

• illogical. This sentence says that the  descriptions  of azurite's color, not azurite's color itself, have resembled the winter skies.
• verb error: when we see the word  since,  we will almost always see a time and thus a verb shift.
→ The verb  are  should be  has been .
Eliminate C

• illogical and silly: descriptions cannot reminisce about anything.
→  have reminisced  should be  are reminiscent of 
 Eliminate D

• CORRECT
•  which  is correctly set off with a comma and refers to the immediately preceding noun
•  described as  is the correct idiom

NOTES

The word  since  is a cue about time and verbs.
Since THAT time a short or a long time ago, THIS THING  has been  happening. OR
Since ____, we have been. . . .
The tense is called  present perfect .
Don't worry about the jargon.
Just try to remember that when you see  since,  you'll probably have to use HAS/HAVE + present participle

This tense
(1) bridges the past and the present (something began in the past and it or its effects are ongoing into the present)
(2) is constructed with HAS/HAVE _ + present participle (verbING)

WHOSE  
This word confuses a lot of non-native speakers.
True: the word  who  is used only for people
True: the word  that  is used only for non-people
But  whose  is the possessive pronoun for people and things.
→ Correct:  The hummingbird, whose wings were almost invisible, thoroughly enjoyed the honeysuckle flowers. 
→ Correct:  His father, whose gardening skills were nonexistent, grew lots of dry crabgrass every year.

The problem is that  whose  sounds like  who's,  which sounds and looks like  who .  Who  is reserved for people.
Hold on.
We don't have another word in English to describe things that belong to things.
So we use  whose  in both cases.
For non-native speakers, I think that the easiest way to get this principle etched into your mind is to write two or three sentence of your own.
-- make them short
-- make sure that at least one of them refers to  whose  in relation to a person or persons
-- make sure that at least one other refers to  whose  in relation to a thing or an animal, etc.
You'll remember your own sentence.

COMMENTS

These descriptions range from adequate to very good.
See whether you can remember yourself before you studied much. 
Write answers for that person.
You're all doing well.
Be safe. Kudos to all.

KumarSri · Answer

IMO E,

A) hue that has been described to be reminiscent of the color of winter skies since antiquity
 described to be is incorrect idiomatic usage. Hence eliminate

B) hue that since antiquity described as reminiscent of the color that winter skies have
 Tense error - present perfect tense is required. Hence eliminate

C) hue, whose descriptions since antiquity are reminiscent of the color of winter skies
 Incorrect relative pronoun - Whose. Hence Eliminate

D) hue, of which the descriptions have reminisced since antiquity about the color of winter skies
 "of which" and "about the color of the winter skies" - Awkard construction. Hence eliminate

E) hue, which since antiquity has been described as reminiscent of the color of winter skies
 Correct answer

vishumangal · Answer

A) hue that has been described to be reminiscent of the color of winter skies since antiquity - Incorrect . That is used to represent a restrictive clause. Here the usage of that alters the intended meaning

B) hue that since antiquity described as reminiscent of the color that winter skies have- Incorrect - Present perfect is required with "since antiquity"

C) hue, whose descriptions since antiquity are reminiscent of the color of winter skies- Incorrect same as B

D) hue, of which the descriptions have reminisced since antiquity about the color of winter skies - Incorrect same as B

E) hue, which since antiquity has been described as reminiscent of the color of winter skies - Correct. Usage of present perfect is spot on. The non essential modifier is nicely introduced by which clause

ksht · Answer

A) hue that has been  described to be  reminiscent of the color of winter skies since antiquity -  described to be is idiomatically incorrect

B) hue that since antiquity  described  as reminiscent of the color that winter skies have -  past tense is wrong here as 'since' is used

C) hue, whose descriptions since antiquity are reminiscent of the color of winter skies - change of meaning -  descriptions are not reminiscent, color is

D) hue, of which the descriptions have reminisced since antiquity about the color of winter skies -  not a meaningful sentence

E) hue, which since antiquity has been described as reminiscent of the color of winter skies  - Correct

poojakhanduja3017 · Answer

A) hue that has been described to be reminiscent of the color of winter skies since antiquity -  "described to be" unidiomatic

B) hue that since antiquity described as reminiscent of the color that winter skies have -  present perfect tense is used with "since"

C) hue, whose descriptions since antiquity are reminiscent of the color of winter skies -  wrong for two reasons: 1) Too wordy and changing descriptions to described isn't justified. b) and more importantly, changes meaning: makes the descriptions to be reminiscent.

D) hue, of which the descriptions have reminisced since antiquity about the color of winter skies -   same error as C second part

E) hue, which since antiquity has been described as reminiscent of the color of winter skies -  Correct

sambitspm · Answer

Azurite, a carbonate mineral also known as Chessylite, has an exceptionally deep blue  hue that has been described to be reminiscent of the color of winter skies since antiquity.

Argument 1 : We are talking about the color - deep blue hue. Hence, C, D are out.
Argument 2 :  Since antiquity  presents the fact that the color was described in a certain way for a long time. It has impact in present and the description hasn't been changed yet. Hence B is out.

Remaining A and E. A is incorrect due to incorrect placement of since antiquity.

A) hue that has been described to be reminiscent of the color of  winter skies since antiquity

B)  hue that since antiquity described  as reminiscent of the color that winter skies have

C)  hue, whose descriptions  since antiquity are reminiscent of the color of winter skies

D)  hue, of which  the descriptions have reminisced since antiquity about the color of winter skies

E) hue, which since antiquity has been described as reminiscent of the color of winter skies   CORRECT

monk123 · Answer

Azurite, a carbonate mineral also known as Chessylite, has an exceptionally deep blue  hue that has been described to be reminiscent of the color of winter skies since antiquity.

POE:

METHOD 1
Answers are divided into 'hue with comma' (C),(D),(E) and 'hue without comma' (A),(B)
When we compare (C),(D),(E) together.
(C) & (D) are eliminated on the basis of whose and of which.
'whose' is used to refer people and 'of which' is redundant as we don't know what it is referring to. keep (E)
From (A) & (B). 
Eliminate (B) on the basis of 'antiquity described'. Antiquity is not describing anything here. wrong meaning.
Down to two (A) & (E). 
Eliminate (A). 'to be' is wrong. 'as' is always used in comparison.

METHOD 2
We are comparing to things in the sentence so 'as' is preferred. 
descriptions vs described. They are two different things. The usage of descriptions is wrong.
Eliminate (A),(C),(D).
Down to two. (B) & (E). Eliminate (E) on the basis of 'antiquity described'

A) hue that has been described  to be  reminiscent of the color of winter skies since antiquity

B) hue that since  antiquity described  as reminiscent of the color that winter skies have

C) hue,  whose descriptions  since antiquity are reminiscent of the color of winter skies

D) hue,  of which the descriptions  have reminisced since antiquity about the color of winter skies

E) hue, which since antiquity has been described as reminiscent of the color of winter skies -   CORRECT

generis · Answer

The official explanation is  here .

frankqxq · Answer

I find the correct answer to be changing the original meaning of the original sentence. "That..." clause is an essential modifier while the "which" clause in option E is a nonessential one. That's why I picked A over E.

ExpertsGlobal5 · Answer

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 core meaning of this sentence is that azurite has an exceptionally deep blue, which which since antiquity has been described as reminiscent of the color of winter skies.

Concepts tested here: Meaning + Verb Forms + Tenses + Idioms + Awkwardness/Redundancy

• The infinitive verb form ("to + base form of verb" - "to + be" in this sentence) is the preferred construction for referring to the purpose/intent of an action.
• The simple present tense is used to indicate actions taking place in the current time frame, indicate habitual actions, state universal truths, and convey information that is permanent in nature.
• “that” is used to provide information needed to preserve the core meaning of the sentence, and the “comma + which” construction is used to provide extra information.

A:  This answer choice alters the meaning of the sentence through the phrases "described to be" and "winter skies since antiquity"; the use of the infinitive verb form ("to + base form of verb" - "to + be" in this sentence) and modification of "winter skies" with "since antiquity" illogically implies that azurite's hue has been described   for the purpose of being   reminiscent of the color that winter skies   have been since antiquity  ; the intended meaning is that since antiquity, azurite's hue has been described as reminiscent of the color of winter skies; please remember, the infinitive verb form ("to + base form of verb" - "to + be" in this sentence) is the preferred construction for referring to the purpose/intent of an action. Further, Option A incorrectly uses "that" to refer to information that is not necessary to preserve the core meaning of the sentence-- that the hue has been described as reminiscent of the color of winter skies; please remember, “that” is used to provide information needed to preserve the core meaning of the sentence, and the “comma + which” construction is used to provide extra information.

B:  This answer choice fails to form a complete sentence; as "described as" is a noun modifier, there is no active verb to act upon the subject noun "hue". Further, Option B uses the needlessly wordy phrase "the color that winter skies have", leading to awkwardness an redundancy.

C:  This answer choice alters the meaning of the sentence through the phrase "descriptions...are reminiscent"; the construction of this phrase illogically implies that the   descriptions   of the hue have been reminiscent of the color of winter skies; the intended meaning is that the   hue itself    has been   described as   reminiscent of the color of winter skies. Further, Option C incorrectly uses the simple present tense verb "are" to refer to an action that began in the past and continues into the present; please remember, he present perfect continuous tense (marked by "has/have been") is the correct tense to refer to actions that started in past and continue into the present, and the simple present tense is used to indicate actions taking place in the current time frame, indicate habitual actions, state universal truths, and convey information that is permanent in nature.

D:  This answer choice alters the meaning of the sentence through the clause "the descriptions have reminisced"; the construction of this clause illogically implies that the descriptions of azurite's hue have reminisced about the color of winter skies; the intended meaning is that azurite's hue has been described as reminiscent of the color of winter skies.

E:   Correct.  This answer choice acts upon the subject pronoun "which" with the active verb "has been described" to form a complete thought, leading to a complete sentence. Further, Option E correctly modifies "hue" with the phrase "which since antiquity has been described as", conveying the intended meaning - that since antiquity, azurite's hue has been described as reminiscent of the color of winter skies. Further, Option E correctly uses the present perfect continuous tense verb "has been described" to refer to an action that began in the past and continues into the present. Additionally, Option E correctly uses the "comma + which" construction to refer to information that is not needed to preserve the core meaning of the sentence-- that the hue has been described as reminiscent of the color of winter skies. Besides, Option E is free of any awkwardness or redundancy.

Hence, E is the best answer choice.

To understand the concept of "Present Perfect Continuous Tense" on GMAT, you may want to watch the following video (~1 minute):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBdUop5KaLE

To understand the concept of "Simple Tenses" on GMAT, you may want to watch the following video (~1 minute):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZj-SubJwsM

To understand the concept of "Which" versus "That" on GMAT, you may want to watch the following video (~2 minutes):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F61rK86ND44

All the best!
Experts' Global Team

Crytiocanalyst · Answer

A) hue that has been described to be reminiscent of the color of winter skies since antiquity
to be isn't the right usage for comparison therefore out

B) hue that since antiquity described as reminiscent of the color that winter skies have
antiquity isn't describing anything here , meaning error therefore out

C) hue, whose descriptions since antiquity are reminiscent of the color of winter skies
whose isn't the right usage as it's used to refer to people therefore out

D) hue, of which the descriptions have reminisced since antiquity about the color of winter skies
of which isn't the right usage therefore out

E) hue, which since antiquity has been described as reminiscent of the color of winter skies
The meaning is perfect and which correctly is acted upon

Therefore IMO E

VerbalBot · Answer

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Azurite, a carbonate mineral also known as Chessylite, has an exceptio

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GMAT Sentence Correction (SC - EA only) Questions

Azurite, a carbonate mineral also known as Chessylite, has an exceptio

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