Pack 20 Q5: From a trade exchange of artists from ancient...

Question

Pack 20, Question 5 of 5:

From a trade exchange of artists from ancient Crete, people in other countries learned a method  that artists are able to use painting pigment into wet plaster for extending the durability of murals , now known as fresco.

A. that artists are able to use painting pigment into wet plaster for extending the durability of murals
B. that artists could use to extend the durability of murals by painting pigment into wet plaster
C. for artists who could use painting pigment into wet plaster to extend the durability of murals
D. for the durability of murals to be extended by artists painting pigment into wet plaster
E. of artists able to extend with painting pigment into wet plaster the durability of murals

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ravigupta2912 · Answer

A. that artists are able to use painting pigment into wet plaster for extending the durability of murals -- Incorrect. Tense issue. Artists "are" should be in past tense simple the sentence is talking about a past event. Causal relationship in the sentence is weakened aka "Extend durability" --> by painting pigment into wet plaster. Incorrect.

B. that artists could use to extend the durability of murals by painting pigment into wet plaster - No issues. Correct.

C. for artists who could use painting pigment into wet plaster to extend the durability of murals - "for artists" Incorrect idiom.

D. for the durability of murals to be extended by artists painting pigment into wet plaster -- same as C

E. of artists able to extend with painting pigment into wet plaster the durability of murals -- same as C. "of artists" is incorrect idiom. Also "durability of murals" is far from "able to extend". Not a good construction. No preposition such as "by" to indicate a causal relationship.

winterschool · Answer

From a trade exchange of artists from ancient Crete, people in other countries learned a method that artists are able to use painting pigment into wet plaster for extending the durability of murals, now known as fresco.

A. that  artists are able to use painting  pigment into wet plaster for  extending  the durability of murals  Incorrect

past form required - are
meaning awkward - are able to use painting
gerund form is wrong - extending 
 
B.  that artists could use to extend the durability of murals by painting pigment into wet plaster   Correct

seems good

C.  for artists  who could use painting pigment into wet plaster to extend the durability of murals  Incorrect

method for - wrong 
meaning change

D.  for the durability  of murals to be extended by artists painting pigment into wet plaster  Incorrect

meaning awkward - ...method for the durability of murals...

E.  of artists  able to extend with painting pigment into wet plaster the durability of murals  Incorrect

...method of artist .....- wrong

prateekchugh · Answer

From a trade exchange of artists from ancient Crete, people in other countries learned a method  that artists are able to use painting pigment into wet plaster for extending the durability of murals , now known as fresco.

From a trade exchange of artists from ancient Crete,: Modifier + comma should modify the noun in the subsequent independent clause

people: Subject

in other countries---> Prepositional phrase

learned : Verb---> "Learned what a method"

a method that: Correct idiom a method + that

artists are: Subject Verb agreement is ok but are is present tense, we are talking about past tense. Therefore, there is an error

able to use painting pigment into wet plaster for extending the durability of murals, now known as fresco.----> Correct meaning and grammatical wise
   
A. that artists  are  able to use painting pigment into wet plaster for extending the durability of murals--->  Tense problem 
B. that artists could use to extend the durability of murals by painting pigment into wet plaster--->  Correct 
C.  for  artists who could use painting pigment into wet plaster to extend the durability of murals--->  Incorrect

Method for is not an incorrect idiom....but meaning wise it should be method that

Correct way "Method for" : Some historians attribute the eventual development of accurate METHODS FOR measuring longitude to the monetary prizes offered by various governments.

D.  for  the durability of murals to be extended by artists painting pigment into wet plaster---->  Same as C Incorrect 
E.  of  artists able to extend with painting pigment into wet plaster the durability of murals  Method of artist: is awkward meaning wise Incorrect

awichal · Answer

From a trade exchange of artists from ancient Crete, people in other countries learned a method that artists are able to use painting pigment into wet plaster for extending the durability of murals, now known as fresco.

A. that artists are able to use painting pigment into wet plaster for extending the durability of murals
B. that artists could use to extend the durability of murals by painting pigment into wet plaster
C. for artists who could use painting pigment into wet plaster to extend the durability of murals
D. for the durability of murals to be extended by artists painting pigment into wet plaster
E. of artists able to extend with painting pigment into wet plaster the durability of murals

imo : B

Mona2019 · Answer

A. that artists are able to use painting pigment into wet plaster for extending the durability of murals
Incorrect 
Tense error. Past tense should have been used. 
Also I find - to use painting pigment for extending erroneous.

B. that artists could use to extend the durability of murals by painting pigment into wet plaster 
Correct 
Could use is fine.
Use to is fine

C. for artists who could use painting pigment into wet plaster to extend the durability of murals
Incorrect 
People learned a method 'for artists' is not making sense

D. for the durability of murals to be extended by artists painting pigment into wet plaster 
Incorrect 
Passive structure
Painting pigment into wet plaster is modifying artists. Should modify the verb extend instead.

E. of artists able to extend with painting pigment into wet plaster the durability of murals
Incorrect 
This sentence does not make any sense

Posted from my mobile device

Acme · Answer

From a trade exchange of artists from ancient Crete, people in other countries learned a method that artists are able to use painting pigment into wet plaster for extending the durability of murals, now known as fresco.

From a trade exchange of artists from ancient Crete,: Modifier + comma should modify the noun in the subsequent independent clause

people: Subject

in other countries---> Prepositional phrase

learned : Verb---> "Learned what a method"

a method that: Correct idiom a method + that

artists are: Subject Verb agreement is ok but are is present tense, we are talking about past tense. Therefore, there is an error

able to use painting pigment into wet plaster for extending the durability of murals, now known as fresco.----> Correct meaning and grammatical wise

A. that artists are able to use painting pigment into wet plaster for extending the durability of murals---> Tense problem
B. that artists could use to extend the durability of murals by painting pigment into wet plaster---> Correct
C. for artists who could use painting pigment into wet plaster to extend the durability of murals---> Incorrect

Method for is not an incorrect idiom....but meaning wise it should be method that

Correct way "Method for" : Some historians attribute the eventual development of accurate METHODS FOR measuring longitude to the monetary prizes offered by various governments.

D. for the durability of murals to be extended by artists painting pigment into wet plaster----> Same as C Incorrect
E. of artists able to extend with painting pigment into wet plaster the durability of murals Method of artist: is awkward meaning wise Incorrect

EMPOWERgmatVerbal · Answer

Official Explanation

From a trade exchange of artists from ancient Crete, people in other countries learned a method  that artists are able to use painting pigment into wet plaster for extending the durability of murals , now known as fresco.

A.  that  artists  are able to use  painting pigment into wet plaster  for extending  the durability of murals 
 B.  that  artists  could use   to extend  the durability of murals by painting pigment into wet plaster 
 C.  for  artists  who could use  painting pigment into wet plaster  to extend  the durability of murals 
 D. for the durability of murals  to be extended   by  artists painting pigment into wet plaster 
 E.  of  artists  able   to extend  with painting pigment into wet plaster the durability of murals

After a quick glance over the options, there are several differences in how these are organized and worded. This means we may have to look for “larger” grammatical issues, such as modifier agreement, organization, and clear meaning. However, there are a few places we can focus on to narrow down our options before getting into the larger issues:

1. that artists / for artists / by artists / of artists (Active/Passive Voice; Meaning)
2. are able to use / could use / able (Verb Tense)
3. for extending / to extend / to be extended (Verb Choice) 
 
 Let’s start with #1 on our list because it should be a pretty easy grammar issue to tackle: active vs. passive voice.  We need to make sure that the person/thing DOING the action is first, and the actions they perform come after. It’s also a good idea to check that the phrases “that/for/of/by artists” make logical sense for the overall intended meaning:

A.  that artists  are able to use painting pigment into wet plaster for extending the durability of murals =  OKAY   (puts focus on the artists doing the actions)

B.  that artists  could use to extend the durability of murals by painting pigment into wet plaster =  OKAY   (puts focus on the artists doing the actions)

C.  for artists  who could use painting pigment into wet plaster to extend the durability of murals =  OKAY   (puts focus on the artists doing the actions)

D.  for the durability of murals  to be extended  by artists  painting pigment into wet plaster =  WRONG   (the artists are pushed between the two “action” phrases, making this passive voice)

E.  of artists  able to extend with painting pigment into wet plaster the durability of murals =  WRONG   (While the artists are put first here, the phrase “method of artists” doesn’t make sense – artists are not the method here. The artists also don’t own the method, so using “of artists” just doesn’t work.)

We can eliminate options D & E because they’re either in passive voice or the phrasing doesn’t make sense.  Now that we have it narrowed down to 3 options, let’s look more carefully at the overall organization and meaning of each one. To make problems easier to spot, let’s also add in a bit of the non-underlined portion:

A.  …people in other countries learned a method  that artists  are able to use  painting pigment into wet plaster  for extending  the durability of murals

This is  INCORRECT  for a couple of reasons. First, the phrase “are able to use” sounds clunky and awkward here. It sounds a bit like a run-on sentence, instead of a modifier. Second, the GMAT does NOT like using the combination “for verb+ing” whenever possible. So let’s rule this out.

B.  …people in other countries learned a method  that artists  could use to extend  the durability of murals  by painting  pigment into wet plaster

This is our  CORRECT  option! The meaning is clear and concise, it uses active voice, and it eliminates the “for verb+ing” issue in option A!

C.  …people in other countries learned a method   for artists who could use painting pigment  into wet plaster to extend the durability of murals

This is  INCORRECT  because it changes the intended meaning! Adding in that extra “who” changes the meaning from “any artists can use this method” to “ONLY artists who could use painting pigment can use this method.”

There you have it – option B is our winner!

Don’t study for the GMAT. Train for it.

EMPOWERgmatVerbal · Answer

Well done ravigupta2912 ! You cracked the code on this one! Kudos to you, and have a great weekend!

EMPOWERgmatVerbal · Answer

Another great catch, winterschool ! Kudos to you!

EMPOWERgmatVerbal · Answer

Great explanation, prateekchugh ! It's nice to see your thought process on this one! Kudos to you!

EMPOWERgmatVerbal · Answer

You got it awichal ! To qualify for the kudos contest, make sure to add in a short explanation for why each option is correct/incorrect! Looking forward to seeing how you tackle future questions here!

EMPOWERgmatVerbal · Answer

Great job mona2019 ! You cracked the code on this one! Kudos to you!

EMPOWERgmatVerbal · Answer

Well done Gmat410 ! Kudos to you! To answer your question: Yes, the comma after "murals" is correct. If we take it out, it changes the meaning slightly. Here's how: From a trade exchange of artists from ancient Crete, people in other countries learned a method that artists could use to extend the durability of murals by painting pigment into wet plaster , now known as fresco. = a modifier that explains what the method is called

From a trade exchange of artists from ancient Crete, people in other countries learned a method that artists could use to extend the durability of murals by painting pigment into wet plaster now known as fresco. = the type of plaster used is called "fresco," which is not true

Hope that clears it up!

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Pack 20 Q5: From a trade exchange of artists from ancient...

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