Until quite recently, American presidents lived in a world in which

Question

Until quite recently, American presidents lived in a world in which the public and private realms of their lives were largely separate,  and the press cooperated in maintaining the distinction, and  Americans judged national leaders without receiving, or expecting, intimate information about them.

(A) and the press cooperated in maintaining the distinction, and

(B) where the press cooperated in maintaining the distinction, and where

(C) for the press cooperated to maintain the distinction and

(D) the press cooperated to maintain the distinction, for

(E) in which the press cooperated in maintaining the distinction, and in which

ChrisLele · Accepted Answer

Until quite recently, American presidents lived in a world in which the
public and private realms of their lives were largely separate,  and the press
cooperated in maintaining the distinction, and  Americans judged national
leaders without receiving, or expecting, intimate information about them.

(A) and the press cooperated in maintaining the distinction, and

The parallelism of 'in which' is violated by two 'and's.

(B) where the press cooperated in maintaining the distinction, and where

The 'where' clashes with the 'in which.' Typically, unless you are talking about a specific place, use 'in which.'

(C) for the press cooperated to maintain the distinction and

Here we are erroneously implying that the press caused the separation in the 'public and private realms.'

(D) the press cooperated to maintain the distinction, for

'the press...' would form a comma splice.

(E) in which the press cooperated in maintaining the distinction, and in which

This choice maintains parallelism by use of the 'in which' across the three phrases A, B, and C. Each of the 'in which' correctly modify 'world.'

egmat · Answer

Hi,

Until quite recently, American presidents lived in a world in which the public and private realms of their lives were largely separate,  and the press cooperated in maintaining the distinction, and  Americans judged national leaders without receiving, or expecting, intimate information about them.

https://e-gmat.com/blogs/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Meaning-icon-final.png

The sentence means that till very recently, American presidents had distinct public and private lives, the press cooperated in maintaining the distinction, and Americans judged national leaders without receiving, or expecting, intimate information about them.
So clearly here we have a list. American presidents lived in a world in which:
i. the public and private realms of their lives were largely separate,
ii. the press cooperated in maintaining the distinction, and
Americans judged national leaders without receiving, or expecting, intimate information about them.

https://e-gmat.com/blogs/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Grammar.png 
1. Per the sentence, all the three entities listed in meaning analysis are separate. Hence all the entities must be logically as well as grammatically parallel. But in the sentence they are not. “in which the public and private realms of their lives were largely separate” is not grammatically parallel to “the press cooperated in maintaining the distinction” and “Americans judged national leaders without receiving, or expecting, intimate information about them”. Since the first entity completely lies in the non-underlined portion of the sentence, we need “in which” before the other two entities as well.
2. In a list, comma + and is used before the last entity to denote that there are no further entities in the list. Hence use of “and” before the second entity in the sentence is incorrect.

POE:

(A)  and the press cooperated in maintaining the distinction, and: Wrong as discussed.

(B)  where the press cooperated in maintaining the distinction, and where: The first entity has “in which” in the beginning. So we need “in which” in the beginning of the other two entities as well to make them grammatically parallel. Use of “where” is incorrect as it results in parallelism error.

(C)  for the press cooperated to maintain the distinction and: As already discussed in the meaning analysis, all the three entities are separate from each other. This choice connects all the three entities with each other. The choice is grammatically correct but distorts the intended meaning of the sentence. It now means that Americans presidents could maintain distinct public and private lives because the press allowed them to maintain that distinction and the Americans also did not care about getting personal information about their national leaders.
This distortion in the meaning makes choice C incorrect.

(D)  the press cooperated to maintain the distinction, for: Wrong. The last entity is not parallel to the other two entities in the sentence. This choice connects the last two entities that distorts the intended meaning of the sentence. Hence this choice is grammatically correct but leads to meaning distortion and hence is incorrect.

(E)  in which the press cooperated in maintaining the distinction, and in which: Correct answer. This choice has complete parallelism and conveys the intended meaning of the sentence.

https://e-gmat.com/blogs/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Takeaway.png

1. It is very important to understand the intended meaning of the sentence.
2. Identify the correct parallel list in the sentence.
3. All the entities in the list must be grammatically as well as logically parallel to each other.
4. Avoid answer choices that distort the intended meaning of the sentence even if they are grammatically correct.

The concepts tested in this sentence have been covered in e-gmat concepts:
1. Level 1 – Significance of Meaning (This concept features in Preview Level 1 Concepts that are available in Free Trial. Just register and learn.)
2. Level 1 – Parallelism – Identify and Correct
3. Level 1 – Parallelism – Helpful Tips

Hope this helps.
Shraddha

https://e-gmat.com/blogs/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/shraddha.jpg

x2suresh · Answer

Clear E for parallelism.

American Presedinet lived in which X, in which Y, and in which Z

A is close enought but has small problem. (extra "and" is unnecessary)

American Presedinet lived in which X,  and  Y, and Z

oligarh · Answer

I know this question has been discussed several times, but I would like to ask experts to chime in and help explain the difference between (C) and (E)?

(C)
Until quite recently, American presidents lived in a world 
(1)  in which  the public and private realms of their lives were largely separate,
(2)  for  the press cooperated to maintain the distinction AND Americans judged national leaders without receiving, or expecting, intimate information about them

doesn't (2) perfectly and grammatically explain (1)???

(E)

Until quite recently, American presidents lived in a world 
1.  in which  the public and private realms of their lives were largely separate,
2.  in which  the press cooperated in maintaining the distinction,
AND
3.  in which  Americans judged national leaders receiving, or expecting, intimate information about them

This one also looks fine, but it feels as if it talks about the same thing

thevenus · Answer

Until quite recently, American presidents lived in a world in which the
public  and  private realms of their lives were largely separate, and the press
cooperated in maintaining the distinction, and Americans judged national
leaders without receiving, or expecting, intimate information about them.
 The basic problem here is the conjunction "and" , which is not necessary and is not intending the right meaning, so it should be replaced  
(A) and the press cooperated in maintaining the distinction, and
(B) where the press cooperated in maintaining the distinction, and where
 in a world  is inferring to  a situation  so "in which"is the proper modifier.
(C) for the press cooperated to maintain the distinction and
"....the public for...." incorrect
(D) the press cooperated to maintain the distinction, for 
incorrect
(E)  in which  the press cooperated in maintaining the distinction,  and   in which 
in which is modifying  "in a world" 
and is correctly used and parallelism is maintained

sairam595 · Answer

Can Someone explain the role of "For" in option C?

chetan2u · Answer

Hi,
he role of 'for' is ofcourse illogical here..

But 'for' can be used in this form, meaning 'because of'/'because'..

I was tired, for I had played cricket throughout the day..
I was very happy with her, for she supported me in all situations..
I gave few examples on usage of 'for', for smartyguy wanted clarity on the usage..

robu · Answer

Option C could also be the correct choice . Press may also be the reason for the separation. I think i can think in this way also. Because it is about the meaning of the sentence. 
Please clarify .

sairam595 · Answer

Until quite recently, American presidents lived in a world in which the
public and private realms of their lives were largely separate, and the press
cooperated in maintaining the distinction, and Americans judged national
leaders without receiving, or expecting, intimate information about them.

(C) for the press cooperated to maintain the distinction and

Here we are erroneously implying that the press caused the separation in the 'public and private realms.'

Hi Robu,

Option C cannot be correct as per meaning of the original sentence -American presidents lived in a world in which the
public and private realms of their lives were largely separate  &  Press cooperated to do so.

As per choice C - American presidents lived in a world in which the
public and private realms of their lives were largely separate  because  Press cooperated to do so.

Please note that we should not deviate from the meaning of the original sentence.

gmatify17 · Answer

Only option E maintains parallelism 
world in which the public,in which the press, in which Americans judged

aceGMAT21 · Answer

Until quite recently,   American presidents lived in a world   in which the public and private realms of their lives were largely separate ,   in which the press cooperated in maintaining the distinction ,  and in which  Americans judged national leaders without receiving, or expecting, intimate information about them.

Until quite recently, American presidents lived in a world 
in which the public and private realms of their lives were largely separate, 
in which the press cooperated in maintaining the distinction, and 
in which Americans judged national leaders without receiving, or expecting, intimate information about them.

lakshya14 · Answer

But isn't "which" if far from what it is modifying?

EducationAisle · Answer

Indeed, but we need to understand that this is more a  parallelism  issue than a  modifier  issue.

With E, the sentence is:

Until quite recently, American presidents lived in a world in which the public and private realms of their lives were largely separate, in which the press cooperated in maintaining the distinction, and in which Americans judged national leaders without receiving, or expecting, intimate information about them .

So, the sentence is: American presidents lived in a world:

i)  in which  the public and private realms of their lives were largely separate,

ii)  in which  the press cooperated in maintaining the distinction, and

iii)  in which  Americans judged national leaders without receiving, or expecting, intimate information about them

So, by virtue of  parallelism  between the three  in which  structures, it is clear that whatever the  first   in which  is modifying ( world ), the  other two   in which  are also modifying the same entity ( world ).

pk6969 · Answer

Hi! In questions like these, how do we figure out the intended meaning. as mentioned in C, I thought presidents were able to live in such a world because of media and Americans. This makes total sense.  AndrewN   GMATNinja 
Please help

pk6969 · Answer

How do we know the intended meaning of the sentence? the intended meaning could be both C and E?

mSKR · Answer

3 hints for the intended meaning:
1. What our original choice meaning refers to ( unless it gives nonsensical meaning)
2. If you read C literally, you will find: 
Until quite recently, American presidents lived in a world in which the public and private realms of their lives were largely separate,  for the press cooperated to maintain the distinction  and Americans judged national leaders without receiving, or expecting, intimate information about them.
Until quite recently, American presidents lived in a world in which the public and private realms of their lives were largely separate, for the press cooperated to maintain the distinction  and    Americans judged national leaders without receiving, or expecting, intimate information about them. 
 
Until quite recently, American presidents lived in a world in which the public and private realms of their lives were largely separate, for the press cooperated to maintain the distinction
Cooperated act as verb ed modifier now
Core sentence becomes: American presidents lived in a world in which the public and private realms of their lives were largely separate, for the press 
Challenging questions: Why American presidents need to live in such world for the press?
Secondly, The live in such a world only for press ( that cooperated to maintain) . Again why Americal president would do that?
3. This  colour  part is hanging in the end as extra information.

Based on above 3 factors, I don't think We have to think hard to choose E in terms of intended meaning which is simple and concise without giving our minds an extra edge to make it true.

What do you say ? 
I hope it is clear.

AndrewN · Answer

Hello,  pk6969 . This is a tricky question that hinges more on taking the safest route than on pursuing what must be true. I took 1:47 before I selected (E) over (B) and (C), a long time for me on SC questions. How about we look at those options?

Of course, (B) and (E) are identical except for  where  versus  in which . Since there is an earlier reference to  a world  in which   something occurs, and we are not provided further information about a specific place, (E) is the safer bet. Drop (B).

As I said above, I did consider (C) before I opted for another answer. It is not that (C) cannot work on grammatical or semantic grounds, even if  for  is the oft-forgotten  F  in the acronym FANBOYS. Could a sentence provide a reason in a second independent clause for something that was described in the first? Sure. That is exactly how the conjunction  for  should be used.

He ought to do well on the test, for he has put in many hours of diligent study.

What it really comes down to is whether, in the sentence at hand, we are meant to pursue that reason or whether we can more logically anticipate reading a description of the same  world —i.e.  a world in which X, Y, and Z . This is, admittedly, a tough call to make, or at least it was for me. So, why did I opt for (E)? Ultimately, I thought it was a little clearer, a little easier to follow than (C), with its two-pronged reason—i.e.  Presidents lived in a world in which different realms were separate,   X did something and Y did something else.  I now have to make a judgment call on whether  both  reasons justify the outcome in the first independent clause. Maybe they could, but that is more work than I like to do when it comes to SC. I would rather read from left to right and be finished than be forced to go back and qualify information. Thus, I favored (E) as the answer that was harder to argue against.

I hope that my outlining my thought process proves useful to you. This was one of the stranger SC questions I have laid eyes on recently. Thank you for calling my attention to it.

- Andrew

DrWho · Answer

ChrisLele   DmitryFarber

Why not A? A is also parallel, right?

Option A states 
"Until quite recently, American presidents lived in a world in which the public and private realms of their lives were largely separate, and the press cooperated in maintaining the distinction, and Americans judged national leaders without receiving, or expecting, intimate information about them."

It follows the format, American presidents lived in a world in which X and Y and Z (Z is an independent clause)

i.e. American presidents lived in a world in which <the sky is blue> and Americans judged national leaders without expectations

Thoughts?

Raman109 · Answer

Until quite recently, American presidents lived in a world in which the public and private realms of their lives were largely separate,  and the press cooperated in maintaining the distinction, and  Americans judged national leaders without receiving, or expecting, intimate information about them.

Option Elimination - 
Usage of "for" - 
1. For can be used as a preposition to indicate the purpose, duration, or recipient. E.g., He brought a gift for his sister (Recipient). She went to the store for some groceries (purpose). 
2. For can be used as a coordinating conjunction to introduce an explanation or reason. E.g., She couldn't attend the meeting, for she was feeling unwell.

(A) and the press cooperated in maintaining the distinction, and - Three parallel items and two and. Not good.

(B) where the press cooperated in maintaining the distinction, and where - "where" is a location marker. The earlier non-underlined clause uses "in which," so we prefer that.

(C) for the press cooperated to maintain the distinction and - "for" here is used as a coordinating conjunction to connect another clause and introduce an explanation or reason. So, it means that "the public and private realms of their lives were largely separate" because the press cooperated and Americans judged—wrong meaning.

(D) the press cooperated to maintain the distinction, for - "the press cooperated to maintain the distinction" connected with an earlier independent clause without any conjunction. Comma-splice. Also, the same "for" meaning issues - because Americans judged .."the public and private realms of their lives were largely separate" and "the press cooperated."

(E) in which the press cooperated in maintaining the distinction, and in which - ok. Parallelism maintained by in which.

Until quite recently, American presidents lived in a world in which

Prep Toolkit

Top 5 GMAT Debrief Videos

615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

745 with Only Self-Prep and GMAT Club

From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

My Rewards

GMAT Sentence Correction (SC - EA only) Questions

Until quite recently, American presidents lived in a world in which

Prep Toolkit

615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

745 with Only Self-Prep and GMAT Club

From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

My Rewards