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555-605 (Medium)|   Parallelism|   Subject Verb Agreement|                     
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While most of the earliest known ball courts in Mesoamerica date to 90 24 Dec 2017, 05:49
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@Experts - Please advise!.

To me Option A was a loud winner as it stands alone with S-V agreement.

But thinking on "Meaning" issue - bogged me down. and I forced myself to find issues in A

as I was confused about the verb "attest" which stands for " serve as Evidence"

How can the object itself attest of some view about a past event?
It has to be the finding of that object can attest the view.

Can you please confirm on the above logic, I want to take this application for other question as well.

I understand D is wrong for other reasons

The painting of representation of ballplayers = redundant as painting is a form of representation ?

we must use either " Painting of ballplayers or " representation of ballplayers"
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While most of the earliest known ball courts in Mesoamerica date to 90 24 Dec 2017, 11:56
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Leo8
@Experts - Please advise!.

To me Option A was a loud winner as it stands alone with S-V agreement.

But thinking on "Meaning" issue - bogged me down. and I forced myself to find issues in A

as I was confused about the verb "attest" which stands for " serve as Evidence"

How can the object itself attest of some view about a past event?
It has to be the finding of that object can attest the view.
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I think you already answered your question! If the word "attest" means "serve as evidence", then it's completely fine to say that the object itself "attests", right? In this case: "... waterlogged latex balls serve as evidence for the fact that the Mesoamerican ballgame was well established by the mid-thirteenth century, b.c." It actually makes perfect sense, even if you just replace "attest" with its definition.

To be fair, it is a little bit unusual in real life (at least in American English) to use "attest" with an inanimate object, but when we think about the exact definition of "attest", it's completely fine.

I hope this helps!
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While most of the earliest known ball courts in Mesoamerica date to 90 25 May 2018, 00:14
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Could any expert revise if I am wrong?

Option E is out because of the SV agreement.

If I revise option E in the following way, is it right gramatically?

(E) the finding of waterlogged latex balls at El Manati and the finding of representations of ballplayers painted on ceramics at San Lorenzo attest

There are 2 findings together to attest. The subject is plural.

Thanks in advance!

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While most of the earliest known ball courts in Mesoamerica date to 90 25 May 2018, 13:05
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scwong59
Could any expert revise if I am wrong?

Option E is out because of the SV agreement.

If I revise option E in the following way, is it right gramatically?

(E) the finding of waterlogged latex balls at El Manati and the finding of representations of ballplayers painted on ceramics at San Lorenzo attest

There are 2 findings together to attest. The subject is plural.

Thanks in advance!

Best,
Laurie
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Hello scwong59 / Laurie,


I will be glad to help you out with this one. :-)


Following is the structure of the sentence with Choice E:


While most of the earliest known ball courts in Mesoamerica date to 900–400 b.c.,

the finding

    of waterlogged latex balls at El Manati and

    of representations of ballplayers painted on ceramics at San Lorenzo


attest to the fact

that the Mesoamerican ballgame was well established by the mid-thirteenth century b.c.



The sentence intends to say that there was one finding. Two items were found, but there was one finding that took place. Hence, we need singular verb attests for the finding.


From grammar stand-point, the finding applies to both of waterlogged... and of representations.... Hence, this singular subject needs singular verb attests.


Hope this helps. :-)
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While most of the earliest known ball courts in Mesoamerica date to 90 15 Aug 2018, 17:38
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Hello Everyone!

Let's take a look at this question to find any ways to quickly rule out options to get us to the correct answer! First, here is the original question with the main differences between each option highlighted in orange:

While most of the earliest known ball courts in Mesoamerica date to 900–400 b.c., waterlogged latex balls found at El Manati and representations of ballplayers painted on ceramics found at San Lorenzo attest to the fact that the Mesoamerican ballgame was well established by the mid-thirteenth century b.c.

(A) waterlogged latex balls found at El Manati and representations of ballplayers painted on ceramics found at San Lorenzo attest
(B) waterlogged latex balls found at El Manati and the painting of representations of ballplayers on ceramics found at San Lorenzo attests
(C) waterlogged latex balls found at El Manati and ceramics painted with representations of ballplayers found at San Lorenzo attests
(D) the finding of waterlogged latex balls at El Manati and the painting of representations of ballplayers on ceramics found at San Lorenzo attests
(E) the finding of waterlogged latex balls at El Manati and of representations of ballplayers painted on ceramics at San Lorenzo attest

Right away, we see 3 places where there are differences between each option:

1. How they begin (waterlogged latex balls found / the finding of waterlogged latex balls)
2. How they end (attest / attests)
3. How they deal with the ceramic paintings of ballplayers

To answer this question as quickly as possible, start with an item on our list that will eliminate 2-3 answers right away. For us, the easiest way to do this is by dealing with #2 on our list: attest / attests.

The verb "attest/attests" is referring back to BOTH the waterlogged latex balls and the ceramic paintings; therefore, we MUST use the plural verb "attest" to agree with its plural subject! Let's see how each option stacks up:

(A) waterlogged latex balls found at El Manati and representations of ballplayers painted on ceramics found at San Lorenzo attest
(B) waterlogged latex balls found at El Manati and the painting of representations of ballplayers on ceramics found at San Lorenzo attests
(C) waterlogged latex balls found at El Manati and ceramics painted with representations of ballplayers found at San Lorenzo attests
(D) the finding of waterlogged latex balls at El Manati and the painting of representations of ballplayers on ceramics found at San Lorenzo attests
(E) the finding of waterlogged latex balls at El Manati and of representations of ballplayers painted on ceramics at San Lorenzo attest

We can eliminate options B, C, and D quickly because they use a singular verb with a plural subject!

Now that we only have options A & E to choose from, let's look at both answers to see which one is the better choice:

(A) waterlogged latex balls found at El Manati and representations of ballplayers painted on ceramics found at San Lorenzo attest

This is the CORRECT answer because it uses the correct plural verb "attest" to agree with its plural subject. It also uses clear and concise wording to convey the intended meaning: the two types of artifacts found are proof the game existed at that time!

(E) the finding of waterlogged latex balls at El Manati and of representations of ballplayers painted on ceramics at San Lorenzo attest

This is INCORRECT because it changes the original meaning. The phrases "the finding of waterlogged latex balls" and the finding "of representations of ballplayers painted on ceramics" change the focus. By saying "the finding of" these two artifacts is the proof of how long this game existed, we're ignoring the important fact that the existence of these two artifacts is the proof - NOT the action of someone finding them!

There you go - option A is the correct choice!


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While most of the earliest known ball courts in Mesoamerica date to 90 14 Sep 2018, 03:00
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Hm, they found waterlogged latex balls in Mesoamerica from 900-400 b.c.?!? Wow, the 2018 OG is more interesting than I expected. (My copy of it is looking at me right now. I've barely had time to open it. :( )

TheMechanic
Eliminating option D took a while. Besides D being wordier than A, is there any thing else in D which renders it incorrect?
I think we could also argue that (D) doesn't really convey the meaning of the sentence as clearly as (A). In each answer choice, what is it that "attests to the fact that the Mesoamerican ballgame was well established..."? In (A), it's the waterlogged balls themselves and the representations of the ballplayers that give us information about the ballgame -- and that makes a lot of sense. In (D), it's "the finding" (of the balls) and "the painting" (of the representations) that tells us about the history of the ballgame -- and that makes much less sense to me.

I'm not 100% sure that (D) would be absolutely wrong in isolation, but it conveys the meaning much less clearly than (A).

I hope this helps!
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In D plural subject does not agree with "attests"
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While most of the earliest known ball courts in Mesoamerica date to 90 15 Sep 2018, 14:21
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Hm, they found waterlogged latex balls in Mesoamerica from 900-400 b.c.?!? Wow, the 2018 OG is more interesting than I expected. (My copy of it is looking at me right now. I've barely had time to open it. :( )

TheMechanic
Eliminating option D took a while. Besides D being wordier than A, is there any thing else in D which renders it incorrect?
I think we could also argue that (D) doesn't really convey the meaning of the sentence as clearly as (A). In each answer choice, what is it that "attests to the fact that the Mesoamerican ballgame was well established..."? In (A), it's the waterlogged balls themselves and the representations of the ballplayers that give us information about the ballgame -- and that makes a lot of sense. In (D), it's "the finding" (of the balls) and "the painting" (of the representations) that tells us about the history of the ballgame -- and that makes much less sense to me.

I'm not 100% sure that (D) would be absolutely wrong in isolation, but it conveys the meaning much less clearly than (A).

I hope this helps!

In D plural subject does not agree with "attests"
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Yes! And I proudly(?) accepted my demerits above: https://gmatclub.com/forum/while-most-o ... l#p1877969.
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While most of the earliest known ball courts in Mesoamerica date to 90 17 Jan 2019, 21:03
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Can not "the finding of ... and the painting of..." and
"the finding of ... and of the painting of..." mean the same thing?

If a finding contains two things, the "of" before the second thing cannot be omitted?

Could someone please help explain?
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While most of the earliest known ball courts in Mesoamerica date to 90 22 Jan 2019, 03:19
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skycastle19
Can not "the finding of ... and the painting of..." and
"the finding of ... and of the painting of..." mean the same thing?

If a finding contains two things, the "of" before the second thing cannot be omitted?

Could someone please help explain?
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There's no general rule governing this issue. Context is everything here.

Take another look at (D): "the finding of waterlogged latex balls at El Manati and the painting of representations of ballplayers on ceramics found at San Lorenzo attests..."

In this option we have two things attesting to the fact that this game was established by the 13th century B.C.: (1) the finding of waterlogged balls at El Manati and (2) the painting of representations of ballplayers found at San Lorenzo.

If we had an "of" before the second element, the parallelism would change. Now, the two elements in bold would be parallel to each other: "the finding (1) of waterlogged latex balls at El Manati and (2) of the painting of representations of ballplayers on ceramics found at San Lorenzo attests..." Take a look at that second element now: "the finding... of the painting of representations found at San Lorenzo." We could refer to "the finding of X at San Lorenzo". We could refer to "X found at San Lorenzo". But we can't refer to "the finding of X found at San Lorenzo". That's redundant.

(Of course, others have pointed out that (D) has a subject-verb disagreement: X and Y attests, and this is probably the easiest way to get rid of this option.)

Now let's revisit (E): "the finding of waterlogged latex balls at El Manati and of representations of ballplayers painted on ceramics at San Lorenzo attest..." The structure is different here: "found" doesn't appear in the second element, so we don't have the redundancy issue anymore. But we still have a subject-verb disagreement: "the finding... attest." So (E) is wrong regardless.

Takeaway (shouted very loudly from a snowy rooftop): it's impossible to memorize every acceptable construction or idiom on the GMAT. With a few exceptions, you're far better off relying on the logic, grammar, and structure of a given option than attempting to rely on an ironclad rule.

I hope that helps!
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While most of the earliest known ball courts in Mesoamerica date to 90 05 Dec 2019, 20:27
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EMPOWERgmatVerbal
Hello Everyone!

Let's take a look at this question to find any ways to quickly rule out options to get us to the correct answer! First, here is the original question with the main differences between each option highlighted in orange:

While most of the earliest known ball courts in Mesoamerica date to 900–400 b.c., waterlogged latex balls found at El Manati and representations of ballplayers painted on ceramics found at San Lorenzo attest to the fact that the Mesoamerican ballgame was well established by the mid-thirteenth century b.c.

(A) waterlogged latex balls found at El Manati and representations of ballplayers painted on ceramics found at San Lorenzo attest
(B) waterlogged latex balls found at El Manati and the painting of representations of ballplayers on ceramics found at San Lorenzo attests
(C) waterlogged latex balls found at El Manati and ceramics painted with representations of ballplayers found at San Lorenzo attests
(D) the finding of waterlogged latex balls at El Manati and the painting of representations of ballplayers on ceramics found at San Lorenzo attests
(E) the finding of waterlogged latex balls at El Manati and of representations of ballplayers painted on ceramics at San Lorenzo attest

Right away, we see 3 places where there are differences between each option:

1. How they begin (waterlogged latex balls found / the finding of waterlogged latex balls)
2. How they end (attest / attests)
3. How they deal with the ceramic paintings of ballplayers

To answer this question as quickly as possible, start with an item on our list that will eliminate 2-3 answers right away. For us, the easiest way to do this is by dealing with #2 on our list: attest / attests.

The verb "attest/attests" is referring back to BOTH the waterlogged latex balls and the ceramic paintings; therefore, we MUST use the plural verb "attest" to agree with its plural subject! Let's see how each option stacks up:

(A) waterlogged latex balls found at El Manati and representations of ballplayers painted on ceramics found at San Lorenzo attest
(B) waterlogged latex balls found at El Manati and the painting of representations of ballplayers on ceramics found at San Lorenzo attests
(C) waterlogged latex balls found at El Manati and ceramics painted with representations of ballplayers found at San Lorenzo attests
(D) the finding of waterlogged latex balls at El Manati and the painting of representations of ballplayers on ceramics found at San Lorenzo attests
(E) the finding of waterlogged latex balls at El Manati and of representations of ballplayers painted on ceramics at San Lorenzo attest

We can eliminate options B, C, and D quickly because they use a singular verb with a plural subject!

Now that we only have options A & E to choose from, let's look at both answers to see which one is the better choice:

(A) waterlogged latex balls found at El Manati and representations of ballplayers painted on ceramics found at San Lorenzo attest

This is the CORRECT answer because it uses the correct plural verb "attest" to agree with its plural subject. It also uses clear and concise wording to convey the intended meaning: the two types of artifacts found are proof the game existed at that time!

(E) the finding of waterlogged latex balls at El Manati and of representations of ballplayers painted on ceramics at San Lorenzo attest

This is INCORRECT because it changes the original meaning. The phrases "the finding of waterlogged latex balls" and the finding "of representations of ballplayers painted on ceramics" change the focus. By saying "the finding of" these two artifacts is the proof of how long this game existed, we're ignoring the important fact that the existence of these two artifacts is the proof - NOT the action of someone finding them!

There you go - option A is the correct choice!


Don't study for the GMAT. Train for it.
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Hi EMPOWERgmatVerbal,

Thanks for your explanation. I like that you mentioned "the finding of" as an action and not the artifacts that they found. None of other people mentioned this.
As for choice E, can I interpret the sentence structure as "the finding (of waterlogged latex balls at El Manati and of representations of ballplayers painted on ceramics at San Lorenzo) attest", which makes "finding" the action of the two items underlined, hence makes it a SV agreement error?

Thanks!
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While most of the earliest known ball courts in Mesoamerica date to 90 06 Dec 2019, 17:35
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EMPOWERgmatVerbal
Hello Everyone!

Let's take a look at this question to find any ways to quickly rule out options to get us to the correct answer! First, here is the original question with the main differences between each option highlighted in orange:

While most of the earliest known ball courts in Mesoamerica date to 900–400 b.c., waterlogged latex balls found at El Manati and representations of ballplayers painted on ceramics found at San Lorenzo attest to the fact that the Mesoamerican ballgame was well established by the mid-thirteenth century b.c.

(A) waterlogged latex balls found at El Manati and representations of ballplayers painted on ceramics found at San Lorenzo attest
(B) waterlogged latex balls found at El Manati and the painting of representations of ballplayers on ceramics found at San Lorenzo attests
(C) waterlogged latex balls found at El Manati and ceramics painted with representations of ballplayers found at San Lorenzo attests
(D) the finding of waterlogged latex balls at El Manati and the painting of representations of ballplayers on ceramics found at San Lorenzo attests
(E) the finding of waterlogged latex balls at El Manati and of representations of ballplayers painted on ceramics at San Lorenzo attest

Right away, we see 3 places where there are differences between each option:

1. How they begin (waterlogged latex balls found / the finding of waterlogged latex balls)
2. How they end (attest / attests)
3. How they deal with the ceramic paintings of ballplayers

To answer this question as quickly as possible, start with an item on our list that will eliminate 2-3 answers right away. For us, the easiest way to do this is by dealing with #2 on our list: attest / attests.

The verb "attest/attests" is referring back to BOTH the waterlogged latex balls and the ceramic paintings; therefore, we MUST use the plural verb "attest" to agree with its plural subject! Let's see how each option stacks up:

(A) waterlogged latex balls found at El Manati and representations of ballplayers painted on ceramics found at San Lorenzo attest
(B) waterlogged latex balls found at El Manati and the painting of representations of ballplayers on ceramics found at San Lorenzo attests
(C) waterlogged latex balls found at El Manati and ceramics painted with representations of ballplayers found at San Lorenzo attests
(D) the finding of waterlogged latex balls at El Manati and the painting of representations of ballplayers on ceramics found at San Lorenzo attests
(E) the finding of waterlogged latex balls at El Manati and of representations of ballplayers painted on ceramics at San Lorenzo attest

We can eliminate options B, C, and D quickly because they use a singular verb with a plural subject!

Now that we only have options A & E to choose from, let's look at both answers to see which one is the better choice:

(A) waterlogged latex balls found at El Manati and representations of ballplayers painted on ceramics found at San Lorenzo attest

This is the CORRECT answer because it uses the correct plural verb "attest" to agree with its plural subject. It also uses clear and concise wording to convey the intended meaning: the two types of artifacts found are proof the game existed at that time!

(E) the finding of waterlogged latex balls at El Manati and of representations of ballplayers painted on ceramics at San Lorenzo attest

This is INCORRECT because it changes the original meaning. The phrases "the finding of waterlogged latex balls" and the finding "of representations of ballplayers painted on ceramics" change the focus. By saying "the finding of" these two artifacts is the proof of how long this game existed, we're ignoring the important fact that the existence of these two artifacts is the proof - NOT the action of someone finding them!

There you go - option A is the correct choice!


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

Hi EMPOWERgmatVerbal,

Thanks for your explanation. I like that you mentioned "the finding of" as an action and not the artifacts that they found. None of other people mentioned this.
As for choice E, can I interpret the sentence structure as "the finding (of waterlogged latex balls at El Manati and of representations of ballplayers painted on ceramics at San Lorenzo) attest", which makes "finding" the action of the two items underlined, hence makes it a SV agreement error?

Thanks!
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I'm glad you like the explanation, el1234! Also, great catch on the subject-verb agreement error in option E!
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While most of the earliest known ball courts in Mesoamerica date to 90 25 Dec 2019, 23:33
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@experts GMATNinja daagh egmat the phrase "While most of the earliest knownball courts in Mesoamerica date to 900–400 b.c." correctly modifies "waterlogged latex balls" that comes after the comma but how does it modify "representatives of ballplayers"? How is representatives parallel with known courts in Mesoamerica ?

A: While most of the earliest known ball courts in Mesoamerica date to 900–400 b.c., waterlogged latex balls found at El Manati and representations of ballplayers painted on ceramics found at San Lorenzo attest to the fact that the Mesoamerican ballgame was well established by the mid-thirteenth century b.c.
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While most of the earliest known ball courts in Mesoamerica date to 90 26 Dec 2019, 04:41
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Reasoning: In the case of archeology and anthropology especially with reference to dating, Deductive Logic, and circumstantial evidence, etc are considered concrete proof and legal tools.
In the given case, the comparison is okay because the ball courts in Mesoamerica are compared with the related latex balls in El Manati and the painting of the players in Son Lorenzo. A can't be faulted for improper comparison.
Reasoning apart, the reason that A is one up over the rest is compliance with the SV number agreement.
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While most of the earliest known ball courts in Mesoamerica date to 90 27 Sep 2020, 05:20
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Could any expert revise if I am wrong?

Option E is out because of the SV agreement.

If I revise option E in the following way, is it right gramatically?

(E) the finding of waterlogged latex balls at El Manati and the finding of representations of ballplayers painted on ceramics at San Lorenzo attest

There are 2 findings together to attest. The subject is plural.

Thanks in advance!

Best,
Laurie



Hello scwong59 / Laurie,


I will be glad to help you out with this one. :-)


Following is the structure of the sentence with Choice E:


While most of the earliest known ball courts in Mesoamerica date to 900–400 b.c.,

the finding

    of waterlogged latex balls at El Manati and

    of representations of ballplayers painted on ceramics at San Lorenzo


attest to the fact

that the Mesoamerican ballgame was well established by the mid-thirteenth century b.c.



The sentence intends to say that there was one finding. Two items were found, but there was one finding that took place. Hence, we need singular verb attests for the finding.


From grammar stand-point, the finding applies to both of waterlogged... and of representations.... Hence, this singular subject needs singular verb attests.


Hope this helps. :-)
Thanks.
Shraddha
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Hi egmat,
The price of pen and the price of pencil IS/ARE $10. Which one (IS/ARE) will be correct? It seems that there are 2 items here, so shouldn't it be ARE? Also, do you think that this sentence is legit? Appreciating your help!
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While most of the earliest known ball courts in Mesoamerica date to 90 27 Sep 2020, 05:22
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Quote:
While most of the earliest known ball courts in Mesoamerica date to 900???400 b.c., waterlogged latex balls found at El Manati and representations of ballplayers painted on ceramics found at San Lorenzo attest to the fact that the Mesoamerican ballgame was well established by the mid-thirteenth century b.c.

(A) waterlogged latex balls found at El Manati and representations of ballplayers painted on ceramics found at San Lorenzo attest
(B) waterlogged latex balls found at El Manati and the painting of representations of ballplayers on ceramics found at San Lorenzo attests
(C) waterlogged latex balls found at El Manati and ceramics painted with representations of ballplayers found at San Lorenzo attests
(D) the finding of waterlogged latex balls at El Manati and the painting of representations of ballplayers on ceramics found at San Lorenzo attests
(E) the finding of waterlogged latex balls at El Manati and of representations of ballplayers painted on ceramics at San Lorenzo attest
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Hi honorable experts,
MartyTargetTestPrep, GMATNinja, GMATGuruNY, VeritasPrepHailey, BrightOutlookJenn, AjiteshArun and other experts
I'm totally confused with the meaning of choice E and F. Are these 2 versions same in meaning?
(F) the finding of waterlogged latex balls at El Manati and of representations of ballplayers painted on ceramics at San Lorenzo attest

Something like:
I want to eat banana, drink water, take medicine.
Vs
I want to eat banana, to drink water, to take medicine.

Any difference in meaning here? Appreciating your help, experts.
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While most of the earliest known ball courts in Mesoamerica date to 90 28 Sep 2020, 14:21
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Why A is right?

Can waterlogged latex balls attest ANYTHING?
This seams like a personification...
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While most of the earliest known ball courts in Mesoamerica date to 90 30 Sep 2020, 05:30
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TheUltimateWinner

Hi honorable experts,
MartyTargetTestPrep, GMATNinja, GMATGuruNY, VeritasPrepHailey, BrightOutlookJenn, AjiteshArun and other experts
I'm totally confused with the meaning of choice E and F. Are these 2 versions same in meaning?
(F) the finding of waterlogged latex balls at El Manati and of representations of ballplayers painted on ceramics at San Lorenzo attest

Something like:
I want to eat banana, drink water, take medicine.
Vs
I want to eat banana, to drink water, to take medicine.

Any difference in meaning here? Appreciating your help, experts.
Show more

Hi

Let me try to address your query. The short answer is that there is no difference in meaning between (E) and (F) (though both are incorrect because of the usage of the plural verb "attest" to refer to the singular noun "the finding"!)

When assessing parallelism, it helps to think of it as being similar to a mathematical expression with the items of the list appearing inside a parentheses. Upon expansion, the part outside the parentheses will apply to each of the items of the list. For example:

(i) At the next meeting, the company directors will (assess the yearly plan, discuss the compensation policy, and make a final decision regarding closure of the Bosnian operations).

Here, "company directors will" will apply to each of "assess", "discuss" and "make". This is correct.

(ii) At the next meeting, the company directors (will assess the yearly plan, will discuss the compensation policy, and will make a final decision regarding closure of the Bosnian operations).

Here, "the company directors" will apply to each of "will assess", "will discuss" and "will make". This is also correct and means the same as (i).

Hope this helps.
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While most of the earliest known ball courts in Mesoamerica date to 90 14 Oct 2020, 13:36
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can anyone further explain the "while" clause?

I don't see the comparison / parallelism as correct.

this clearly doesn't make sense: While running through the woods, the bee was found to be on the back of John's neck.

isn't that the same as our sentence? I know daagh said it's okay for archeological proof but if it's not then it wouldn't work right.

While most of the earliest known ball courts in Mesoamerica date to 900–400 b.c., waterlogged latex balls found at El Manati and representations of ballplayers painted on ceramics found at San Lorenzo attest to the fact that the Mesoamerican ballgame was well established by the mid-thirteenth century b.c.
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While most of the earliest known ball courts in Mesoamerica date to 90 25 Nov 2020, 15:13
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Lazybum
can anyone further explain the "while" clause?

I don't see the comparison / parallelism as correct.

this clearly doesn't make sense: While running through the woods, the bee was found to be on the back of John's neck.

isn't that the same as our sentence? I know daagh said it's okay for archeological proof but if it's not then it wouldn't work right.

While most of the earliest known ball courts in Mesoamerica date to 900–400 b.c., waterlogged latex balls found at El Manati and representations of ballplayers painted on ceramics found at San Lorenzo attest to the fact that the Mesoamerican ballgame was well established by the mid-thirteenth century b.c.
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Those are different constructions. To see why, consider two examples:

    1) While cooking dinner, the house caught fire from Tim's unattended stir-fry.

Here, a modifying phrase, "cooking dinner" follows "while," and whatever this phrase is describing should come immediately after. In this case, it appears to be "the house" that is cooking dinner, so this is clearly illogical.

    2) While Tim was cooking dinner, the house caught fire.

Now, an entire clause follows "while." In this case, there's no problem. "Tim was cooking dinner" is a complete sentence, and "the house caught fire" is also a complete sentence. "While" connects these two sentences, so there's no modifier issue, and this construction is perfectly acceptable.

Your sentence is more like the first example, in which there was a modifier problem, while (A) is more like the second example, in which two clauses are connected.

I hope that helps!
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While most of the earliest known ball courts in Mesoamerica date to 90 25 Nov 2020, 16:32
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TheUltimateWinner

Hi egmat,
The price of pen and the price of pencil IS/ARE $10. Which one (IS/ARE) will be correct? It seems that there are 2 items here, so shouldn't it be ARE? Also, do you think that this sentence is legit? Appreciating your help!
Show more



Hello TheUltimateWinner,

I apologize for the late revert. But here I am nonetheless. :-)


The price of the pen and the price of the pencil ARE $10.

This sentence takes the plural verb "are" because the sentence has the plural subject - The price of the pen and the price of the pencil. The prices of these items have been mentioned individually. So, they form the plural subject. Now study the following sentence:

The price of the pen and of the pencil IS $10.

This sentence takes the singular verb "is" because the sentence mentions one cumulative price of both the entities. Please note that the connector "and" does not connect two nouns. It connects two prepositional phrases - of the pen and of the pencil. Prepositional phrases do not make subjects. Hence, the subject in this sentence is singular.


Hope this helps. :-)
Thanks.
Shraddha
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