Dear Friends,
Here is a detailed explanation to this question-
AbdurRakib wrote:
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
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 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.
Concepts tested here: Subject-Verb Agreement + MeaningA: Correct. This answer choice correctly refers to the plural noun phrase "waterlogged latex balls...and representations of ballplayers painted on ceramics" with the plural verb "attest". Further, Option A uses the phrase "waterlogged latex balls found at El Manati and representations of ballplayers painted on ceramics found at San Lorenzo attest", conveying the intended meaning - that waterlogged latex balls and representations of ballplayers that were painted on ceramics attest to the fact that the Mesoamerican ballgame was well established by the mid-thirteenth century b.c.
B: This answer choice incorrectly refers to the plural noun phrase "waterlogged latex balls...and the painting..." with the singular verb "attests"; please remember, two singular elements joined by "and" function as a single plural noun phrase. Further, Option B alters the meaning of the sentence through the phrase "the painting of representations of ballplayers"; the construction of this phrase incorrectly implies that
the act of painting representations of ballplayers on ceramics found at San Lorenzo attests to the fact that the Mesoamerican ballgame was well established by the mid-thirteenth century b.c; the intended meaning is that the ceramics found at San Lorenzo
were painted with representations of ballplayers and
the representations attest to the fact that the Mesoamerican ballgame was well established by the mid-thirteenth century b.c.
C: This answer choice incorrectly refers to the plural noun phrase "waterlogged latex balls...and the ceramics..." with the singular verb "attests"; please remember, two singular elements joined by "and" function as a single plural noun phrase.
D: This answer choice incorrectly refers to the plural noun phrase "the finding...and the painting..." with the singular verb "attests"; please remember, two singular elements joined by "and" function as a single plural noun phrase. Further, Option D alters the meaning of the sentence through the phrase "the finding...and the painting..."; the construction of this phrase incorrectly implies that
the act of finding waterlogged latex balls at El Manati and
the act of painting representations of ballplayers on ceramics found at San Lorenzo attest to the fact that the Mesoamerican ballgame was well established by the mid-thirteenth century b.c; the intended meaning is that the waterlogged latex balls and the representations
themselves attest to the fact that the Mesoamerican ballgame was well established by the mid-thirteenth century b.c.
E: This answer choice incorrectly refers to the singular noun "the finding" with the plural verb "attest". Further, Option E alters the meaning of the sentence through the phrase "the finding of"; the construction of this phrase incorrectly implies that
the act of finding waterlogged latex balls at El Manati and 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 intended meaning is that the waterlogged latex balls and the representations
themselves attest to the fact that the Mesoamerican ballgame was well established by the mid-thirteenth century b.c.
Hence, A is the best answer choice.All the best!
Experts' Global Team
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