Dear Friends,
Here is a detailed explanation to this question-
AbdurRakib wrote:
Written early in the French Revolution,
Mary Wollstonecraft’s A Vindication of the Rights of Man (1790) and A Vindication of the Rights of Woman (1792) attributed Europe’s social and political ills to be the result of the dominance of aristocratic values and patriarchal hereditary privilege.
(A) Mary Wollstonecraft’s
A Vindication of the Rights of Man (1790) and
A Vindication of the Rights of Woman (1792) attributed Europe’s social and political ills to be the result of
(B) Mary Wollstonecraft’s
A Vindication of the Rights of Man (1790) and
A Vindication of the Rights of Woman (1792) attributed Europe’s social and political ills to result from
(C) Mary Wollstonecraft’s
A Vindication of the Rights of Man (1790) and
A Vindication of the Rights of Woman (1792) attributed Europe’s social and political ills to
(D) in
A Vindication of the Rights of Man (1790) and
A Vindication of the Rights of Woman (1792), Mary Wollstonecraft attributed Europe’s social and political ills to have been the result of
(E) Mary Wollstonecraft, in
A Vindication of the Rights of Man (1790) and
A Vindication of the Rights of Woman (1792), attributed Europe’s social and political ills to
OG 2017 New Question
Meaning is crucial to solving this problem:Understanding the intended meaning of the sentence is key to solving this question; the intended meaning is that Mary Wollstonecraft’s A Vindication of the Rights of Man (1790) and A Vindication of the Rights of Woman (1792) were written early in the French Revolution and they attributed Europe's social and political ills to the dominance of aristocratic values and patriarchal hereditary privilege.
Concepts tested here: Meaning + Modifiers + Awkwardness/Redundancy• In a “phrase + comma + noun” construction, the phrase must correctly modify the noun; this is one of the most frequently tested concepts on GMAT sentence correction.
A: This answer choice uses the redundant phrase "attributed...to be the result", leading to awkwardness and redundancy; this usage is redundant, as both "attributed" and "result" are used to convey a cause-effect relationship.
B: This answer choice uses the redundant phrase "attributed...to result", leading to awkwardness and redundancy; this usage is redundant, as both "attributed" and "result" are used to convey a cause-effect relationship.
C: Correct. This answer choice correctly uses "Written early in the French Revolution" to modify "Mary Wollstonecraft’s A Vindication of the Rights of Man (1790) and A Vindication of the Rights of Woman (1792)", conveying the intended meaning - that
A Vindication of the Rights of Man (1790) and
A Vindication of the Rights of Woman (1792) were written early in the French Revolution. Further, Option C is free of any awkwardness or redundancy.
D: This answer choice incorrectly uses "Written early in the French Revolution" to modify "Mary Wollstonecraft", illogically implying that
Mary Wollstonecraft was written early in the French Revolution; the intended meaning is that
A Vindication of the Rights of Man (1790) and
A Vindication of the Rights of Woman (1792) were written early in the French Revolution; remember, in a “phrase + comma + noun” construction, the phrase must correctly modify the noun.
E: This answer choice incorrectly uses "Written early in the French Revolution" to modify "Mary Wollstonecraft", illogically implying that
Mary Wollstonecraft was written early in the French Revolution; the intended meaning is that
A Vindication of the Rights of Man (1790) and
A Vindication of the Rights of Woman (1792) were written early in the French Revolution; remember, in a “phrase + comma + noun” construction, the phrase must correctly modify the noun.
Hence, C is the best answer choice.To understand the concept of "Phrase Comma Subject" and "Subject Comma Phrase" on GMAT, you may want to watch the following video (~1 minute):
All the best!
Experts' Global Team