Sentence Correction

Scholars who once thought Native American literatures were solely oral narratives recorded by missionaries or anthropologists now understand this body of work to consist of both oral literatures and the written works of Native American authors, who have been publishing since 1772.

A. Scholars who once thought Native American literatures were solely oral
narratives
B. Scholars thinking of Native American literatures once solely as oral narratives,
and
C. Scholars who once had thought of Native American literatures solely as oral
narratives and
D. Native American literatures, which some scholars once thought were solely
oral narratives
E. Native American literatures, which some scholars once, thinking they were
solely oral narratives

At experts, I do not really get this one,


From GMAT prep

OA - I do not know how to blank it out so I would leave it to do a simple google search. Please do not be offended.

Hey Tmoni,

The biggest mistake a GMAT student can make with Sentence Correction is spending time "weighing" answer choices. You do not have to identify every error present in a question to get the question correct. Here's the steps I'd recommend you follow:

Step 1 - Read Choice (A) and Identify One Grammar or Meaning Error

Since we know that a sentence with a grammatical error or an illogical meaning can NEVER be correct on the GMAT, try to identify and name ONE specific error you see. It may seem like there are several things "wrong" with the sentence, so choose the error you feel the most confident about, and write it down on your scratch paper.

What if there is no error in (A), as in this answer choice? If (A) seems correct to you, or you cannot spot a grammar or meaning error, feel free to search for a style error. If you feel there is one, such as redundancy or passive voice, make a note of it next to letter "A" on your scratch pad, but DO NOT CROSS IT OFF YET. Remember, a style error doesn't make an option automatically incorrect. It only makes it less likely to be correct. Once you've done this, move on to (B) and look for an identifiable grammar or meaning error. If (A) is correct, then (B) must contain an error.

Step 2 - Scan the Other Choices; Eliminate Error #1

Do any of the other 4 choices contain that same error? If so, quickly cross out the option and NAME the error.

Step 3 - Move to the Next Available Choice; Look for Error #2

If you have more than one choice left, repeat the process. Move to the next choice remaining and look for an identifiable grammar or meaning error. If none exists, feel free to look for a style error and make a note of it next to the letter on your scratch pad. Once you've identified a grammar or meaning error, cross off the letter of that answer choice, and the letters of any other answer choices that contain the same error. Repeat as needed.

Step 4 - Stuck Between Two? Eliminate Based on Style

On a difficult Sentence Correction, you may find yourself narrowed down to two answer choices that both seem grammatically correct and both have logical meanings. Which one does the GMAT prefer? The answer: the clearest, most concise option. If one choice appears to have awkwardness or wordiness or passive voice, select the other option. All grammar being equal, the GMAT rewards clarity.

Here are what my notes would looks like on this question:

A - ?
B - Parallelism error - "thinking" "once thought" not parallel - elim.
C - Verb Tenses error - don't need the past perfect, since "now" clarifies the meaning
D - Meaning error - "literatures" cannot logically "understand"
E - Meaning error - "literatures" cannot logically "understand"

By process of elimination, the correct answer must be A.

Takeaway: Don't "choose" the correct answer. Eliminate 4 choices and simply select what remains!

Rich and Vivian,

Thank you very much for your explanations. I appreciate it a lot.

I picked option D when I took the test because I thought "which" was modifying "Native America literatures" but now I understand that I should not have overlooked the "now understand" element of the question.

Thanks once again.

Tmoni26 wrote: I picked option D when I took the test because I thought "which" was modifying "Native America literatures" but now I understand that I should not have overlooked the "now understand" element of the question.

An important take-away:
Always read each answer choice IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE NON-UNDERLINED PORTION.
Often, the non-underlined portion will dictate what is required in the underlined portion.
In D and E, the subject (Native American literatures) makes no sense when read in conjunction with the verb in the non-underlined portion (now understand):
Native American literatures...now understand.
Eliminate D and E.