Can an inanimate object argue?

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gmatrant: Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts; Posts: 416; Joined: Wed Oct 03, 2007 9:08 amFollowed by: 1 member; Thanked: 10 times

by gmatrant » Fri Jan 06, 2012 12:18 am

In 1850 Lucretia Mott published her Discourse on Women, arguing in a treatise for women to have equal political and legal rights and for changes in the married women's property laws.

A.arguing in a treatise for women to have equal political and legal rights
B.arguing in a treatise for equal political and legal rights for women
C.a treatise that advocates women's equal political and legal rights
D.a treatise advocating women's equal political and legal rights
E.a treatise that argued for equal political and legal rights for women

I am not looking for the right answer choice here. I quite agree with the answer choice.
The answer choice is E and I don' disagree as this as it is the best among the given options. But can we case a "treatise that argued" - Can an inanimate object argue?

A kudos or thanks would do great if my answer has helped you

Source: Beat The GMAT — Sentence Correction | Fri Jan 06, 2012 12:18 am

sam2304: Legendary Member; Posts: 1239; Joined: Tue Apr 26, 2011 6:25 amFollowed by: 26 members; Thanked: 233 times; GMAT Score:680

by sam2304 » Fri Jan 06, 2012 3:50 am

The treatise here is referring to discourse on women, published by lucretia mott. So it is Lucretia mott who argued through the treatise if i am right.

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gmatrant: Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts; Posts: 416; Joined: Wed Oct 03, 2007 9:08 amFollowed by: 1 member; Thanked: 10 times

by gmatrant » Sun Jan 08, 2012 11:56 pm

Hi sam

I quite don't agree here, the pronoun 'that' refers to treatise in the sentence thereby indicating that it is arguing. Please correct me if I am wrong.

thnx
gmatrant

A kudos or thanks would do great if my answer has helped you

avik.ch: Legendary Member; Posts: 641; Joined: Wed Apr 20, 2011 1:15 amFollowed by: 32 members; Thanked: 149 times; GMAT Score:760

by avik.ch » Mon Jan 09, 2012 12:44 am

OG-12 SC # 38

Both the use of "the treatise" and "arguing" is correct. I dont see any problem here. This problem is testing the correct use of prepositional modifier.

Please refer my post here : https://www.beatthegmat.com/prepositiona ... tml#441748

and Mitch Sir explanation is based on the same concept : https://www.beatthegmat.com/please-help- ... 81781.html

To the original poster : I really cannot answer your doubt on whether an inanimate object argue or not in GMAT - practically its not possible but academic writing do have such kind of use ( refer to some Wordsworth's poem ), technically it is called as personification /prosopopoeia /anthropomorphism - giving human quality to some inanimate object.

Hope this helps !!

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