Baggage

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j_shreyans: Legendary Member; Posts: 510; Joined: Thu Aug 07, 2014 2:24 amFollowed by: 5 members; Thanked: 3 times

by j_shreyans » Mon Sep 22, 2014 11:36 pm

From the bark of the paper birch tree the Menomini crafted a canoe about twenty feet long and two feet
wide, with small ribs and rails of cedar, which could carry four persons or eight hundred pounds of baggage
so light that a person could easily portage it around impeding rapids.

(A) baggage so light
(B) baggage being so light
(C) baggage, yet being so light
(D) baggage, and so light
(E) baggage yet was so light

OAE

my doubt is- Shouldn't be comma before yet in OA.

Pls correct me

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Source: Beat The GMAT — Sentence Correction | Mon Sep 22, 2014 11:36 pm

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by [email protected] » Tue Sep 23, 2014 10:39 am

Hi j_shreyans,

If I had written this sentence, I probably would have put a comma before the word "yet." However, it's really not an issue that worth worrying about; SCs rarely focus on testing punctuation (the rare use of a semicolon or dash notwithstanding). Commas are used as part of larger grammar rules (Modification, Comparisons, Parallelism), but you're not going to see answers differ by "just an extra comma" on Test Day, so you should focus instead on the grammar rules that are in the given SC.

Here, we have a contrast - the canoe was big enough to carry 800 pounds of baggage BUT was so light.... We need a contrast word here (the word "yet" serves that purpose). Eliminate A, B and D.

Next, we need Parallel phrases - "the Menomini CRAFTED a canoe" .... that "WAS so light." eliminate C.

Final Answer: E

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

Contact Rich at [email protected]

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David@GMATPrepNow: Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts; Posts: 147; Joined: Mon Jul 21, 2014 3:52 pmFollowed by: 21 members; Thanked: 53 times

by David@GMATPrepNow » Sat Sep 27, 2014 6:52 am

HI j_shreyans,

You're right. Strictly speaking - or writing - one should include a comma after the word baggage. Separating clauses is particularly important in a complex sentence like the one above.

Given that this is a GMAT question, we know that there will only be one right answer. We can eliminate all of the answer choices except for E, even though it is missing that comma.

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