Castle bult by royals

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psm12se: Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts; Posts: 109; Joined: Sun Oct 21, 2012 5:10 amFollowed by: 1 member

by psm12se » Sat Feb 16, 2013 7:02 am

This castle was built on this site by the royal family over a period of five hundred years; the hill on which it stood was of great strategic importance.

A. This castle was built by the royal family on this site over a period of five hundred years; the hill on which it stood was of great strategic importance

B. This castle had been built on this site by the royal family over a period of five hundred years; the hill on which it stands was of great strategic importance

C. This castle was built on this site by the royal family over a period of five hundred years; the hill on which it is now standing was of great strategic importance

D. The royal family built this castle on this site over a period of five hundred years; the hill on which it stood was of great strategic importance

E. The royal family built this castle on this site over a period of five hundred years; the hill on which it stands was of great strategic importance

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Source: Beat The GMAT — Sentence Correction | Sat Feb 16, 2013 7:02 am

hemant_rajput: Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts; Posts: 447; Joined: Sun Apr 22, 2012 7:13 amFollowed by: 13 members; Thanked: 46 times; GMAT Score:700

by hemant_rajput » Sat Feb 16, 2013 9:33 am

psm12se wrote:This castle was built on this site by the royal family over a period of five hundred years; the hill on which it stood was of great strategic importance.

A. This castle was built by the royal family on this site over a period of five hundred years; the hill on which it stood was of great strategic importance

B. This castle had been built on this site by the royal family over a period of five hundred years; the hill on which it stands was of great strategic importance

C. This castle was built on this site by the royal family over a period of five hundred years; the hill on which it is now standing was of great strategic importance

D. The royal family built this castle on this site over a period of five hundred years; the hill on which it stood was of great strategic importance

E. The royal family built this castle on this site over a period of five hundred years; the hill on which it stands was of great strategic importance

A. it stood...wrong tense
B. had been...wrong verb
C. standing ..wrong tense
D. same as A.
E. correct.
C.

I'm no expert, just trying to work on my skills. If I've made any mistakes please bear with me.

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Tommy Wallach: GMAT Instructor; Posts: 451; Joined: Thu Jan 21, 2010 11:58 amFollowed by: 120 members; Location: New York City; Thanked: 188 times; GMAT Score:770

by Tommy Wallach » Sat Feb 16, 2013 1:39 pm

Hey Guys,

Great notes already, but I thought I'd do a slightly more in-depth study:

This castle was built on this site by the royal family over a period of five hundred years; the hill on which it stood was of great strategic importance.

A. This castle was built by the royal family on this site over a period of five hundred years; the hill on which it stood was of great strategic importance
B. This castle had been built on this site by the royal family over a period of five hundred years; the hill on which it stands was of great strategic importance
C. This castle was built on this site by the royal family over a period of five hundred years; the hill on which it is now standing was of great strategic importance
D. The royal family built this castle on this site over a period of five hundred years; the hill on which it stood was of great strategic importance
E. The royal family built this castle on this site over a period of five hundred years; the hill on which it stands was of great strategic importance

(A) The verb "stood" is in the past tense, implying that the castle isn't there anymore. This is incorrect because the first half of the sentence says "this castle" and "this site," implying that the castle is still there.

(B) "by the royal family" is oddly placed. It could be modifying "site" (as in the royal family built or designed the site). The past perfect tense makes no sense here, because it implies that something happened afterwards ("I had eaten 12 hot dogs...but then I threw them all up.").

(C) "by the royal family" is oddly placed again. I don't actually see a problem with the present progressive tense. It's not perfect, but it isn't wrong, though the "now" is weirdly placed/redundant: "The hill on which we are standing was once very important."

(D) Same tense error as (A).

(E) Correct.

Hope that adds a bit of information!

-t

Tommy Wallach, Company Expert
ManhattanGMAT

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patanjali.purpose: Legendary Member; Posts: 784; Joined: Sun Apr 03, 2011 3:51 amFollowed by: 12 members; Thanked: 114 times

by patanjali.purpose » Sat Feb 16, 2013 2:57 pm

This castle was built on this site by the royal family over a period of five hundred years; the hill on which it stood was of great strategic importance.

A. This castle was built by the royal family on this site over a period of five hundred years; the hill on which it stood was of great strategic importance

(A) The verb "stood" is in the past tense, implying that the castle isn't there anymore. This is incorrect because the first half of the sentence says "this castle" and "this site," implying that the castle is still there. -t

But Tommy, it may be possible that the speaker of the sentence is pointing at a picture of castle in a book. In such case, would you still feel that CASTLE STANDS is better

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Tommy Wallach: GMAT Instructor; Posts: 451; Joined: Thu Jan 21, 2010 11:58 amFollowed by: 120 members; Location: New York City; Thanked: 188 times; GMAT Score:770

by Tommy Wallach » Sun Feb 17, 2013 2:58 pm

Hey Patanjali,

That's a real stretch! If you ever find yourself thinking "What if this is being said to someone while both of them are looking at it in a book," you're probably overthinking it. : )

-t

Tommy Wallach, Company Expert
ManhattanGMAT

If you found this posting mega-helpful, feel free to thank and/or follow me!

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psm12se: Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts; Posts: 109; Joined: Sun Oct 21, 2012 5:10 amFollowed by: 1 member

by psm12se » Sat Mar 02, 2013 9:19 am

Hey Guys,
Thanks for the responses, the answer is indeed E.

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dixitnagpal: Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts; Posts: 9; Joined: Thu Feb 28, 2013 4:21 am

by dixitnagpal » Sat Mar 02, 2013 12:36 pm

HI Tommy ,

IN E) on which it stands isnt changing the meaning and making the sentence awkward. As per my understanding it as if castle itself stands , however C is clearly saying on which it is now standing, although being redundant isnt C more clear in meaning than E. Please Explain.

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