Sentence Correction

Despite the criticism in the early 1890’s that if journalists use pictures the intellectual quality of publications would diminish, by the late 1890’s photographs were found in most newspapers and magazines.


(A) that if journalists use pictures the intellectual quality of publications would diminish,

(B) that if journalists use pictures it will diminish the intellectual quality of publications,

(C) that the use of pictures by journalists would diminish the intellectual quality of publications,

(D) of the intellectual quality of publications being diminished by the use of pictures by journalists,

(E) of the use of pictures by journalists diminish the intellectual quality of publications,


OA C

Source: GMAT Prep

Original Sentence:
"Despite the criticism in the early 1890’s that if journalists use pictures the intellectual quality of publications would diminish, by the late 1890’s photographs were found in most newspapers and magazines."

The original sentence is intended to contrast the early 1890s' criticism regarding the use of images in journalism with the widespread adoption of photographs in publications by the late 1890s. The main point of contention in the criticism is the conditional relationship between journalists using pictures and the subsequent effect on the intellectual quality of publications.

Option Analysis:

A) that if journalists use pictures the intellectual quality of publications would diminish,

Incorrect tense and structure: The phrase "if journalists use pictures" mixes present tense ("use") with a past hypothetical situation, which is not the most appropriate for a statement reflecting past criticism. The structure lacks clarity and conciseness, making it awkward within the historical context.
B) that if journalists use pictures it will diminish the intellectual quality of publications,

Incorrect tense: "it will diminish" employs future tense, which is not suitable for describing a past hypothetical criticism. This choice also disrupts the temporal coherence with the rest of the sentence, which is set in the past.
Ambiguous pronoun: "it" could ambiguously refer to either "journalists use pictures" or "pictures," leading to potential confusion.
C) that the use of pictures by journalists would diminish the intellectual quality of publications,

This choice correctly uses the past conditional "would diminish" to reflect the hypothetical nature of the criticism in the past. It avoids the awkward construction found in the other options and directly links the action (use of pictures) with the consequence (diminish the intellectual quality), making it clear and concise.
D) of the intellectual quality of publications being diminished by the use of pictures by journalists,

Passive and cumbersome: This option shifts the sentence into a more passive voice, "being diminished," which makes the criticism less direct and more cumbersome than necessary. It also introduces a gerund phrase ("being diminished"), which complicates the sentence unnecessarily.
It detaches the criticism from the conditional structure provided by the hypothetical scenario, which weakens the directness of the historical criticism.
E) of the use of pictures by journalists diminish the intellectual quality of publications,

Grammatical inconsistency: This option lacks auxiliary verbs and proper conjunctions to link the ideas cohesively, leading to a fragmented and incomplete expression of the idea.
The construction "of the use of pictures by journalists diminish" is incorrect because it does not form a complete subordinate clause and lacks the hypothetical or conditional mood necessary to reflect the past criticism accurately.
Given these analyses, Option C is the best choice as it most effectively communicates the historical criticism in a clear, concise, and grammatically correct manner.


Bernard Baah
MS '05, Stanford
GMAT and GRE Instructor
MapAdvantage Prep
https://mapadvantagegmat.com