A it is

reply2spg wrote:A it is

No man correct answer is not A.

Good question that!!

Thanks Arpita, yes, posted option A changes the meaning

arpita@gurome wrote:This is a small underline question, thus we can try to prephrase and if that does not work find errors and eliminate based on them.

Hmmm ......I get a sense that the way Germania is categorized is amusing, but am not able to prephrase something. So I do not waste time and move to the choices.

A - interesting, choice A is different from the underlined section which will never happen on a real GMAT question. Anyways focusing on the question, the underlined section has a shift in meaning - looks like the critics are amused by the scholars, This is not the case. Let us eliminate all choices that have this issue.
Choices A, C and E out.

Now, B and D are left.
B - 'as if' is not the correct construction here. It was categorized as an ethnographic treatise not as if one.
D - Correct choice, the critics were amused by "how the scholars categorized Germania which was written by Tacitus"

Hence pick D

Arpita,

Consider D -
Modern critics are amused by early scholars' categorizing Tacitus's Germania as an ethnographic treatise.

The intended meaning is that modern critics are amused by the fact that early scholars categorized Germania as an ethnographic treatise.

In D, which part of speech is categorizing? I think it is a gerund (as it clubbed with a possessive noun).
In that case the sentence is ungrammatical without the preposition of after the gerund.

To further illustrate, let us replace the possessive early scholars' with the possessive my.

Modern critics are amused by my categorizing Tacitus's Germania as an ethnographic treatise.
This is incorrect until we add the preposition of after the gerund categorizing.

Modern critics are amused by my categorizing of Tacitus's Germania as an ethnographic treatise.
This is so much better.

My take
I have a sneaky feeling that the OA might be C.
(This might only be possible if we consider that the comma is a typo by the question maker and the comma was actually meant to be an apostrophe. Not impossible considering that the question maker couldn't care to make choice A as a repeat of the original)

arpita@gurome wrote: @Nicksworth

The ideal choice would have been - "Modern critics are amused by early scholars' categorizing of Tacitus's Germania as an ethnographic treatise"

However, given the current situation a comma instead of an apostrophe totally changes and distorts the intended meaning hence, I eliminated C ...........

Hence it is a tie 1/2 point to C and 1/2 D ...........

Lol. What a schizophrenic question! You'll be aghast to see the other questions from the same source (posted right here in this forum).

niksworth wrote:

arpita@gurome wrote: @Nicksworth

The ideal choice would have been - "Modern critics are amused by early scholars' categorizing of Tacitus's Germania as an ethnographic treatise"

However, given the current situation a comma instead of an apostrophe totally changes and distorts the intended meaning hence, I eliminated C ...........

Hence it is a tie 1/2 point to C and 1/2 D ...........

Lol. What a schizophrenic question! You'll be aghast to see the other questions from the same source (posted right here in this forum).

I am really sorry, For all the problems that you guys are facing.
I think It will be good i should share the source of these questions as well.
Previously I have joined a Coaching Institute In Delhi Which has Centers in 7 Different Locations in DELHI ,for my preparation OF GMAT. At that point they have given me the access to their Portal and there are in all 16 FLT test. So Yesterday I thought to give a MOCK Test and this is what I saw. I am not so good in SC so not aware with the difficulty Level and Question types. So i thought its good to discuss in Forum But I was never Known that there quality is so Bad. I am really Sorry Once again for the problem that you guys are facing. and for Sure in future Will not be posting any question from there Portal

goyalsau wrote: I am really sorry, For all the problems that you guys are facing.
I think It will be good i should share the source of these questions as well.
Previously I have joined a Coaching Institute In Delhi Which has Centers in 7 Different Locations in DELHI ,for my preparation OF GMAT. At that point they have given me the access to their Portal and there are in all 16 FLT test. So Yesterday I thought to give a MOCK Test and this is what I saw. I am not so good in SC so not aware with the difficulty Level and Question types. So i thought its good to discuss in Forum But I was never Known that there quality is so Bad. I am really Sorry Once again for the problem that you guys are facing. and for Sure in future Will not be posting any question from there Portal

@ goyalsau - There is nothing to apologize for. The source seems unreliable thats all. Don't worry too much over it.