Sentence Correction

The Olympic Games helped to keep peace among the
pugnacious states of the Greek world in that a sacred
truce was proclaimed during the festival's month.

(A) world in that a sacred truce was proclaimed
during the festival's month

(B) world, proclaiming a sacred truce during the
festival's month

(C) world when they proclaimed a sacred truce for
the festival month

(D) world, for a sacred truce was proclaimed during
the month of the festival

(E) world by proclamation of a sacred truce that
was for the month of the festival


My answer is E because

A->in that not correct
B -->sounds like games proclaim

c-->when and use of they
d-sounds passive.

What is your answer and why ?

src_saurav wrote:The Olympic Games helped to keep peace among the
pugnacious states of the Greek world in that a sacred
truce was proclaimed during the festival's month.

(A) world in that a sacred truce was proclaimed
during the festival's month

(B) world, proclaiming a sacred truce during the
festival's month

(C) world when they proclaimed a sacred truce for
the festival month

(D) world, for a sacred truce was proclaimed during
the month of the festival

(E) world by proclamation of a sacred truce that
was for the month of the festival

A and B: the festival's month
This meaning is nonsensical:
A festival cannot possess a month.
Eliminate A and B.

C: The Olympic games helped...when they proclaimed a sacred truce...
Here, they seems to refer to the Olympic Games, implying that the GAMES proclaimed a sacred truce.
This meaning is nonsensical.
Eliminate C.

E: The Olympic games helped to keep peace...by proclamation
This wording seems to imply that a proclamation was issued by the Olympic Games.
This meaning is nonsensical.
Eliminate E.

The correct answer is D.

GMATGuruNY wrote:

The Olympic Games helped to keep peace among the
pugnacious states of the Greek world in that a sacred
truce was proclaimed during the festival's month.

(A) world in that a sacred truce was proclaimed
during the festival's month

(B) world, proclaiming a sacred truce during the
festival's month

(C) world when they proclaimed a sacred truce for
the festival month

(D) world, for a sacred truce was proclaimed during
the month of the festival

(E) world by proclamation of a sacred truce that
was for the month of the festival

A and B: the festival's month
This meaning is nonsensical:
A festival cannot possess a month.
Eliminate A and B.

Hi Mitch,
Y of X and X's - I guess,BOTH of them indicate possessive case. Correct me please if wrong!

Also,can you please let me know whether my following reasoning is right or not ?

the festival's month -- such usage is UNCOMMON in case of non-living objects (they're MOSTLY used with living beings). For non-living object such as MONTH, we use MOSTLY A of B construction.

As for the OA : could you please cite any other Official instances where preposition FOR is used as BECAUSE (i.e to indicate causation) ? Is such usage of FOR common on GMAT ?

RBBmba@2014 wrote:Hi Mitch,
Y of X and X's - I guess,BOTH of them indicate possessive case. Correct me please if wrong!

Generally, an APOSTROPHE serves to express SOLE POSSESSION.

SC9 in the OG13: In 1979 lack of rain reduced India's rice production.
Here, the rice production being discussed belongs ONLY to India.
Hence, this usage of an apostrophe is appropriate.

Incorrect: A sacred truce was proclaimed during the festival's month.
Here, the month does not belong ONLY to the festival.
Thus, this usage of an apostrophe is inappropriate.

Since the month does not belong only to the festival, an of-modifier is warranted:
Correct: A sacred truce was proclaimed during the month of the festival.

Also,can you please let me know whether my following reasoning is right or not ?

the festival's month -- such usage is UNCOMMON in case of non-living objects (they're MOSTLY used with living beings). For non-living object such as MONTH, we use MOSTLY A of B construction.

The GMAT generally reserves apostrophe constructions for living beings (SC29 in the OG13: Emily Dickinson's letters), entities composed of living beings (SC 68 in the OG13: the company's huge debt), and places (SC9 in the OG13: India's rice production).

But the following SC in GMATPrep attaches an apostrophe to a non-living thing:
As the etched lines on computer memory chips have become thinner and the chips' circuits more complex, the power of both the chips and the electronic devices they drive has vastly increased.
Here, the circuits being discussed BELONG to the chips, so this usage of an apostrophe is acceptable.

As for the OA : could you please cite any other Official instances where preposition FOR is used as BECAUSE (i.e to indicate causation) ? Is such usage of FOR common on GMAT ?

Offhand, I cannot cite another OA that employs for as a conjunction.
This usage of for is very rare.

Hi GMATGuruNY,
So, on GMAT generally an APOSTROPHE is used if BOTH the following two criteria are met SIMULTANEOUSLY -

1. When it (re APOSTROPHE) serves to express SOLE POSSESSION

2. It's used in any of these THREE constructions made of (a) living beings, (b) entities composed of living beings or (c) places . Right ?

GMATGuruNY wrote: But the following SC in GMATPrep attaches an apostrophe to a non-living thing:
As the etched lines on computer memory chips have become thinner and the chips' circuits more complex, the power of both the chips and the electronic devices they drive has vastly increased.
Here, the circuits being discussed BELONG to the chips, so this usage of an apostrophe is acceptable.

If my above understanding is correct then please clarify what CATEGORY does chips' circuits belong to ? I think, it doesn't belong to any of the THREE constructions you mentioned in which GMAT uses an APOSTROPHE.

Hence, how and on the basis of what logic, GMAT considers an APOSTROPHE acceptable in this particular OA ?

GMATGuruNY wrote:

The Olympic Games helped to keep peace among the
pugnacious states of the Greek world in that a sacred
truce was proclaimed during the festival's month.

(A) world in that a sacred truce was proclaimed
during the festival's month

(B) world, proclaiming a sacred truce during the
festival's month

(C) world when they proclaimed a sacred truce for
the festival month

(D) world, for a sacred truce was proclaimed during
the month of the festival

(E) world by proclamation of a sacred truce that
was for the month of the festival

A and B: the festival's month
This meaning is nonsensical:
A festival cannot possess a month.
Eliminate A and B.

The correct answer is D.

Mitch - a quick question on ERRORs in option A.

Apart from what you mentioned above, another ERROR is, I think, usage of in that phrase, which leads to an AWKWARD construction. Isn't it ?

RBBmba@2014 wrote:Hi GMATGuruNY,
So, on GMAT generally an APOSTROPHE is used if BOTH the following two criteria are met SIMULTANEOUSLY -

1. When it (re APOSTROPHE) serves to express SOLE POSSESSION

2. It's used in any of these THREE constructions made of (a) living beings, (b) entities composed of living beings or (c) places . Right ?

Not quite.
In EVERY case, an apostrophe serves to express sole possession.
In MOST cases, the sole possessor will be a living being, an entity composed of living beings, or a place.
But if an inanimate object is the sole possessor of something, an apostrophe may be applied to the inanimate object.
That said, OAs on the GMAT rarely attach an apostrophe to an inanimate object, so be skeptical if you see this construction.

GMATGuruNY wrote: But the following SC in GMATPrep attaches an apostrophe to a non-living thing:
As the etched lines on computer memory chips have become thinner and the chips' circuits more complex, the power of both the chips and the electronic devices they drive has vastly increased.
Here, the circuits being discussed BELONG to the chips, so this usage of an apostrophe is acceptable.

If my above understanding is correct then please clarify what CATEGORY does chips' circuits belong to ? I think, it doesn't belong to any of the THREE constructions you mentioned in which GMAT uses an APOSTROPHE.

Hence, how and on the basis of what logic, GMAT considers an APOSTROPHE acceptable in this particular OA ?

Here, the chips are the sole possessors of the circuits, so the usage of an apostrophe is justified.

RBBmba@2014 wrote:

GMATGuruNY wrote:

The Olympic Games helped to keep peace among the
pugnacious states of the Greek world in that a sacred
truce was proclaimed during the festival's month.

(A) world in that a sacred truce was proclaimed
during the festival's month

A and B: the festival's month
This meaning is nonsensical:
A festival cannot possess a month.
Eliminate A and B.

The correct answer is D.

Mitch - a quick question on ERRORs in option A.

Apart from what you mentioned above, another ERROR is, I think, usage of in that phrase, which leads to an AWKWARD construction. Isn't it ?

Hi Mitch - can you please confirm whether I'm correct on the immediate above post in RED ?

RBBmba@2014 wrote:Apart from what you mentioned above, another ERROR is, I think, usage of in that phrase, which leads to an AWKWARD construction. Isn't it [/color]?

To express a STATE-OF-BEING, we typically use forms of to be:
John IS happy.
Mary WAS happy.
The children HAVE BEEN happy.

Generally, in that serves to modify a preceding STATE-OF-BEING, specifying the way in which the preceding STATE-OF-BEING is true.
Teratomas ARE unusual in that they are composed of tissues such as tooth and bone.
Here, the modifier in red serves to specify the way in which teratomas ARE unusual.

A: The Olympic Games HELPED to keep peace in that a sacred truce was proclaimed.
Here, the modifier in red seems to modify helped, a verb that expresses not a state-of-being but an ACTION.
in that cannot serve to modify a preceding action.
Eliminate A.

Great Explanations Sir!

Do we have any Official SC offhand that uses in that modifying a preceding STATE-OF-BEING ?

RBBmba@2014 wrote:Great Explanations Sir!

Do we have any Official SC offhand that uses in that modifying a preceding STATE-OF-BEING ?

Offhand, I can't cite an official SC whose OA includes in that.
The OE for SC60 in the OG13 offers its opinion of this phrase:
Because in that has largely gone out of use, it is considered stilted and overly formal.
Given this OE, I would be skeptical of an answer choice with in that.