Sentence Correction

Winner2013 wrote:Contrary to the scholarly wisdom of the 1950's and early 1960's that predicted the processes of modernization and rationalization would gradually undermine it, ethnicity is a worldwide phenomenon of increasing importance.

(A) would gradually undermine it
(B) to be a gradual undermining of it
(C) would be a gradual undermining of ethnicity
(D) to gradually undermine ethnicity
(E) gradually undermining it

Pj
Answer to follow

Dear Winner2013,
I'm happy to respond. I can't determine what the source of this question is, but I don't think it's the highest quality question. It's trying to test an idiom, among other things. Here's a free GMAT idiom ebook.
https://magoosh.com/gmat/2013/gmat-idiom-ebook/

It falls short of the standards the GMAT keeps. The word "predicted" needs to be followed by the word "that". The question is trying to test the split of
predicted that A does B
predicted A to do B
predicted A doing B
but in order for the first to be correct, they need to have the word "that", which means the underlined section needs be longer.

Of the answers, there is nothing wrong with (A) beside the missing "that". Choice (B) & (E) follow the incorrect splits for "predicted". Choices (C) & (D) awkwardly repeat the word "ethnicity" unnecessarily. Choice (A) is the best answer, and from what I can tell, it's the answer that the question-author had in mind, although as I say, from the quality of this question overall, I would not necessarily place a great deal of credence in the source.

Do not assume, simply because you find something that someone purports is a GMAT SC question, that the question is of high quality. GMAT practice question quality varies wildly. There are some very high quality sources, but I have also seen very low quality questions, even in this forum. Don't be naïve in trusting everything. Always think critically about whether to trust a source.

Does all this make sense?
Mike

Hi Winner2013,

I agree with Mike that this SC isn't written in correct GMAT "style."

There is one point worth making though: the idea of a prediction is that someone is predicting a future event (so the verb has to be future tense):

eg. They predict that something will happen.
eg. They predicted that something would happen.

This knowledge would allow you to quickly eliminate B, D and E.

Between A and C, answer C seems excessively wordy, so I'd choose A.

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