Sentence Correction Question

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Sentence Correction Question

by sreestes » Sun Jun 11, 2017 9:05 pm
According to the nineteenth-century schema of a "well-made play," all of the happenings on stage are driven by a single discovery, such as that of a letter, and when they follow from it in a series of events, often involving misinterpretations by the characters.

all of the happenings on stage are driven by a single discovery, such as that of a letter, and when they follow from it in a series of events, often involving misinterpretations by the characters

all of the happenings on stage are driven by a single discovery, such as that of a letter, and by the series of events, often involving misinterpretations by the characters, that follows from it

all of the happenings on stage are driven by a single discovery, such as that of a letter, as well as the series of events, often involving misinterpretations by the characters, that follows from it

a single discovery, such as that of a letter, drives all of the happenings on stage, and also the series of events, often involving misinterpretations by the characters, that follow from it

the discovery of a single item such a letter drives all of the happenings on stage, as well as the series of events, often involving misinterpretations by the characters, that follow from it

Hi, I found this question in Gmatfree and I am unclear with the interpretation the author has given. Can someone please help me?

And also explain what "that" and "it" refer to at the end of the sentence in each of the options.
I will really appreciate, if someone solve this problem by eliminating fluff. I tried it in that way and I am stuck.


Thank you

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by sdas09 » Thu Jun 22, 2017 10:56 pm
IMO :B. whats OA?

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Sentence Correction Question

by GMATGuruNY » Fri Jun 23, 2017 6:12 am
sreestes wrote:According to the nineteenth-century schema of a "well-made play," all of the happenings on stage are driven by a single discovery, such as that of a letter, and when they follow from it in a series of events, often involving misinterpretations by the characters.

all of the happenings on stage are driven by a single discovery, such as that of a letter, and when they follow from it in a series of events, often involving misinterpretations by the characters

all of the happenings on stage are driven by a single discovery, such as that of a letter, and by the series of events, often involving misinterpretations by the characters, that follows from it

all of the happenings on stage are driven by a single discovery, such as that of a letter, as well as the series of events, often involving misinterpretations by the characters, that follows from it

a single discovery, such as that of a letter, drives all of the happenings on stage, and also the series of events, often involving misinterpretations by the characters, that follow from it

the discovery of a single item such a letter drives all of the happenings on stage, as well as the series of events, often involving misinterpretations by the characters, that follow from it

Hi, I found this question in Gmatfree and I am unclear with the interpretation the author has given. Can someone please help me?

And also explain what "that" and "it" refer to at the end of the sentence in each of the options.
I will really appreciate, if someone solve this problem by eliminating fluff. I tried it in that way and I am stuck.


Thank you
and must serve to connect PARALLEL FORMS.
A: driven by a single discovery...and when they follow from it
Here, the portions in red are not parallel: the first is prepositional PHRASE, while the second is a relative CLAUSE.
Eliminate A.

as well as is a PREPOSITION that must be followed by a noun or noun phrase serving as the OBJECT of the preposition.
C: driven by a single discovery...as well as [by] the series of events
Here, the preposition in brackets is omitted but implied.
As a result, as well as is incorrectly followed not by a noun but by the implied PREPOSITIONAL MODIFIER in red.
Eliminate C.

Generally, series is considered SINGULAR.
the series of events = the SET of events.
D and E: the series of events...that follow from it
Here, follow (plural) does not agree with the series (singular).
Eliminate D and E.

The best answer is B.

OA: All of the happenings are driven by a single discovery, such as that of a letter, and by the series of events...that follows from it.
Here, both that (in the red clause) and it (in the relative clause in blue) serve to refer to a single discovery.
Conveyed meaning:
All of the happenings are driven by a single discovery, such as the single discovery of a letter, and by the series of events...that follows from the single discovery.
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