The correct answer is (B) "al-Haytham, born in Iraq in 965 C.E., experimented extensively with light and vision, laying the foundation for modern optics and for the notion that science should be based on experiment as well as".

This option provides a clear and concise structure, presenting the information about al-Haytham's birth and his experiments in a straightforward manner. Additionally, it maintains parallelism in the list of achievements by using the phrase "laying the foundation for modern optics and for the notion that science should be based on experiment as well as".

Let's analyze each answer choice:

(A) al-Haytham, who was born in Iraq in 965 C.E., had experimented extensively with light and vision, laying the foundation for modern optics and also the notion of science being based on experiment as well as

This choice contains a couple of issues. Firstly, the phrase "had experimented extensively" implies past perfect tense, suggesting that the experiments were completed before a certain point in the past. However, the sentence doesn't specify a clear reference point, making the timeline confusing. Additionally, the phrase "the notion of science being based on experiment as well as" is awkward and could be more concise.

(B) al-Haytham, born in Iraq in 965 C.E., experimented extensively with light and vision, laying the foundation for modern optics and for the notion that science should be based on experiment as well as

This choice is concise and grammatically correct. It uses the active voice ("experimented extensively") and presents the information clearly. The parallel structure in "laying the foundation for modern optics and for the notion that science should be based on experiment as well as" enhances readability and clarity.

(C) al-Haytham, born in Iraq in 965 C.E., and who experimented extensively with light and vision, thereby laid the foundation for modern optics and also for the notion that science should be based on not only experiment but also

This choice suffers from awkward phrasing and lacks parallelism. The use of "and who experimented extensively" disrupts the flow of the sentence. Additionally, the phrase "for modern optics and also for the notion that science should be based on not only experiment but also" is convoluted and could be more concise.

(D) al-Haytham was born in Iraq in 965 C.E., and had experimented extensively with light and vision, laying the foundation for modern optics and for the notion that science should be based on not only experiment but also

Similar to choice (A), this option uses the past perfect tense ("had experimented extensively"), which introduces unnecessary complexity to the timeline. Additionally, the phrase "laying the foundation for modern optics and for the notion that science should be based on not only experiment but also" is wordy and could be streamlined for clarity.

(E) al-Haytham was born in Iraq in 965 C.E., experimenting extensively with light and vision and laying the foundation for modern optics and for the notion of science being based on experiment as well as

This choice lacks clear parallelism and presents a run-on sentence. The phrase "experimenting extensively with light and vision and laying the foundation for modern optics and for the notion of science being based on experiment as well as" is overly long and should be divided into separate clauses for better readability. Additionally, the use of "science being based" is less concise than the phrase used in choice (B).

In summary, choice (B) is the best option because it is concise, grammatically correct, and maintains parallelism effectively. It presents the information clearly and efficiently. Choices (A), (D), and (E) suffer from issues such as awkward phrasing, tense inconsistency, and lack of parallel structure. Choice (C) also lacks parallelism and introduces unnecessary complexity to the sentence structure.

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