vishalwin wrote:From the bark of the paper birch tree the Menomini crafted a canoe about twenty feet long and two feet wide, with small ribs and rails of cedar, which could carry four persons or eight hundred pounds of baggage so light that a person could easily portage it around impeding rapids.

(A) baggage so light
(B) baggage being so light
(C) baggage, yet being so light
(D) baggage, and so light
(E) baggage yet was so light

The highlighted parts of the sentence shows a contrast , so yet is essential to show the contrast.

Only options left are option (C) and option(E)

C - The sentence includes the word being, which is generally not in GMAT if another option is present

E - Correctly contrast the two part.

Hence answer is (E)

Is there any other way to eliminate option c.


Also can anyone please explain the usage of which here? It is modifying canoe or cedar?

vishalwin wrote:Also can anyone please explain the usage of which here? It is modifying canoe or cedar?

From the bark of the paper birch tree the Menomini crafted a canoe about twenty feet long and two feet wide, with small ribs and rails of cedar, which could carry four persons or eight hundred pounds of baggage so light that a person could easily portage it around impeding rapids.

The words precceeding which clearly defines the canoe , further according to me it is a non essential modifier.

Hence which here clearly refer to canoe.

Logically - Can cedar ( A Tree ) arry four persons or eight hundred pounds of baggage ? - NO

So , Which is both logically and gramatically modifying the canoe. !!

which + SINGULAR VERB must serve to refer to the nearest preceding SINGULAR noun.
which + PLURAL VERB must serve to refer to the nearest preceding PLURAL noun.
If the verb attributed to which could be SINGULAR OR PLURAL, then which must serve to refer to the NEAREST PRECEDING NOUN.

The Menomini crafted a canoe about twenty feet long and two feet wide, with small ribs and rails of cedar, which could carry four persons.
Here, the verb attributed to which -- could carry -- could be singular or plural.
As a result, which must serve to refer to cedar -- the nearest preceding noun -- implying that CEDAR COULD CARRY FOUR PERSONS.
Since the intended meaning is that A CANOE could carry four persons, the SC above is not viable and should be ignored.
What is the source?