Scholars who once thought

[BTGmoderatorDC]

Scholars who once thought Native American literatures were solely oral narratives recorded by missionaries or anthropologists now understand this body of work to consist of both oral literatures and the written works of Native American authors, who have been publishing since 1772.

A. Scholars who once thought Native American literatures were solely oral narratives
B. Scholars thinking of Native American literatures once solely as oral narratives, and
C. Scholars who once had thought of Native American literatures solely as oral narratives and
D. Native American literatures, which some scholars once thought were solely oral narratives
E. Native American literatures, which some scholars once, thinking they were solely oral narratives

Is there a logical construction to this? What is wrong with the other Options?

OA A

[EconomistGMATTutor]

Hello!

While the construction of this sentence can certainly be confusing, here is a breakdown of why the other answers are incorrect:

Answer A : Correct answer

Answer B: Adding the word "and" to this portion changes the meaning. Instead of referring to oral narratives recorded by missionaries, it now suggests both oral narratives AND recordings from missionaries. This opens up the interpretation to include oral narratives NOT recorded, which isn't what the sentence is about. The verb "thinking" instead of "thought" is also a problem because it doesn't stick to the past-to-present logic of the story.

Answer C: This has the same "and" problem from answer B. Also, changing the verb from "thought" to "had thought" also changes the meaning of the sentence. Since we want this to be a story that starts in the past, and ends in the present, it makes sense for the verbs to stay that way.

Answers D & E: These two answers have the same problem. By moving the phrase "Native American literatures" to the beginning, you changed the subject of the sentence from the missionaries and anthropologists to the literatures. The sentences now read that the literatures changed their minds about things, rather than the missionaries and anthropologists. This doesn't make logical sense.

I hope this helps answer your question. I am available if you'd like any follow up.