Question
Similar to other Mississippi Delta blues singers, the music of Robert Johnson arose from an oral tradition beginning with a mixture of chants, fiddle tunes, and religious music and only gradually evolved into the blues.
Option A
Option B
Option C
Option D
Option E
(This question is from Official Guide. Therefore, because of copyrights, the complete question cannot be copied here. The question can be accessed at GMAT Club)
Solution
Sentence Analysis
The sentence seems to present the similarity between the music of other Mississippi Delta blues singers and the music of Robert Johnson. The similarity is that the music arose from an oral tradition and gradually evolved into the blues. The oral tradition began with a mixture of chants, fiddle tunes, and religious music.
There is a grave error in the sentence:
The comparison is incorrect. The way it is presented, the sentence seems to compare other blues singer with the music of Robert Johnson. Either we should compare music with music or person with person. The comparison (or similarity) of persons with music is illogical.
Also, the use of ‘similar to’ to present similarity at the beginning of the clause doesn’t seem very right. The use of ‘like’ will be preferred.
Option Analysis
(A) Incorrect. For the errors explained above.
(B) Incorrect. This option illogically compares Robert Johnson with “that of singers”. We don’t know what ‘that’ stands for, and whatever it stands for, it is not going to make the comparison logical. Also, ‘like’ is preferred over ‘similar to’ to present similarities at the beginning of the clause.
(C) Incorrect. ‘Like’ is more concise and clear than ‘as with’ to present similarities between nouns.
(D) Incorrect. This option illogically compares early blue singers with Johnson’s music.
(E) Correct. The problems in the original sentence have been corrected in this option.
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Like must never be followed by a Prepositional Phrase or a Clause. But option E that happens to be correct in absence of any better option has a Prepositional Phrase after Like. I eliminated this option in the first glance on this reasoning.
Hi Ankur,
In option E, ‘Like’ is not followed by a prepositional phrase. ‘Like’ is followed by a noun ‘the music’. The noun ‘the music’ is modified by a prepositional phrase ‘of other…’. Does it make sense?
Here I did everything properly, I had one doubt like meaning of parallel list..
Music of RJ began from tradition beginning with chants….
And gradually evolved into blues..
Music began….and gradually evolved….i think parallelism this way…where did i go wrong…
Similar to other Mississippi Delta blues singers, the music of Robert Johnson arose from an oral tradition beginning with a mixture of chants, fiddle tunes, and religions music and only gradually evolved into the blues.
In the sentence above the music of RJ arose ….and only gradually evolved . It is confusing to understand which || structure makes more sense here .
What can “gradually evolved” be parallel to, except “arose”?
Hi CJ,
I am confused. If “gradually evolved” is parallel to “arose” then does that mean that the Error 2 of Option A is actually not there? Meaning there is no parallelism issue?
Yes. I have edited the solution. Sorry for the confusion.
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