Question
The Eastern State Penitentiary was established in 1822 by reformers advocating that prisoners be held in solitary confinement and hard labor so as to reform them.
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 Eastern State Penitentiary was established in 1822 by reformers (Main Subject: Eastern State Penitentiary; Main Verb: was established)
- advocating that (Verb-ing modifier modifying ‘reformers’)
- prisoners be held in solitary confinement and hard labor (Dependent ‘that’ Clause – Subject: prisoners; Verb: be held)
- so as to reform them. (Expresses the purpose of the verb ‘be held’)
- prisoners be held in solitary confinement and hard labor (Dependent ‘that’ Clause – Subject: prisoners; Verb: be held)
- advocating that (Verb-ing modifier modifying ‘reformers’)
The sentence says that a special prison was established by reformers who advocated solitary confinement and hard labor for prisoners to reform the prisoners.
The sentence has the following problems:
- ‘hard labor’ is not parallel to anything before ‘and’. It cannot be parallel to solitary confinement since ‘prisoners be held in hard labor’ doesn’t make sense.
- The doer of the verb ‘reform’ per the structure of the sentence is ‘prisoners’. This doesn’t make sense since prisoners are not reforming someone.
Option Analysis
(A) Incorrect. For the errors mentioned above.
(B) Incorrect. For the following reasons:
- Error no. 1 of the original sentence
- The given structure indicates that reformers were advocating prisoners. The reformers were advocating certain things (solitary confinement and hard labor) for the prisoners, not advocating the prisoners!
(C) Correct.
(D) Incorrect. ‘for the means of prisoner reform’ is incorrect. We can say either ‘as the means of prisoner reform’ or, less preferably, ‘for prisoner reform’. Still, ‘as the means to reform prisoners’ is the best construction of all.
(E) Incorrect. It should be ‘means of prisoner reform’, not ‘means for prisoner reform’. Besides, ideally ‘solitary confinement and hard labor’ should come immediately after ‘advocating’.
If you have any doubts regarding any part of this solution, please feel free to ask in the comments section.
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Thank you
Hi CJ!
In option D, does the use of modifier ” who advocated” will make any difference? and had the idiomatic usage not been an issue, would it be correct?
Thanks a lot!
I think “who advocated” is fine. The sentence would be correct if we remove the idiom issue.
Hi CJ,
I did not understand the second error in the original sentence i.e. ” The doer of the verb ‘reform’ per the structure of the sentence is ‘prisoners’. ”
To me it seems that reformers established the prison and they advocated for X and Y so as to reform prisoners. Pronoun “them” should logically refer back to prisoners, right?
Could you please help me understand this point?
I advocate that you do not sleep to repent for your mistakes. Who is ‘repenting’?
Yes, ‘them’ refers to prisoners.
Hi CJ
thank you for the detailed explanation. My question is whether the subjunctive used in option A is correct?
Yes. Search the following (with the quotes) on Google:
“advocating that * be” site:wsj.com
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