Dear Friends,
Here is a detailed explanation to this question-
shoonya wrote:
For members of the seventeenth century Ashanti nation in Africa, animal-hide shields with wooden frames were essential items of military equipment, a method to protect warriors against enemy arrows and spears.
(A) a method to protect
(B) as a method protecting
(C) protecting
(D) as a protection of
(E) to protect
Meaning is crucial to solving this problem:Understanding the intended meaning is key to solving this question; the intended meaning of this sentence is that for members of the seventeenth-century Ashanti nation in Africa, animal-hide shields with wooden frames were essential items of military equipment that protected warriors against enemy arrows and spears.
Concepts tested here: Meaning + Verb Forms + Grammatical Construction• In the “noun + comma + phrase” construction, the phrase must correctly modify the noun; this is one of the most frequently tested concepts on GMAT sentence correction.
• The infinitive verb form ("to + base form of verb" – “to + protect” in this sentence) is the preferred construction for referring to the purpose or intent of an action.
A: This answer choice incorrectly uses “a method to protect” to modify “items of military equipment”, illogically implying that the military equipment was a
method for protecting warriors against enemy arrows and spears; the intended meaning of this sentence is that the military equipment
itself protected warriors against enemy arrows and spears; remember, in the “noun + comma + phrase” construction, the phrase must correctly modify the noun.
B: This answer choice incorrectly uses “as a method protecting” to modify “items of military equipment”, illogically implying that the military equipment was a
method for protecting warriors against enemy arrows and spears; the intended meaning of this sentence is that the military equipment
itself protected warriors against enemy arrows and spears; remember, in the “noun + comma + phrase” construction, the phrase must correctly modify the noun.
C: Correct. The sentence formed by this answer choice correctly uses the phrase “protecting warriors against enemy arrows and spears” to "items of military equipment”, conveying the intended meaning of the sentence- that for members of the seventeenth-century Ashanti nation in Africa, animal-hide shields with wooden frames were essential items of military equipment
that protected warriors against enemy arrows and spears.
D: This answer choice incorrectly uses “as a protection of” to modify “items of military equipment”, leading to an incoherent meaning; the intended meaning of this sentence is that for members of the seventeenth-century Ashanti nation in Africa, animal-hide shields with wooden frames were essential items of military equipment that protected warriors against enemy arrows and spears; remember, in the “noun + comma + phrase” construction, the phrase must correctly modify the noun.
E: Trap. This answer choice alters the meaning of the sentence through the phrase “to protect”; the use of the infinitive verb form ("to + base form of verb" – “to + protect” in this sentence) modifies the verb “were”, illogically implying that the animal-hide shields were essential items of military equipment
for the purpose of protecting warriors against enemy arrows and spears; the intended meaning is that the animal-hide shields were essential items of military equipment
that protected warriors against enemy arrows and spears; please remember, the infinitive verb form ("to + base form of verb" – “to + protect” in this sentence) is the preferred construction for referring to the purpose or intent of an action.
Hence, C is the best answer choice.To understand the concept of "Phrase Comma Subject" and "Subject Comma Phrase" on GMAT, you may want to watch the following video (~1 minute):
All the best!
Experts' Global Team