Elizabeth Barber, the Author of Both Prehistoric Textiles, a Comprehensive Work on Cloth in the Early Cultures of the Mediterranean

Question: Elizabeth Barber, the author of both Prehistoric Textiles, a comprehensive work on cloth in the early cultures of the Mediterranean, and also of Women's Work, a more general account of early cloth manufacture, is an expert authority on textiles in ancient societies.

(A) also of Women's Work, a more general account of early cloth manufacture, is an expert authority on
(B) also, Women's Work, a more general account of cloth manufacture, is an expert authority about
(C) of Women's Work, a more general account of early cloth manufacture, is an authority on
(D) of Women's Work, a more general account of early cloth manufacture, is an expert authority about
(E) Women's Work, a more general account of early cloth manufacture, is an authority on

“Elizabeth Barber, the author of both Prehistoric Textiles, a comprehensive work on cloth in the early cultures of the Mediterranean, and also of Women's Work, a more general account of early cloth manufacture, is an expert authority on textiles in ancient societies” - is a GMAT sentence correction question. This question has been taken from the book “The Official Guide for GMAT Review”. These types of questions contain grammatical errors in the underlined sentence and we have to choose the correct statement from the options. GMAT sentence correction is a part of GMAT verbal.

Answer: E

Explanation:

The given sentence correction question can be tested by the given-below rules:

• Parallelism
• Comparison of two elements
• Modifiers

Now, within the given question, the statement is -

Elizabeth Barber, the author of both Prehistoric Textiles, a comprehensive work on cloth in the early cultures of the Mediterranean, and also of Women's Work, a more general account of early cloth manufacture, is an expert authority on textiles in ancient societies.

Let us closely check the options:

(A) The word "both" jumps out at me right away. "Both" is followed by a book title ("Prehistoric Textiles"), but the and is followed by "also of." That's not parallel. This cannot be the correct answer.
(B) It's awfully redundant to say "both... and also." And if that isn't enough for you, the phrase "expert authority about" is redundant and doesn't use the correct preposition ("authority on X", not "authority about X.") B is the not correct option.
(C) Parallelism error again with the "both Prehistoric Textiles... and of Women's Work." This is not the correct answer.
(D) This argument also has a parallelism error with "both Prehistoric Textiles... and of Women's Work." This is not the correct answer.
(E) This is the only choice that gets the parallelism correct, so (E) is our answer.

Suggested GMAT Critical Reasoning Questions

• According to a survey of graduating medical students conducted by Association of American Medical College
• Because no employee wants to be associated with bad news in the eyes of a superior
• Until recently most astronomers believed that the space between the galaxies in our universe was a near-perfect vacuum
• Seeking a competitive advantage, some professional service firms
• A new medication for migraine seems effective, but there is concern that the medication might exacerbate heart disease.
• The pioneers of the teaching of science imagined that its introduction into education would remove the conventionality, artificiality, and backward-lookingness
• Between 1980 and 2000 the sea otter population of the Aleutian Islands declined precipitously.
• The Extremely High Cost of Running a World Class Zoo is Limiting
• Few of the corporate contributions to the earthquake relief fund, aside from Pterocom
• The Marison County Police Department recently implemented a new traffic safety program
• French cuisine is highly regarded all over the world.
• Critics have Long been Puzzled by the Inner Contradictions of Major Characters in John Webster’s Tragedies.
• A major network news organization experienced a drop in viewership in the week
• But man is not destined to vanish. He can be killed, but he cannot be destroyed, because his soul is deathless and his spirit is irrepressible.
• JIT stands for Just-In-Time. More than a standardized methodology or systematic process, it is a philosophy
• Josh has twenty years of typing experience behind him
• If the books have been cataloged last week, why haven’t they been placed on the shelf?
• President of the United States: I have Received over 2,000 Letters on this Issue, and the Vast Majority of them Support my Current Position.
• Thelonious Monk, who was a Jazz Pianist and Composer, Produced a Body of Work both Rooted in the Stride-Piano Tradition of Willie (The Lion) Smith and Duke Ellington, Yet in Many ways he Stood Apart from the Mainstream Jazz Repertory.
• TOMMY: That Telephone Always Rings when I am in the Shower and Can’t Hear it.