[Video] Q26: No change or they were placed or which were placed or placed

Explanation for Question 26 From the Writing Section on the 2017 April Sat

Question number 26, they wanted to a series of statutes to adorn 2 the cathedrals exterior placing high on buttresses so that the art could be admired 3 from afar. So clearly something sounds a little bit off. 4 Um, when I read the sentence out loud, 5 that indicates to us that the no change option is going to be incorrect. 6 Um, what we want to do here is kind of make the subject and 7 verb a little bit more clear the way it stands right now, 8 um, placing here refers to the subject. 9 The subject is they, they want it. 10 Um, and remember, that's referring to the Guild members. 11 So we wouldn't want to say the Guild members were placing high on buttresses. 12 So, um, this no change doesn't really work, 13 uh, answer choice B let's try that they wanted a series of statues to 14 adorn the cathedral's exterior. They were placed high on buttresses. 15 Um, so that would create a situation where you have two independent clauses. 16 They wanted a series of statues and they were placed high on buttresses. 17 Um, so we can't really combine those with a comma as it's done here. 18 So be as out answer choice C, 19 which were placed is going to be our almost correct answer. 20 It kind of works. Um, they wanted a series of statutes toward drawing the 21 cathedrals exterior. Um, 22 in this case though, which were placed would be unnecessarily wordy, 23 our best answers choice D placed. 24 Um, this would read, they wanted a series of statutes to adorn the cathedrals 25 exterior plays time on buttresses. 26 So the art could be admired from afar because of the answer choice that 27 makes most sense, see as close, but which were placed, 28 kind of interrupts the flow of the sentence. And it's a little bit wordier 29 than necessary. We always want to select the shortest and most concise answer choice, 30 which leaves D as our best selection for question number 26.