Hi,

I have trouble understanding the bolded part in the explanationm for A in this problem, please help:

The spatial relationships among the elements of Jan Micker’s 1652 masterwork Bird’s Eye View of Amsterdam, which he painted long before such a vantage point became possible, are much more subtle and intricate than they are in most other seventeenth-century Dutch paintings.

A) which he painted long before such a vantage point became possible, are much more subtle and intricate than they are in

B) painted by the artist long before such a vantage point was to become possible, are much more subtle and intricate than those among


C) which he painted long before the possibility of such a vantage point, are much more subtle and intricate than in


D) painted long before the possibility of such a vantage point, are much more subtle and intricate than they are in


E) painted long before such a vantage point became possible, are much more subtle and intricate than those in



(A) WRONG: The pronoun he cannot logically refer to the possessive Jan Micker’s.The pronoun they must stand for the entire noun phrase “The spatial relationships among the elements of Jan Micker’s 1652 masterwork Bird’s Eye View of Amsterdam.” It is not possible for subject or object pronouns, such as they or them, to stand for only the noun in such a phrase. (By contrast, relative pronouns, such as that or those, if placed in parallel constructions, may stand for such nouns.) The use of this pronoun thus illogically suggests that the relationships in Micker’s painting are also found in most other seventeenth-century Dutch paintings.

why must the pronoun ""they" stand for the entire noun phrase?

can someone tell me where can I learn more about the difference between pronoun and releative pronoun in the book? Thanks!

What this explanation is pointing out is that the pronoun "he" is in the sentence. "he" must be referring to a person, and in this case it is trying to refer to "Jan Micker". However, "Jan Micker" does not exist in this sentence as a noun; he is only mentioned in the sentence in a prepositional phrase and even in there his name is used as a possessive, which is providing description, rather than as a noun.

Here is a similar example of an incorrect pronoun use:
My brother's car is old and he has to fix it a lot.

"he" is trying to refer to "my brother"; however, "My brother's" is a modifier describing "car". "My brother" does not occur anywhere in the sentence as a noun. All pronouns must have nouns that they are clearly referring to. Hope this helps!

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Jamie Nelson
ManhattanGMAT Instructor