This is on the MGMAT website...look under "Quest for 750".

Examples of "tulipomania," a term coined from the tulip craze of the seventeenth-century in the Netherlands, include speculative bubbles in South Seas trading rights in the 1720s, Victorian real estate in the 1880s, the U.S. stock market in the 1920s, and the obsession for Beanie Babies in the 1990s.

A. Examples of "tulipomania," a term coined from the tulip craze of the seventeenth-century in the Netherlands, include speculative bubbles in South Seas trading rights in the 1720s, Victorian real estate in the 1880s, the U.S. stock market in the 1920s, and

B. Examples of "tulipomania," a term coined from the seventeenth-century tulip craze in the Netherlands, include speculative bubbles in South Seas trading rights in the 1720s, Victorian real estate in the 1880s, and the U.S. stock market in the 1920s, as well as

C. Coined from the seventeenth-century tulip craze in the Netherlands, examples of "tulipomania" include speculative bubbles in South Seas trading rights in the 1720s, Victorian real estate in the 1880s, and the U.S. stock market in the 1920s, as well as

D. Coined from the seventeenth-century tulip craze in the Netherlands, "tulipomania" includes examples such as speculative bubbles in South Seas trading rights in the 1720s, Victorian real estate in the 1880s, the U.S. stock market in the 1920s, and

E. "Tulipomania," coined from the seventeenth-century tulip craze in the Netherlands, included speculative bubbles in South Seas trading rights in the 1720s, Victorian real estate in the 1880s, the U.S. stock market in the 1920s, and

IMO B.

Yes, it is B. But why not A? Please state the reasoning behind your conclusion.

Why is 'and' incorrect in option A. What is the difference in the usage of 'and' and 'as well as'.
Thanks in advacne

Another vote for B.

Regards,
Phil

A is not incorrect because of the use of 'and' but because of the incorrect use of 'and'. If you notice option B also has an 'and' but it is before 'the US stock market...' and not before 'the obsession for.....'

This is actually a parallel construction question. If you understand the meaning of the sentence you can get it correct immediately. According to the sentence Tulipomania includes the following 2 things:

1 - speculative bubbles in 3 things - South Seas trading rights in the 1720s, Victorian real estate in the 1880s, the U.S. stock market in the 1920s

2- obsession for Beanie Babies in the 1990's

Option B is using 'as well as' to link these 2 aspects but you could just as well use 'and' and still be correct. The reason why they are probably avoiding 'and' is to avoid using it twice in quick succession.

So A is wrong because if you put 'and' before the last option you are actually implying that there was a speculative bubble in 'obsession for Beanie Babies in the 1990's' which makes no sense.

Hope this helps.

Cheers!

Exactly. There was not a speculative bubble in the obsession for beanie babies, which is what A suggests. Nice analysis..

_________________
Tim Sanders
Manhattan GMAT Instructor

Hi ,

According to my understanding options B cant be correct as it is saying--- Examples of "tulipomania," a term coined from the tulip craze of the seventeenth-century in the Netherlands,....

As "a term coined from the tulip craze of the seventeenth-century in the Netherlands" is defining "Examples of "tulipomania," "..which is wrong..

"a term coined from the tulip craze of the seventeenth-century in the Netherlands" should define only "tulipomania"...

Please suggest and correct me where I am wrong.

the modifying phrase is actually properly modifying "tulipomania"; please see our rules on modifiers touching the noun they are modifying..

_________________
Tim Sanders
Manhattan GMAT Instructor

Examples of "tulipomania," a term coined from the tulip craze of the seventeenth-century in the Netherlands, include speculative bubbles in South Seas trading rights in the 1720s, Victorian real estate in the 1880s, the U.S. stock market in the 1920s, and the obsession for Beanie Babies in the 1990s.

Can someone tell me how to dissect this using the parallelism techniques

How is the parallel marker identified in this sentence

I approached the problem as
Examples.., (warmup), include x,y and z-. points to A
But seems like it should be
Examples.., (warmup), include x(a,b,c)and z. Ofcourse when I looked at the solution , I understood my mistake.
Any reliable method to identify is issue ?

But seems like it should be
Examples.., (warmup), include x(a,b,c)and z.

You would need another and (or other parallel marker) for such a structure.

With an and:

Joey has strong feeling about his food; examples include his antipathy for chips and salsa, and his love of lobster bisque.

With an or:

Joey has strong feeling about his food; examples include his antipathy for peas, overcooked spinach, or milk, and his love of lobster bisque.