Margaret Mead, the best-known anthropologis

[charmanineW924]

170. (32496-!-item-!-188;#058&006571)

Margaret Mead, the best-known anthropologist of the twentieth century, helped shape public opinion on fundamentally important areas like attitudes toward children and families, along with the relative merits of competition and cooperation.
A. shape public opinion on fundamentally important areas like attitudes toward children and families, along with
B. shape public opinion in such fundamentally important areas as attitudes toward children and families and
C. to shape public opinion about such fundamentally important areas like attitudes toward children and families, also about
D. the shaping of public opinion for fundamentally important areas such as attitudes toward children and families, and those toward
E. the shaping of public opinion around fundamentally important areas like attitudes toward children and families, and those of

The answer is B. I choose the right answer,but I got some questions about it.

1)“in areas” is only used correcly in choice B.But when I did this question ,I thought the preposition is linked with opinion . I mean , the reason we use “on”in “opinion on …areas” is that there is “opinion” but not “areas”

2)in choice B ,I am confused about the word “and”.How can we use it twice

3)in choice D,is it correct to use “the shaping of” and “those toward”

4)I really do not know how to identify the parallelism element
attitudes toward children and families, (and toward )the relative merits of competition and cooperation.
attitudes toward children and families, and the relative merits of competition and cooperation.
Which is the right parallel ?

[RonPurewal]

1)“in areas” is only used correcly in choice B.But when I did this question ,I thought the preposition is linked with opinion . I mean , the reason we use “on”in “opinion on …areas” is that there is “opinion” but not “areas”

i'm sorry, but i have no idea what you are asking here.

[RonPurewal]

2)in choice B ,I am confused about the word “and”.How can we use it twice

you actually answered this question yourself!

look at the purple version you wrote in your #4 (the second version). that's the parallel structure.
the first "and" is used to link "children" and "families".
the second "and" is used to link the two purple things (the larger parallel elements). it's pretty clear that you already understand this, because you left this "and" in black text.

[RonPurewal]

3)in choice D,is it correct to use “the shaping of”

'the shaping of' is inappropriate, because mead herself helped to shape these things.
read here:
https://www.manhattanprep.com/gmat/foru ... ml#p112414
(as mentioned in that post, this goes way beyond anything you'll ever need for this exam.)

[RonPurewal]

and “those toward”

it's wrong to use 'for' for one set of attitudes, but 'toward' for the other. since the context is exactly the same, these two words (if there are two) should be the same.

by itself, 'attitude toward X' is a perfectly acceptable construction.

[RonPurewal]

4)I really do not know how to identify the parallelism element
attitudes toward children and families, (and toward )the relative merits of competition and cooperation.
attitudes toward children and families, and the relative merits of competition and cooperation.
Which is the right parallel ?

it's the latter one.

if the former one were correct, then you'd have attitudes toward three things.
a list of three things can't be written as 'x and y and z'. rather, that would have to be written as attitudes toward children, families, and xxxxx.

'toward x and y and toward z' IS a valid construction (since it no longer contains any list of three items). this is irrelevant here, though, since we don't have the second 'toward'.

[charmanineW924]

I think I understand ,thank you ,Ron

[RonPurewal]

you're welcome.