<p>Question: Of the following, which is the best revision for the underlined part of sentence 5 (reproduced below)?</p>
<p>The introduction of the chili pepper had a tremendous impact on the balance of power among the European countries that were already involved in the black pepper [trade, and, what was even larger in scope, on] Asian and European cultures. </p>
<p>(A) trade, not to mention on<br>
(B) trade, but also<br>
(C) trade, an impact also on<br>
(D) trade; it also was affecting<br>
(E) trade, and they also affected </p>
<p>The answer is A and I am confused with C.
The online explanation says that A correctly indicates the relationship between the two types of impacts mentioned above. But, seriously? Because to me, "not to mention" does not put an emphasis on the latter impact, which deserves more emphasis as judged by the phrase "what was even larger in scope."</p>
<p>And C would produce this sentence:</p>
<p>The introduction of the chili pepper had a tremendous impact on the balance of power among the European countries that were already involved in the black pepper, an impact also on Asian and European cultures.</p>
<p>-I see that it's awkward... (because this sentence wrongly assumes that the impact on the European nations is on the same line as that on the Asian and European cultures.)</p>
<p>Can anybody evince the rationale behind the answer choices?</p>
<p>First, your instinct that (C) leads to an awkward sentence is right. In the SAT that instinct can save you from bad choices. You may be over thinking the question. That takes time on the exam and can lead to incorrect choices. Most of the questions have direct and uncluttered answers, which often can be quickly seen as the best choices.</p>
<p>To the sentence itself, my reading of it is:</p>
<p>The introduction of the chili pepper had a tremendous impact on <something>, and on <something_else>.</something_else></something></p>
<p>The phrase “not to mention” is idiomatic in the sense that it serves to introduce additional information with a level of “emphasis”. In this case it’s an “emphatic” replacement for “and”.</p>
<p>Choice (C) repeats the subject “impact” – without the critical adjective tremendous. It has a redundant “also”. There is no need for the repetition, even though the lead phrase is rather long.</p>
<p>So the correct sentence stripped to its essence is:</p>
<p>The introduction of the chili pepper had a tremendous impact on <something>, not to mention on <something_else>.</something_else></something></p>
<p>For this stripped down version would you consider?</p>
<p>The introduction of the chili pepper had a tremendous impact on <something>, an impact also on <something_else>.</something_else></something></p>
<p>thank you for this thorough explanation fogcity!</p>
<p>I get the “tremendous” part. Based on the original sentence, the emphasis should go on the latter “Asian and European cultures,” but C makes this latter part trivial compared to the first part about the power balance in trade.</p>
<p>Here is my question: (sorry to bother you) Doesn’t the new sentence with A put emphasis on the first part instead of the latter part?
Also, why is the “also” redundant? (If this “also” is redundant, you’re saying that “also” should just be eliminated from the choice?-"… trade, an impact on… ")</p>
<p>jennyelena, the use of “A, not to mention B” often means that B is even more important and obvious than A. Although I don’t know how this rhetorical device originated, I think it goes back to Cicero, and possibly before.</p>