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<p>Question: In context, which is the best way to combine sentences 8 and 9 (reproduced below)?</p>
<p>Spains explorers went to sea, and one reason for it was black pepper. They wanted to get it by bypassing the trade route controlled by the Arabs and Italians. </p>
<p>(A) Spains explorers went to sea, and one reason for that was they wanted to bypass the trade route controlled by the Arabs and Italians for black pepper.<br>
(B) Spains explorers went to sea, one reason for this was to find black pepper, bypassing the trade route controlled by the Arabs and Italians.<br>
(C) For black pepper, Spains explorers went to sea, one reason for which was to bypass the trade route controlled by the Arabs and Italians.<br>
(D) Because the Arabs and Italians controlled the trade route of black pepper, Spains explorers went to sea as a bypass.<br>
(E) One reason that Spains explorers went to sea was to get black pepper by bypassing the trade route controlled by the Arabs and Italians. </p>
<p>The answer is E and I am confused with D.</p>
<p>To me, E seemed wrong because of two reasons:
a) "one reason that" seemed awkward; I'm not sure about the relative pronoun "that" for reason. I always thought "why" was the perennial relative pronoun for "reason."</p>
<p>b) lengthiness. Choice E is way longer than choice D. Plus, it's wordy.</p>
<p>This is what CB gave as a reason why D was wrong:
-"trade route of black pepper" insinuates that black pepper is personified here.
I guess CB is pushing for "trade route for black pepper." Dunno.</p>
<p>The only demerit of D I could think of was the fact that it didn't explicitly establish the ultimate goal of Spanish exploration: black pepper.</p>
<p>Can any one come up with a better explanation? </p>
<p>Thanx in advance :)</p>
<p>Ironically, “the reason why” is actually an idiom commonly tested on the Writing section; it is wrong. </p>
<p>That the length of E is longer than D (only by a few words) should be considered only if there are two answers that “could” (grammatically correct, logical) be the answer. Realize that this is rare, and when it does happen it is typically VERY obvious which answer is right. (NEVER by such a small difference in length)</p>
<p>D is grammatically correct, but it is not a logical answer because it skews the meaning of the two sentences. The Spanish went to sea for black pepper, not “because Arabs controlled the trade route of black pepper.” The sentence does not even mention that the Arabs controlled a trade route of black pepper.</p>
<p>Remember that when answering passage questions, you have to consider the meaning of the sentence as well as the grammar in each answer. You will often see grammatically correct answers on the Writing section that skew the meaning of the given sentence.</p>
<p>@Kieran0696</p>
<p>You are so meticulous in your reasoning. I definitely agree with you on many points. I did comprehend those principles of solving the WR section once, but I guess I forgot as time passed by. Thank you so much for reminding me these and sorry for getting back on you so late.</p>
<p>:D</p>
<p>^Jennyelena</p>
<p>I think the real reason why the answer is E and not D is very simple but hidden.</p>
<p>(Spain’s explorers went to sea, and one reason for it was black pepper. They wanted to get it by bypassing the trade route controlled by the Arabs and Italians.)</p>
<p>Did you notice that in the original draft the phrase ONE REASON(It means there are many other reasons) was mentioned ?</p>
<p>E mentions the ONE REASON ,but D assumes that one reason is the ONLY reason.</p>
<p>Well, I think that is the only possible answer considering that both are 100% grammatically correct.</p>
<p>Hope you find my expl. helpful …:D:D:D</p>
<p>@realityisadream</p>
<p>HEY hey, did you know that I found that bit out as well as I was transcribing Kieran0696’s explanation on my note?</p>
<p>It’s a coincidence, I guess, hehe 
thanx</p>