Around 1900, fishermen in the Chesapeake Bay area landed more than seventeen million pounds of shad in a single year, but by 1920, overfishing and the proliferation of milldams and culverts that have blocked shad migrations up their spawning streams had reduced landings to less than four million pounds.
Meaning Analysis
- Around 1900, fishermen in the Chesapeake Bay area landed more than seventeen million pounds of shad in a single year,
The sentence starts by presenting some information about fishermen from a particular area. It says that around the 1900s these fishermen caught a huge amount of a specific kind of fish in one year. Reading further:
- but by 1920, overfishing and the proliferation of milldams and culverts
- that have blocked shad migrations up their spawning streams
This part of the sentence starts with the contrasting word but, indicating that we will read something contrary to what we have read so far. We find out that in about twenty years, overfishing and advancement of dams and sewers had resulted in restricting the movement of the fish to its breeding grounds.
- had reduced landings to less than four million pounds.
Connecting this part of the sentence with the one right above, we understand that in just 20 years, the amount of fish caught in the area had reduced significantly because of the reasons cited earlier-overfishing and growth of dams and sewers.
To sum up, the sentence states that in 1900, fishermen in a particular area caught huge amount of a particular kind of fish. But in about two decades, this amount had reduced significantly because of overfishing and the growth of dams and sewers in that area as these dams and sewers stopped the fish from reaching its breeding grounds.
Error Analysis
Verb Tense Error
In the context of this sentence, the use of present perfect tense have blocked is incorrect. A past action can be denoted by present perfect tense, but only if that action has some relevance in the present context. However, the sentence uses have blocked with a different purpose. The sentence intends to talk about certain constructions that used to block chad migrations. Therefore, since the sentence doesn’t intend to say that the effects of these constructions are present today, use of present perfect verb have blocked is incorrect.
P. S.: Please note that the use of past perfect tense had reduced is correct in this choice because this event took place before the year 1920 started.
POE
Choice A
Incorrect
This choice has the error pointed out in the error analysis.
Choice B
Correct
This answer choice is correct as it corrects the sole error of Choice A. Simple past tense has been aptly used to describe the past event of blocking.
Choice C
Incorrect
1. Verb Tense Error
This choice incorrectly uses simple past tense verb reduced. Use of simple past tense verb suggests that the beginning of the year 1920 and the reduction in the amount of fish caught took place at the same time. However, the sentence intends to say that the amount of fish caught had already reduced by the time the year 1920 started.
2. Wordy
The comparison phrase a lower amount than… is wordier than the phrase less than….
Choice D
Incorrect
1. Modifier Error
This choice incorrectly uses the modifier comma + having…. This modifier is used to denote an action done prior to another action in the past. For example:
Tom, having finished his breakfast, went to office.
The above mentioned sentence means that Tom first finished his breakfast. Then he went to office.
However, in the current choice, the information presented by the having modifier is a general information in the past about dams and sewers. Hence use of comma + having is incorrect.
2. Verb Tense Error
This choice repeats the verb tense error of Choice C.
Choice E
Incorrect
1. Modifier Error
This choice repeats the modifier error of Choice D.
2. Wordy
The comparison phrase an amount lower than… is wordier than the phrase less than….
