Question: Unlike other Mayan cities, Cancun's commercial power throughout the lowlands seems to be from using its strategic position at the foot of the highlands, which were a source of jade, obsidian, and other valuable commodities.

1. Cancun's commercial power throughout lowlands seems to be from using its strategic position at the foot of the highlands, which were a source of jade, obsidian, and other valuable commodities
2. Cancun's commercial power throughout the lowlands seems to have come from using its strategic position at the foot of the highlands, a source of jade, obsidian, and other valuable commodities
3. the commercial power of Cancun throughout the lowlands seemed to have come from using its strategic position at the foot of the highlands, a source of jade, obsidian, and other valuable commodities.
4. Cancun seemed to be using its strategic position at the foot of the highlands, which was a source of jade, obsidian, and other valuable commodities, in becoming commercial power throughout the lowlands
5. Cancun seems to have used its strategic position at the foot of the highlands, a source of jade, obsidian, and other valuable commodities, to become a commercial power throughout the lowlands

“Unlike other Mayan cities, Cancun's commercial power” - is a GMAT sentence correction question. Grammar mistakes are present in these questions, and we must select the appropriate response from the list of possibilities. The GMAT sentence correction topic has four options, and candidates must select the one that is appropriate. GMAT verbal includes the sentence correction section. It determines whether a candidate can identify the sentence's error. It also determines whether they can extract a context-specific idea or meaning.

Answer: (E)
Explanation:

The adjustment that is asked in the sentence can be justified with the help of the guidelines given below:

• Parallelism
• Subject-verb agreement
• Pronoun
• Meaning

The following meaning is conveyed by the proper sentence. Cancun appears to have used its advantageous location at the base of the highlands, a source of jade, obsidian, and other valuable commodities. This is to become a commercial power throughout the lowlands, in contrast to other Mayan cities.

Let's examine each choice in turn to determine which is the right answer. The right option when put into the underlined part of the question conveys the correct statement with no grammar or other errors.

Option – A : Incorrect

With this sentence, there will be an incorrect comparison of city and power. Therefore this option is rejected.

Option – B : Incorrect

With this sentence, there will be an incorrect comparison of city and power. Therefore this option is rejected.

Option – C : Incorrect

With this sentence, there will be an incorrect comparison of city and power. Therefore this option is rejected.

Option – D : Incorrect

The words "which" and "seemed to be using" change the meaning in an unacceptable way. The past tense "seemed" indicates that this is how it appeared to the Mayans who once called Cancun home. While the sentence is obviously intended to say that's how it appears to us right now, there is an issue with the idiom "in becoming." Therefore this option is rejected.

Option – E : Correct

Here, ambiguity regarding "which" is cleared up. Where a noun phrase modifies the noun "foot of the highlands," it means "a source of jade, obsidian, and other valuable commodities." This is perfect and with no errors. Therefore this option is the right choice.

From the explanations given above, it is clear that the final option is the right answer.

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