How Chris Pratt mastered his mind-boggling magic trick

Chris Pratt, best known for his roles in movies like Guardians of the Galaxy and Jurassic World, is also known for his love for performing magic tricks. While he may not be a professional magician, his tricks have always fascinated his fans and made for entertaining moments. One of the most famous moments of Chris Pratt showcasing his magic trick skills was during an appearance on The Graham Norton Show. As the host, Graham Norton, handed him a deck of cards, Pratt confidently started performing a mind-blowing trick. He shuffled the cards in an impressive manner and effortlessly guessed the card chosen by guest Will.I.

Correct, PAST perfect: For centuries, dolls dressed as witches had been hung in Norwegian kitchens because of a traditional belief that such figures had the power to keep pots from boiling over, but the King and Queen of Norway abolished the practice in the early 1900s after too many houses burned down.

So you could give your troubles and stress to that could in no way judge you but instead be a constant reminder that they are there to have your back no matter what. , to downplay whoever actually and actively hung the dolls up because the interesting facts are the dolls themselves and their traditional but not real powers.

I.Am. This left both the audience and his fellow guests in awe.

For centuries, dolls dressed as witches have hung in Norwegian kitchen

For centuries, dolls dressed as witches have hung in Norwegian kitchens because they traditionally believe that such figures have the power to keep pots from boiling over.

A) dolls dressed as witches have hung in Norwegian kitchens because they traditionally believe

B) dolls dressed as witches have been hung in Norwegian kitchens because of a traditional belief

C) dolls dressed as witches hang in Norwegian kitchens because they traditionally believe

D) dolls dressed as witches had hung in Norwegian kitchens because of it traditionally being believed

E) dolls dressed as witches have hung in Norwegian kitchens because of traditionally believing

—The only thing more dangerous than ignorance is arrogance. ~Einstein

For centuries, dolls dressed as witches have hung in Norwegian kitchen [#permalink] 15 Jan 2021, 00:18

Project SC Butler: Sentence Correction (SC1)

For centuries, dolls dressed as witches have hung in Norwegian kitchens because they traditionally believe that such figures have the power to keep pots from boiling over.

• Meaning?
Dolls dressed as witches have hung in Norwegian kitchens because of Norwegians' traditional belief that the dolls have the power to keep pots from boiling over.

• No antecedent for they
→ logically, they should refer to Norwegians or the Norwegians, but in this sentence Norwegian is an adjective that describes kitchens.
The pronoun they requires an antecedent that is a noun, not an adjective.
→ they cannot logically refer to dolls and thus has no antecedent
ELIMINATE A

• I do not see any errors
→ This sentence is an instance in which passive voice is appropriate.
We want to downplay agency (i.e., to downplay whoever actually and actively hung the dolls up) because the interesting facts are the dolls themselves and their traditional (but not real) powers.

B) dolls dressed as witches have been hung in Norwegian kitchens because of a traditional belief — keep. Though I’d have preferred “the” traditional belief. But hey, it’s abt finding 4 perfectly wrong ones.

You are correct. Well done. The would create more effective rhetorical construction—more oomph (I have no idea how to translate that vernacular).
You are also correct that the task is not to find one perfect answer but rather to eliminate the four worst answers.
KEEP B

• wrong verb tense
→ For centuries is a Big Clue that this sentence should not be written in the simple present tense

→ simple present tense verbs hang and believe do not fit with the sense of past that the phrase "For centuries" conveys

-- If people have been doing something for a long time and still do so, use present perfect, which is used to bridge the past and present:
HAS/HAVE + past participle
have hung and have believed are the present perfect constructions

-- [→ Alternatively, if people had been doing something for a long time but stopped doing so, use past perfect (not the case here):
HAD + past participle]. See Notes.

• same missing antecedent problem as that in option A
ELIMINATE C

D) dolls dressed as witches had hung in Norwegian kitchens because of it traditionally being believed

• verb problem
→ past perfect ( had hung ) is used to signal the earlier of two events in the past

→ in order to signal the earlier-in-time action, past perfect almost always requires at least one past tense verb or time marker that signals the later-in-time past action
No such verb exists here.
(This requirement does not hold when we deal with conditional Type 3 or Mixed Type. Both are rare on the GMAT.)

• serious style problem
→ the phrase it traditionally being believed is monstrously bad prose.

→ because of a traditional belief in option B (which is grammatical) is more concise and direct than it traditionally being believed

( It , BTW, does have an antecedent . The antecedent is the that-clause: that such figures . . . )
ELIMINATE D

• meaning problems
→ this sentence implies that the dolls themselves have been the ones believing that they have special powers. Ridiculous.

→ if dolls had such power, the correct construction would be because of THEIR traditionally believing that .
The believing needs a someone or something to attach to: believing is an "action" noun.
-- Correct , news anchor: I appreciate your coming on the show.
-- Wrong , news anchor: I appreciate you coming on the show.

If you have no idea what I am talking about here, ignore me.
The issue is rarely tested and as is the case in this option, another error will probably exist.

• style problems
→ the dedicated noun belief is almost always preferred to the gerund (verbING) noun believing

→ who is doing this believing?
In option B, we have the dedicated noun belief .
This noun does not require a subject to "do" the noun. Belief is fine without a pronoun, possessive or otherwise.
ELIMINATE E

BY POE, THE ANSWER IS B

• in option E, the verb have hung is grammatical.

→ to hang means to suspend or to BE suspended.

Below are three different examples of the way in which the verb to hang can be used.

→ Correct, present perfect:
Hundreds of colorful paper lanterns have hung in festive rows above the streets in Manhattan's Chinatown for a few weeks.

→ Correct, present perfect:
Manhattan's Chinatown civic leaders have hung hundreds of colorful paper lanterns above the streets in order to "signal joy and hope since it's been such a dark time for so many. . ."

→ Correct, present perfect:
Hundreds of colorful paper lanterns have been hung above the streets of Chinatown in Manhattan in order to "signal joy and hope."

• The original OE writer insists incorrectly that from the phrase "For centuries," you should immediately infer that present perfect is needed.

The OE writer is not 100 percent accurate.

What creates the conditions that require use of present perfect?
Answer: The phrase for centuries coupled with the nonunderlined present tense verb in that such figures HAVE the power to keep pots from boiling over.

I do not want to see aspirants conclude that phrases such as for centuries or for decades by themselves signal that present perfect is in order.
Those phrases by themselves do not necessarily signal present perfect.

Correct, PAST perfect: For centuries, dolls dressed as witches had been hung in Norwegian kitchens because of a traditional belief that such figures had the power to keep pots from boiling over, but the King and Queen of Norway abolished the practice in the early 1900s after too many houses burned down.

Correct, PAST perfect: For centuries, hundreds of paintings had hung in the Rothschild brothers' palaces in Austria—until Hitler annexed Austria in 1938 and stole the prominent Jewish family's artwork for himself.

shubhs76 , welcome to SC Butler.

A couple of these answers are a bit hard to follow, and a few assertions are not true.

Overall, though, the answers are pretty good.
Kudos to all.

Another noteworthy magic trick performed by Pratt was on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. In this trick, Chris Pratt asked Jimmy Fallon to choose a card from a deck and memorize it. He then proceeded to shuffle the cards and perform a series of impressive moves, ultimately revealing the chosen card in a surprising manner. Fallon and the audience were left amazed by his skills. Beyond these televised magic tricks, Pratt enjoys performing magic tricks for his friends and fellow cast members on movie sets. He has mentioned in interviews that he often carries a deck of cards with him and loves to entertain people with his tricks during breaks. It's worth noting that Chris Pratt's magic tricks might not be groundbreaking or innovative, but they demonstrate his talent for performing illusions and showmanship. Despite his busy acting career, Pratt has continued to develop his skills as an amateur magician, allowing him to connect with others and bring joy through his performances. In conclusion, Chris Pratt's passion for magic tricks has become a well-known part of his public persona. Whether on TV shows or movie sets, he never misses a chance to showcase his skills and leave people amazed. His talent for performing illusions adds an extra layer of entertainment to his already charismatic personality..

Reviews for "Chris Pratt takes us behind the scenes of his mind-blowing magic trick"

1. Anna - 2 stars - I was really disappointed with Chris Pratt's magic trick. The whole performance felt lackluster and unoriginal. It seemed like he was just going through the motions without any creativity or flair. The tricks themselves were basic and predictable, nothing mind-blowing. Overall, I expected much more from a performer of his caliber.

2. John - 1 star - I don't understand the hype around Chris Pratt's magic trick. It was boring and forgettable. The tricks were poorly executed and lacked any sense of wonder or excitement. I've seen better magic tricks performed by amateurs at children's birthday parties. I wouldn't recommend wasting your time on this disappointment.

3. Lisa - 2 stars - Chris Pratt's magic trick was underwhelming. It felt like he was just going through the motions and didn't put much effort into the performance. The tricks were unimpressive and didn't leave a lasting impact. I expected something more unique and captivating from such a popular performer. Unfortunately, this was a letdown.

4. Mark - 1 star - I was extremely disappointed with Chris Pratt's magic trick. It was completely predictable and lacked any innovation. The tricks were basic and didn't offer anything new or exciting. The overall performance felt rushed and half-hearted. I wouldn't recommend wasting your time watching this lackluster magic trick.

The astonishing magic trick that Chris Pratt performs flawlessly