The Norwegian Cooking Witch Doll: A Symbol of Comfort in the Kitchen

The Norwegian cooking witch doll, also known as the "Kokeheksen" or "Kokekona," is a traditional folk art doll from Norway. It is typically made out of fabric and dressed in traditional Norwegian clothing, complete with an apron and a kerchief on its head. The main feature of the doll is its wooden spoon, which symbolizes its role as a cooking witch in Norwegian folklore. In Norwegian folklore, the cooking witch doll is said to have magical powers that can help in cooking and baking. It is believed that the doll can bring good luck, prevent kitchen mishaps, and ensure delicious meals. The doll is often kept in the kitchen or near the stove to invoke its powers and bring blessings to the household.

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.

The doll is often kept in the kitchen or near the stove to invoke its powers and bring blessings to the household. The tradition of the Norwegian cooking witch doll dates back several centuries and is rooted in the belief in household spirits and magical beings. In Norwegian folklore, witches were not seen as inherently evil but rather as supernatural beings with the ability to influence the natural world.

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.

The cooking witch doll is a representation of this idea, as it is believed to possess the wisdom and powers of a witch to aid in the kitchen. Today, the Norwegian cooking witch doll is still a popular tradition in Norway and can be found in many homes. It is often passed down through generations as a cherished family heirloom. Many Norwegians believe in the doll's powers and continue to embrace it as a symbol of good luck and good cooking. Overall, the Norwegian cooking witch doll is a unique and fascinating part of Norwegian folklore and culture. It represents the belief in magic and the importance of food in Norwegian society. Whether seen as a whimsical decoration or a symbol of tradition, the cooking witch doll continues to be a cherished part of Norwegian heritage..

Reviews for "The Norwegian Cooking Witch Doll: A Unique and Enchanting Tradition"

- Emily - 1 star - I was really disappointed with the Norwegian cooking witch doll. The quality of the doll was extremely poor - the stitching was coming undone and the clothes were falling apart. Additionally, the doll's appearance was quite creepy and not at all what I expected from the product photos. Overall, I regret purchasing this doll and would not recommend it to others.

- Mike - 2 stars - The Norwegian cooking witch doll was not what I was hoping for. The doll itself was smaller than I anticipated and the clothes seemed cheaply made. The supposed "cooking" features were also lackluster - the doll didn't come with any accessories or even a recipe book. It was just a basic doll with a cooking theme that didn't really deliver on its promise. I wouldn't buy this again.

- Sarah - 1 star - The Norwegian cooking witch doll was a huge disappointment. The doll's face looked nothing like the product photos - it was much more frightening and less cute. The quality of the doll was also poor - the clothes were poorly made and the stitching was already coming undone after just a few days of play. Overall, I was not satisfied with this purchase and I would not recommend it to others.

The Norwegian Cooking Witch Doll: A Beacon of Good Fortune in the Kitchen