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Modifier issue

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chendawg Really wants to Beat The GMAT!
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Modifier issue Post Mon Mar 28, 2011 8:45 am
Elapsed Time: 00:00
  • Lap #[LAPCOUNT] ([LAPTIME])
    Based on accounts of various ancient writers, scholars have painted a sketchy picture of the activities of an all-female cult that, perhaps as early as the sixth century B.C., worshipped a goddess known in Latin as Bona Dea, "the good goddess."

    (A) Based on accounts of various ancient writers
    (B) Basing it on various ancient writers' accounts
    (C) With accounts of various ancient writers used for a basis
    (D) By the accounts of various ancient writers they used
    (E) Using accounts of various ancient writers

    Source: OG 12

    What's "perhaps as early as the sixth century B.C." modifying? worshipped? O.A. is E

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    Post Mon Mar 28, 2011 8:49 am
    cult

    atulmangal GMAT Titan Default Avatar
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    Post Mon Mar 28, 2011 9:51 am
    chendawg wrote:
    Based on accounts of various ancient writers, scholars have painted a sketchy picture of the activities of an all-female cult that, perhaps as early as the sixth century B.C., worshipped a goddess known in Latin as Bona Dea, "the good goddess."

    (A) Based on accounts of various ancient writers
    (B) Basing it on various ancient writers' accounts
    (C) With accounts of various ancient writers used for a basis
    (D) By the accounts of various ancient writers they used
    (E) Using accounts of various ancient writers

    Source: OG 12

    What's "perhaps as early as the sixth century B.C." modifying? worshipped? O.A. is E
    NO DOUBT its CULT...even the question has given an indication by using THAT after CULT

    chendawg Really wants to Beat The GMAT!
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    Post Mon Mar 28, 2011 10:18 am
    atulmangal wrote:
    NO DOUBT its CULT...even the question has given an indication by using THAT after CULT
    The that is for worshipped. The sentence without the modifier would read "an all-female cult that worshipped a goddess known......". The that wouldn't be an indication that the modifier is modifying cult. IMO the modifier can't be modifying cult because let's say the sentence is this:

    The cult, perhaps as early as the sixth century B.C., had sixty members.

    The sentence above makes no sense whatsoever......the cult perhaps as early as the sixth century B.C. what?

    That modifier doesn't make sense to me. I still think it modifies worshipped, but of course I'm not sure, as I'm asking a question about it.

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    Last edited by chendawg on Mon Mar 28, 2011 8:52 pm; edited 1 time in total

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    Post Mon Mar 28, 2011 1:16 pm
    chendawg wrote:
    atulmangal wrote:
    NO DOUBT its CULT...even the question has given an indication by using THAT after CULT
    The that is for worshipped. The sentence without the modifier would read "an all-female cult that worshipped a goddess known......". The that wouldn't be an indication that the modifier is modifying cult. IMO the modifier can't be modifying cult because let's say the sentence is this:

    The cult, perhaps as early as the sixth century B.C., had sixty members.

    That modifier doesn't make sense to me. I still think it modifies worshipped, but of course I'm not sure, as I'm asking a question about it.
    I Agree with Chen its defiantly not modifying CLUT. It must modify Worshiped.

    Also "that" indicate start of restrictive clause and this particular modifier lies in Restrictive clause, So it must modify something from that clause Rather than something from main Clause.

    But this is as per my understanding other can debate on this.

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    GMATMadeEasy GMAT Destroyer! Default Avatar
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    Post Mon Mar 28, 2011 2:09 pm
    "perhaps as early as the sixth century B.C" is an adverbial modifier of time modifying the verb 'worship' answering when 'worship' was being done ..but who did the worship of goddess ? the all female cult ..

    dhirajdas53 Rising GMAT Star Default Avatar
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    Post Mon Apr 30, 2012 7:20 am
    Can anyone explain me why the answer A is wrong?

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    Post Mon Apr 30, 2012 9:52 am
    chendawg wrote:
    What's "perhaps as early as the sixth century B.C." modifying? worshipped? O.A. is E
    Yes, it modifies worshipped by telling us when the worshipping occurred.

    Cheers,
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    Post Mon Apr 30, 2012 10:02 am
    dhirajdas53 wrote:
    Can anyone explain me why the answer A is wrong?
    When a sentence begins with a noun modifier (as it does here), you should stop at the comma and ask the question that the modifier raises. If the sentence is properly constructed, the part that follows will answer that question in a logical manner.

    So, once we read "Based on accounts of various ancient writers", we should stop and ask the question, "Who or what is based on accounts of various ancient writers?" The part that follows should answer the question.
    Reading on, we get ...scholars

    Scholars? Scholars are based on accounts of various ancient writers? A person can't be based on something. Since this makes no sense, we can eliminate answer choice A.

    When we check E, we get the opening modifier "Using accounts of various ancient writers"
    Once again, we'll stop and ask the question, "Who or what is using accounts of various ancient writers?"
    Reading on, we get ...scholars
    So, the scholars are using accounts of writers to paint a picture. This makes sense.

    Cheers,
    Brent

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    dhirajdas53 Rising GMAT Star Default Avatar
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    Post Mon Aug 13, 2012 9:56 am
    thanks Brants for clarifying

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