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its_me07 Rising GMAT Star
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Posted: Sun Mar 02, 2008 1:06 pm Post subject: many of them or many of whom |
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In good years, the patchwork of green fields that surround the San Joaquin Valley town bustles with farm workers, many of them in the area just for the season.
(A) surround the San Joaquin Valley town bustles with farm workers, many of them
(B) surrounds the San Joaquin Valley town bustles with farm workers, many of whom are
(C) surround the San Joaquin Valley town bustles with farm workers, many of who are
(D) surround the San Joaquin Valley town bustle with farm workers, many of which
(E) surrounds the San Joaquin Valley town bustles with farm workers, many are |
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Stuart Kovinsky GMAT Instructor

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Posted: Sun Mar 02, 2008 4:08 pm Post subject: Re: many of them or many of whom |
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| its_me07 wrote: | In good years, the patchwork of green fields that surround the San Joaquin Valley town bustles with farm workers, many of them in the area just for the season.
(A) surround the San Joaquin Valley town bustles with farm workers, many of them
(B) surrounds the San Joaquin Valley town bustles with farm workers, many of whom are
(C) surround the San Joaquin Valley town bustles with farm workers, many of who are
(D) surround the San Joaquin Valley town bustle with farm workers, many of which
(E) surrounds the San Joaquin Valley town bustles with farm workers, many are |
"Them" could refer to the fields or the workers. "Whom" must refer to people, so is unambiguous: choose (b). _________________ Stuart Kovinsky, B.A. LL.B.
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graj Just gettin' started!
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Posted: Sun Mar 02, 2008 4:39 pm Post subject: |
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| I got a doubt over choosing option "b". As the "surround" is used for green fields(plural), but option b suggest to use surrounds...that seems problematic ..Could anybdy plz explain it?? |
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Stuart Kovinsky GMAT Instructor

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Posted: Sun Mar 02, 2008 6:19 pm Post subject: |
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| graj wrote: | | I got a doubt over choosing option "b". As the "surround" is used for green fields(plural), but option b suggest to use surrounds...that seems problematic ..Could anybdy plz explain it?? |
The subject of the sentence is "patchwork", not "green fields". Whenever there's an "of" in the subject, you can generally ignore everything attached to it.
So, the sentence really reads:
"The patchwork... surrounds..."
which is gramatically correct. _________________ Stuart Kovinsky, B.A. LL.B.
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hemantsood Rising GMAT Star
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Posted: Fri Jul 04, 2008 4:19 pm Post subject: The subject of the sentence is "patchwork", not &q |
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OA is 'A'
I selected 'B' .I feel that OA can not be wrong.
Any suggestions ?  _________________ Regards,
Hemant |
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chidcguy GMAT Destroyer!
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Posted: Fri Jul 04, 2008 4:25 pm Post subject: |
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Subject is patchwork and not green fields
Of signals the start of middleman.
Patch work is singular and needs a singular verb surrounds
A C D are out
Between B & E, B is clear. In E many does not have a clear antecedent.
Why do you think the OA cannot be wrong? Is this a Q from an old Paper based test? _________________ Please do not post answer along with the Question you post/ask
Let people discuss the Questions with out seeing answers. |
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ildude02 GMAT Destroyer!
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Posted: Tue Jul 08, 2008 8:00 am Post subject: |
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I agreee with you that Patchwork is a the subject here and is singular. But I see the plural verb "sorround" instead of singular verb "sorrounds" referring to pathwork. It doesn't make sense, unless the sentence is not printed properly or I'm missing something. Please correct me if I'm wrong.
| Stuart Kovinsky wrote: | | graj wrote: | | I got a doubt over choosing option "b". As the "surround" is used for green fields(plural), but option b suggest to use surrounds...that seems problematic ..Could anybdy plz explain it?? |
The subject of the sentence is "patchwork", not "green fields". Whenever there's an "of" in the subject, you can generally ignore everything attached to it.
So, the sentence really reads:
"The patchwork... surrounds..."
which is gramatically correct. |
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Stuart Kovinsky GMAT Instructor

Joined: 08 Jan 2008 Posts: 1284
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Posted: Tue Jul 08, 2008 2:06 pm Post subject: |
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| ildude02 wrote: | I agreee with you that Patchwork is a the subject here and is singular. But I see the plural verb "sorround" instead of singular verb "sorrounds" referring to pathwork. It doesn't make sense, unless the sentence is not printed properly or I'm missing something. Please correct me if I'm wrong.
| Stuart Kovinsky wrote: | | graj wrote: | | I got a doubt over choosing option "b". As the "surround" is used for green fields(plural), but option b suggest to use surrounds...that seems problematic ..Could anybdy plz explain it?? |
The subject of the sentence is "patchwork", not "green fields". Whenever there's an "of" in the subject, you can generally ignore everything attached to it.
So, the sentence really reads:
"The patchwork... surrounds..."
which is gramatically correct. |
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(b) is definitely grammatically correct, (a) isn't - not sure what else I can say except that the "official" answer must be wrong. No one has even posted the source - many "free" questions you can download on the net are worth exactly what you paid for them! _________________ Stuart Kovinsky, B.A. LL.B.
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kirube Just gettin' started!
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Posted: Wed Jul 09, 2008 5:58 am Post subject: |
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In good years, the patchwork of green fields that surround the San Joaquin Valley town bustles with farm workers, many of them in the area just for the season.
(A) surround the San Joaquin Valley town bustles with farm workers, many of them
(B) surrounds the San Joaquin Valley town bustles with farm workers, many of whom are
(C) surround the San Joaquin Valley town bustles with farm workers, many of who are
(D) surround the San Joaquin Valley town bustle with farm workers, many of which
(E) surrounds the San Joaquin Valley town bustles with farm workers, many are
I agree with stuart ~
Here's my version -
patch work is singular, so requires a singular verb - as per this rule, we can eliminate A, C and D.
'many of whom' in the option B only clearly refers to the farmers. SO B is the right choice. |
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mynhauzen Just gettin' started!
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Posted: Sat Nov 15, 2008 7:47 am Post subject: |
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"In good years, the patchwork of green fields that surround the"
the word that changes surrounds >> surround, so B and C cannot be right. But Im not sure about A answer |
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stop@800 GMAT Destroyer!

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Posted: Sat Nov 15, 2008 12:34 pm Post subject: |
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I marked A only.
Here goes my explanation..
Stuart, please correct me where ever I am wrong.
In good years, the patchwork of green fields that surround the San Joaquin Valley town bustles with farm workers, many of them in the area just for the season.
(A) surround the San Joaquin Valley town bustles with farm workers, many of them
(B) surrounds the San Joaquin Valley town bustles with farm workers, many of whom are
(C) surround the San Joaquin Valley town bustles with farm workers, many of who are
(D) surround the San Joaquin Valley town bustle with farm workers, many of which
(E) surrounds the San Joaquin Valley town bustles with farm workers, many are
the patchwork of green fields that surround / surrounds
here
that is referring to green fields
hence we need surround and not surrounds
Eliminated B and E
ACD
bustle / bustles with farm workers
Now the subject is the patchwork
so bustle is wrong.
Eliminated D
AC
many of them / many of who are
A is looking better to me.
Stuart, Please tell me is who are incorrect?
If I apply he / him rule
He is in the area just for the season
or
Him in the area just for the season
so he is correct hence, who is correct.
is it so???
Thanks _________________ "GMAT is tough, so what" |
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schumi_gmat Really wants to Beat The GMAT!
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Posted: Sun Nov 16, 2008 4:08 pm Post subject: |
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Stuart's reasoning is flawless.
Ans should be B.
one more reason to elim A is the verb are missing in the modifier.
farm workers are object hence whom should be used and not who |
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cramya GMAT Destroyer!
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Posted: Sun Nov 16, 2008 4:20 pm Post subject: |
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One more vote for B) .
A) cant be correct beacuse patchwork surrounds and not patchwork surround
Like Stuart pointed out the preposition whom can refer only to farmers(unambigous)
The error in the choices are most likely (not always) to coccur in the begginning or the end of the sentence
Thoughts?? |
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logitech GMAT Destroyer!

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Posted: Sun Nov 16, 2008 5:48 pm Post subject: |
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Look who is in the houze!!
CRAMYA!! _________________ LogitecH
"A winner never quits and a quitter never wins!" |
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vishubn GMAT Destroyer!
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Posted: Sun Nov 16, 2008 6:02 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: | the patchwork of green fields that surround / surrounds
here
that is referring to green fields
hence we need surround and not surrounds
Eliminated B and E |
STOP, that is referrign to patchwork and not green fields !
patchwork of green frields !! so mai nsub is patchwork and not greeen fields ! so which makes it singular !! and instead of B and E we elliminate A,C and E
so b and E easy ellimination with E and B is the OA
| Quote: | (A) surround the San Joaquin Valley town bustles with farm workers, many of them
(B) surrounds the San Joaquin Valley town bustles with farm workers, many of whom are
(C) surround the San Joaquin Valley town bustles with farm workers, many of who are
(D) surround the San Joaquin Valley town bustle with farm workers, many of which
(E) surrounds the San Joaquin Valley town bustles with farm workers, many are |
Vishu _________________ Insomnium's TURN now !! |
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