GMAT Prep question - Synthetic growth hormone

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Synthetic growth hormone
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by loki.gmat » Sat Jun 14, 2008 1:50 am
IMO C.

we require a past participle here and the word "learned" (simple past) is correctly preceding the past participle "had".


Thanks!

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by hajarf » Sun Jun 15, 2008 3:38 am
isn`t it D?
What is th ecorrect answer?

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by atlantic » Mon Jun 16, 2008 12:58 am
Hajarf, cannot be D because should be 'growing hormone' and not 'a growing hormone'.

I'll choose C. OA is.......

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by netigen » Mon Jun 16, 2008 1:24 am
OA is C

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by niraj_a » Mon Jun 16, 2008 9:37 am
i chose D too because I thought C changed the meaning by saying that a hormone was synthesized rather than making a natural hormone into synthetic...maybe i still don't understand why C is right

please advise

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by nb72 » Thu Mar 19, 2015 7:13 pm
Answer is D

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by GMATGuruNY » Fri Mar 20, 2015 1:42 am
Before scientists learned how to make a synthetic growth hormone, removing it painstakingly in small amounts from the pituitary glands of human cadavers.

A. scientists learned how to make a synthetic growth hormone, removing it painstakingly
B. scientists had learned about making a synthetic growth hormone, they had to remove it painstakingly
C. scientists learned how to synthesize the growth hormone, it had to be painstakingly removed
D. learning how to make a synthetic growth hormone, scientists had to remove it painstakingly
E. learning how to synthesize the growth hormone, it had to be painstakingly removed by scientists
Synthetic means artificial.
In A, B and D, it seems to refer to a synthetic growth hormone, implying that an ARTIFICIAL hormone was removed from the glands of HUMAN cadavers.
Not the intended meaning.
Eliminate A, B and D.

In E, learning seems to modify it, conveying a nonsensical meaning.
The intended meaning is that SCIENTISTS were learning how to synthesize the growth hormone.
Eliminate E.

The correct answer is C.
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