Speed limit - long one!
A, B, and C are straightforward.
A) [Regarded...energy] incorrectly modifies [the fight]
B) Passive voice [to be]
C) Passive voice [to be]
D and E are harder, but at least process of elimination can help you drop a/b/c outright without too much thought.
A) [Regarded...energy] incorrectly modifies [the fight]
B) Passive voice [to be]
C) Passive voice [to be]
D and E are harder, but at least process of elimination can help you drop a/b/c outright without too much thought.
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Are you sure OA is E? What is the source please. Because I feel B is the correct answer, because in E, we are talking about the fight over speed limit, and not the speed limit itself.DanaJ wrote:So the OA here is E!
@uwhusky: just stumbled upon it in the Beat The GMAT Practice Questions... While I don't have a specific set of questions with modifiers, I have seen quite a few in this resource, especially one really tough one with Italians and Slavs... If I find it again, I'll post it!
Anyway, here's my take on this question:
So the way it's structured right now, the modifier is incorrectly placed (as many of you have noticed). It's not the "fight over the speed limit" that's meddlesome or a conserver of life and energy, it's the speed limit itself. We need to find the answer choice that correctly attaches the modifier ("Regarded by opponents as ineffective and meddlesome and by supporters as a conserver of life and energy") to its correct noun ("speed limit"). This way, we can eliminate A for sure. D is also wrong because of the same reason: incorrectly placed modifier.
C is wrong because there's no parallelism between "ineffective meddling" (verb) and "the conservation of life and energy" (noun). Also, the use of "the" in bold is unnecessary. "The" suggests that the speed limit is "the one and only" (to quote a song ) saver of energy and life, which is obviously not the case - I can think of a million other things that can save more lives and energy
Now, you guys have successfully narrowed it down to B and E... E is better here because of the use of the passive voice in B. In general, you should avoid the passive voice in the GMAT, because it's considered wordy. "To be fought over" is also pretty vague - who fights over it? The official explanation also cites "a pile-up of prepositions" in "to be fought over in".
- sehgalnamrata87
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I think that 'speed limit' should be the subject and not the 'fight over speed limit'.
Speed limit itself can be a conserver of life and energy, but the fight over speed limit cannot be. So, that eliminates A, D and E.
C: 'Ineffective meddling' changes the meaning somewhat, in my opinion. So, I am going to eliminate C as well.
That leaves me with B. The subject 'speed limit' is modified properly and all the tenses are correct.
So, B would be my answer.
Speed limit itself can be a conserver of life and energy, but the fight over speed limit cannot be. So, that eliminates A, D and E.
C: 'Ineffective meddling' changes the meaning somewhat, in my opinion. So, I am going to eliminate C as well.
That leaves me with B. The subject 'speed limit' is modified properly and all the tenses are correct.
So, B would be my answer.
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IMO: E
DanaJ wrote:Regarded by opponents as ineffective and meddlesome and by supporters as a conserver of life and energy, the fight over the speed limit continues in our legislatures and on our freeways.
A. Regarded by opponents as ineffective and meddlesome and by supporters as a conserver of life and energy, the fight over the speed limit continues in our legislatures and on our freeways.
B. Regarded by opponents as ineffective and meddlesome and by supporters as a conserver of life and energy, the speed limit continues to be fought over in our legislatures and on our freeways.
C. Regarded by opponents as ineffective meddling and by supporters as the conservation of life and energy, the speed limit continues to be fought over in our legislatures and on our freeways.
D. The fight over the speed limit, regarded by opponents as ineffective and meddlesome and by supporters as a conserver of life and energy, continues in our legislatures and on our freeways.
E. The fight over the speed limit, a measure regarded by opponents as ineffective and meddlesome and by supporters as a conserver of life and energy, continues in our legislatures and on our freeways.
OA after some replies!
DanaJ wrote:Regarded by opponents as ineffective and meddlesome and by supporters as a conserver of life and energy, the fight over the speed limit continues in our legislatures and on our freeways.
A. Regarded by opponents as ineffective and meddlesome and by supporters as a conserver of life and energy, the fight over the speed limit continues in our legislatures and on our freeways.
B. Regarded by opponents as ineffective and meddlesome and by supporters as a conserver of life and energy, the speed limit continues to be fought over in our legislatures and on our freeways.
C. Regarded by opponents as ineffective meddling and by supporters as the conservation of life and energy, the speed limit continues to be fought over in our legislatures and on our freeways.
D. The fight over the speed limit, regarded by opponents as ineffective and meddlesome and by supporters as a conserver of life and energy, continues in our legislatures and on our freeways.
E. The fight over the speed limit, a measure regarded by opponents as ineffective and meddlesome and by supporters as a conserver of life and energy, continues in our legislatures and on our freeways.
OA after some replies!
- deepak4mba
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