Sentence Correction

Our understanding was that she would continue to cover the costs of school enrollment and room and board for the children, which she verbally agreed to pay with the rest of the family.

A) which she verbally agreed to pay with the rest of the family.
B) which she agreed verbally with the rest of the family to pay.
C) of which she agreed verbally with the rest of the family to pay.
D) both of which she verbally agreed to pay with the rest of the family.
E) both of which she agreed to pay with the rest of the family verbally.

The OA is not A not D but B.

A, D, E - out... "pay with the rest of the family" -- literally means she was using her family as a form of legal tender/currency...
You pay your dues etc with money...

B and C -

'of which' in C does sound awkward and also you agree to something and not "of something"

but B has a "which" after the comma...
Question is: does "which" modify children?

gmat1011 wrote: but B has a "which" after the comma...
Question is: does "which" modify children?

Right question gmat1011 , b'coz i too eliminated A and B because which is not supposed to modify the whole clause .

Need input on this definately.

stumped !!

I selected C

Even if we select B than why not A?

ankurmit wrote:stumped !!

I selected C

Even if we select B than why not A?

A changes the meaning.
C of which it is Not clear what which modifies
D and E both = 2 things

go through the below post
https://www.manhattangmat.com/forums/wha ... t1846.html

I hope I don't get to see such question on my D-day

The rule is that "which" must refer to the immediately preceding noun or noun idea. For example:

This list of demands, which has been written on antique typewriter paper, will lead us to the criminal mastermind.

This list of demands, which include a request for a helicoptor, will lead us to the criminal mastermind.

Which sentence is correct? In the first, "which" is clearly meant to refer to "list," and in the second, it's clearly meant to refer to "demands." So... BOTH are correct! Yes, in fact, the word "which" can refer to the immediately preceding noun, "demands," but it can also refer to the noun idea, "list of demands," which is a noun along with modifiers and/or prepositional phrases.

Thus, in the above example, "room and board for the children" is a noun idea. None of the choices are in error with regards to "which." The actual modification they're testing has to do with the placement of the modifier "verbally" -- which should go as close as possible to its modificant, "agreed" -- and the modifier "with the rest of the family," which also should go as close as possible to "agreed" and as far as possible from "pay," because, as has been already pointed out,

gmat1011 wrote:"pay with the rest of the family" -- literally means she was using her family as a form of legal tender/currency...
You pay your dues etc with money...

Thanks for the question -- a great opportunity to clarify the real rule behind "which" (and also "that," "who," etc.)!

+1 B.

hi adam

Quick question: in b isn't COSTS of blah blah and ROOM AND BOARD for blah blah... ---> i.e., the costs and the room&board + the prepositional tails they carry, one composite noun idea that the "which" is supposed to refer to?

why should 'which' only selectively refer to "room and board for the children" and not the costs? she agreed to pay both

Thanks!