A pioneer journalist, Nellie Bly's exploits

Question

A pioneer journalist, Nellie Bly's exploits included circling the globe faster than Jules Verne's fictional Phileas Fogg

A A pioneer journalist, Nellie Bly's exploits included
B The exploits of Nellie Bly, a pioneer journalist, included
C Nellie Bly was a pioneer journalist, included
D Included in the pioneer journalist Nellie Bly's exploits are
E The pioneer journalist's exploits of Nellie Bly included

B
Can anyone please explain the sentence construction using option B.

Rich.C@EMPOWERgmat.com · Answer

HI chetan86,

This SC is based on Modification rules. We need an answer that places the phrase "a pioneer journalist" in the proper spot and doesn't make any other mistakes.

Since you asked about Answer B, I'll focus on that:

My guess is that you're asking about this question because you don't "like" the correct answer. When I first read this prompt, I didn't "like" the correct answer either, but it does use proper grammar rules (and the other answers all have significant problems).

The commas in B are a big clue of Modification. The phrase "a pioneer journalist" should refer to the noun immediately next to it. Also, you should be able to remove that entire piece of the sentence ("a pioneer journalist") and still have a complete and correct sentence. You should notice that "Nellie Bly" immediate precedes "a pioneer journalist" and the phrase, when removed, leaves a complete sentence.

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

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David@GMATPrepNow · Answer

Hi chetan86,

Answer B contains the descriptive phrase "a pioneer journalist," offset from the rest of the sentence by commas. If you remove the phrase, you have a little less information, but you still have a correct sentence:

"The exploits of Nellie Bly included circling the globe faster than Jules Verne's fictional Phileas Fogg." This is the basic information conveyed in the sentence.

Finding the correct answer is really a question of where we put the phrase "a pioneer journalist" that makes the sentence correct or not (assuming there are no other problems).

Putting "a pioneer journalist" at the start of the sentence is incorrect because it is the wrong order. It introduces the extra description of the object (Nellie Bly) before the object itself. Eliminate A.

Answer B has the descriptive phrase in the correct spot.

Answers C, D and E are a little more obviously wrong. Eliminate them.

chetan86 · Answer

Rich.C@EMPOWERgmat.com wrote:HI chetan86, This SC is based on Modification rules. We need an answer that places the phrase "a pioneer journalist" in the proper spot and doesn't make any other mistakes. Since you asked about Answer B, I'll focus on that: My guess is that you're asking about this question because you don't "like" the correct answer. When I first read this prompt, I didn't "like" the correct answer either, but it does use proper grammar rules (and the other answers all have significant problems). The commas in B are a big clue of Modification. The phrase "a pioneer journalist" should refer to the noun immediately next to it. Also, you should be able to remove that entire piece of the sentence ("a pioneer journalist") and still have a complete and correct sentence. You should notice that "Nellie Bly" immediate precedes "a pioneer journalist" and the phrase, when removed, leaves a complete sentence. GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made, Rich Yeah, you are right. I did not like the way sentence is constructed. I got confused because modifier was referring to a NOUN, which is available in an 'Of-phrase'. Using POE I selected answer option B. While reviewing this question I thought 'a pioneer journalist' to make sense it is at the correct position because if we reword the sentence as 'Nellie Bly's exploits' then it would become difficult to place phrase 'a pioneer journalist'. BTW I learned something new from this question.

chetan86 · Answer

David@GMATPrepNow wrote:Hi chetan86,

Answer B contains the descriptive phrase "a pioneer journalist," offset from the rest of the sentence by commas. If you remove the phrase, you have a little less information, but you still have a correct sentence:

"The exploits of Nellie Bly included circling the globe faster than Jules Verne's fictional Phileas Fogg." This is the basic information conveyed in the sentence.

Finding the correct answer is really a question of where we put the phrase "a pioneer journalist" that makes the sentence correct or not (assuming there are no other problems).

Putting "a pioneer journalist" at the start of the sentence is incorrect because it is the wrong order. It introduces the extra description of the object (Nellie Bly) before the object itself. Eliminate A.

Answer B has the descriptive phrase in the correct spot.

Answers C, D and E are a little more obviously wrong. Eliminate them.

Hi David,

Thanks a lot for your explanation and inputs. Your approach to solve this kind of question would definitely help me in future. Thank you!!

sscsh472 · Answer

Can somebody please explain what's wrong with option A?

Ali Tariq · Answer

sscsh472 wrote:Can somebody please explain what's wrong with option A?

A pioneer journalist, Nellie Bly's exploits included circling the globe faster than Jules Verne's fictional Phileas Fogg

incorrect/illogical apposition (major issue)
Journalist cannot be exploits

noun noun disagreement (minor issue but still an issue. Above one is much much easier to spot and is the one you will encounter much often in SC)
one journalist = more than one exploit

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samrat.mandal · Answer

Now "Nellie Bly's exploits" and "Jules Verne's fictional Phileas Fogg" are not structurally parallel any more. isn't that an issue?

Ali Tariq · Answer

No.

Why?
( answer following Questions )
Can you write Nellie Bly's exploits as Exploits of Nellie Bly?
Yes.

Why? Reason?
[spoiler]Because neither it changes the grammar nor does it changes meaning.[/spoiler]

As grammar has not been altered and meaning has not been changed, it is structurally and logically parallel.
No difference what so ever between Nellie Bly's exploits and Exploits of Nellie Bly viz-a-viz grammar and meaning.

GMAC loves to make incorrect answer choice(s) look a bit more parallel.
I call it parallelism of looks.
Purpose is to lure into incorrect answer choice.

Parallelism cannot be applied blindly i.e by keeping logic at bay.

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GMATGuruNY · Answer

sscsh472 wrote:Can somebody please explain what's wrong with option A?

A pioneer journalist, Nellie Bly's exploits included circling the globe faster than Jules Verne's fictional Phileas Fogg

incorrect/illogical apposition (major issue)
Journalist cannot be exploits

noun noun disagreement (minor issue but still an issue. Above one is much much easier to spot and is the one you will encounter much often in SC)
one journalist = more than one exploit

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GMATGuruNY · Answer

samrat.mandal wrote:Now "Nellie Bly's exploits" and "Jules Verne's fictional Phileas Fogg" are not structurally parallel any more. isn't that an issue?

OA: The exploits of Nellie Bly, a pioneer journalist, included circling the globe faster than Jules Verne's fictional Phileas Fogg.
An AGENT is the initiator of an action.
Here, it is crystal clear that Nellie Bly is the agent of circling, since she was the journalist CIRCLING the globe.
Conveyed comparison:
NELLIE BLY was CIRCLING faster than PHILEAS FOGG.
This comparison is logical.

gocoder · Answer

What is wrong with D, is it passive ?

Ali Tariq · Answer

gocoder wrote:What is wrong with D, is it passive ? Subject verb disagreement. It is an inverted structure;In this kind of a structure verb appears before the subject.

Ali Tariq · Answer

D) Included in the pioneer journalist Nellie Bly's exploits are circling the globe faster than Jules Verne's fictional Phileas Fogg.

Subject is noun.
Noun can have modifiers( phrases, adj clauses etc.) attacted to it.

Further, subject cannot be in a prepositional phrase; However, there is an exception[1].
Prep. phrase begins with a prep and ends with a noun or noun equivalent( such as noun clause).

Included is not a noun.
It is a ved type ( past participle)modifier;
However, subject needs be a noun.

in the pioneer journalist Nellie Bly's exploits is a prep phrase;
We cannot have a subject in a prep phrase[1].

are is a verb;
Now it essentially means that we are dealing with an inverted structure here.
So, watch out for a subject.

We only have one construction that appears after the verb and that construction is
circling the globe faster than Jules Verne's fictional Phileas Fogg
This construction is called gerund phrase.
gerund phrase, in this case, is a subject.
gerund phrases are always singular.

However, the verb in D (are) is plural, hence SVA issue.
-----------------------------------------------------
PS:
[1] exception is a quantity expression:
majority of cases are fake
A number of x are blah blah
The number of y is blah blah .

Last edited by Ali Tariq on Thu Jun 08, 2017 2:14 am, edited 1 time in total.

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jabhatta · Answer

Hi - in option D

As a test taker, how to determine what the subject is ...when i first read D, i thought the subject of "are" is exploits" not the gerund

Why isn't "Exploits" a candidate for the subject for the verb "Are"

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