BREAKING: Target Test Prep releases Brand New 2026 On Demand GMAT prep course

Redeem
TTP OnDemand GMAT Video Course
Featured Course

Target Test Prep GMAT OnDemand

Scott Woodbury-Stewart’s private virtual classroom — 400 hours of master-class video lessons for the GMAT Focus Edition.

  • 715+ score guarantee — highest in the industry (99th percentile)
  • 52 chapters · 1,500+ lessons · 4,000+ practice questions
  • 400 hours of video · 1,500+ instructor-led HD smartboard lessons
  • 300,000+ students accepted to Harvard, Stanford, Wharton, Booth & Sloan & more
  • 24/7 live support + weekly Zoom office hours with GMAT instructors
  • TTP AI Assist — 24/7 AI-powered virtual tutor for instant help
  • 1,200+ flashcards + AI-powered study assistant & daily calendar
  • OnDemand, LiveTeach & GMAT Bootcamp formats available
  • Also: GRE, SAT Math & Executive Assessment courses
  • MBA Admissions Consulting now available
  • 🏆 2025 EdTech Breakthrough Award: Test Prep Solution Provider of the Year
  • 200,000+ students served
  • 5-day free trial — $0 to start, no auto-billing, cancel anytime
★★★★★ 5.0 (559 reviews)
130-pt guarantee
$0 to start then $127/mo
Start Free 5-Day Trial Read 559 Reviews →

Continents to split apart

Expert replies
Post new topic Locked
Previous Topic Next Topic
Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 416
Joined: Wed Oct 03, 2007 9:08 amFollowed by: 1 member
Thanked: 10 times
by gmatrant » Fri Jul 02, 2010 11:11 pm
New theories propose that catastrophic impacts of asteroids and comets may have caused reversals in the Earth's magnetic field, the onset of ice ages, splitting apart continents 80 million years ago, and great volcanic eruptions.
(A) splitting apart continents
(B) the splitting apart of continents
(C) split apart continents
(D) continents split apart
(E) continents that were split apart

The answer is A. I agree. I just wanted to confirm the below.
If D read "continents to split apart", is this right grammatically?
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
Source: — Sentence Correction |
User avatar
Legendary Member
Posts: 1309
Joined: Wed Mar 17, 2010 11:41 pmFollowed by: 5 members
Thanked: 33 times

by pradeepkaushal9518 » Fri Jul 02, 2010 11:16 pm
option d says continents split apart which is correct but as u say continents to split apart is not there in the options
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
User avatar
Legendary Member
Posts: 1893
Joined: Sun May 30, 2010 11:48 pmFollowed by: 7 members
Thanked: 215 times

by kvcpk » Fri Jul 02, 2010 11:35 pm
What is wrong with option B here? It looks parallel to me..

New theories propose that catastrophic impacts of asteroids and comets may have caused reversals in the Earth's magnetic field, the onset of ice ages, the splitting apart of continents 80 million years ago, and great volcanic eruptions.
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 416
Joined: Wed Oct 03, 2007 9:08 amFollowed by: 1 member
Thanked: 10 times

by gmatrant » Fri Jul 02, 2010 11:39 pm
Apologies OA is B not A. (that was a typo).

Please answer my question. I agree with the OA, but want to clarify a concept.
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 119
Joined: Mon Jun 28, 2010 9:42 pmFollowed by: 1 member
Location: Pune
Thanked: 1 times
GMAT Score:660

by 786 » Sat Jul 03, 2010 1:07 am
How do you choose between A and B ?

the sentence does say the onset ...... but it doesnt say the reversals or the great volcanic eruptions .
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
User avatar
Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 278
Joined: Sun Jul 26, 2009 1:17 pm
Location: Bangalore,India
Thanked: 17 times

by loveusonu » Sat Jul 03, 2010 1:27 am
786 wrote:How do you choose between A and B ?

the sentence does say the onset ...... but it doesnt say the reversals or the great volcanic eruptions .
Its a parallelism in Noun form.

Splitting is a verb but according to grammer rules, adding THE to the progressive verb makes it noun or gerund to be precise.

The onset, reversal, eruptions and the splitting all are noun.

hope that helps!
Sonu
--------
When you want something desperately, the whole Universe conspires in helping to give it to you - The Alchemist
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 119
Joined: Mon Jun 28, 2010 9:42 pmFollowed by: 1 member
Location: Pune
Thanked: 1 times
GMAT Score:660

by 786 » Sat Jul 03, 2010 1:49 am
yup :)
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 132
Joined: Sun Aug 15, 2010 10:08 amFollowed by: 1 member
Thanked: 3 times

by clawhammer » Fri Sep 10, 2010 8:38 am
Can anyone tell me why C isn't correct?
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
User avatar
Legendary Member
Posts: 1172
Joined: Wed Apr 28, 2010 6:20 pmFollowed by: 4 members
Thanked: 74 times

by uwhusky » Fri Sep 10, 2010 8:51 am
"split apart continent" is definitely a verb here, not the gerund/noun that is required to maintain parallelism.
Yep.
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 132
Joined: Sun Aug 15, 2010 10:08 amFollowed by: 1 member
Thanked: 3 times

by clawhammer » Fri Sep 10, 2010 9:08 am
uwhusky wrote:"split apart continent" is definitely a verb here, not the gerund/noun that is required to maintain parallelism.
Isn't this correct:

New theories propose that catastrophic impacts of asteroids and comets may have caused split apart continents.

?

- He could see the split apart continents from the outer-space.
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
Legendary Member
Posts: 520
Joined: Mon Jun 14, 2010 10:44 amFollowed by: 6 members
Thanked: 70 times

by niksworth » Fri Sep 10, 2010 10:13 am
uwhusky wrote:"split apart continent" is definitely a verb here, not the gerund/noun that is required to maintain parallelism.
@uwhusky
C - I do not think that split apart in split apart continents is a verb.
This is because then, the sentence would completely break down. Notice the non underlined parts -
- caused reversals in the Earth's magnetic field, the onset of ice ages..., and great volcanic eruptions

The parallel parts here are -
Catastrophic impacts of asteroids and comets may have caused
1. reversals in the Earth's magnetic field (noun phrase)
2. the onset of ice ages (noun phrase)
3. great volcanic eruptions (noun phrase)

Now notice the underlined part in C-
split apart continents - if split is a verb, then we are introducing a verb and an object in between three parallel noun phrases. This cannot be correct.

Actually in option C, split apart is an adjective modifying continents. So split apart continents is a noun phrase.
scio me nihil scire
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
Legendary Member
Posts: 520
Joined: Mon Jun 14, 2010 10:44 amFollowed by: 6 members
Thanked: 70 times

by niksworth » Fri Sep 10, 2010 10:16 am
clawhammer wrote:Can anyone tell me why C isn't correct?
@clawhammer -
As written above, in option C,
split apart continents is a noun phrase with split apart modifying continents. Hence, this is parallel with the other noun phrases. However, the meaning is distorted.

Notice the parallel structure -
Catastrophic impacts of asteroids and comets may have caused -
1) reversals in the Earth's magnetic field
2) the onset of ice ages
3) split apart continents
4) great volcanic eruptions

This would mean that asteroid impacts have caused split apart continents (adjective-noun). Now, clearly, impacts did not cause continents, rather impacts caused the splitting apart of continents.

That is why option C is wrong and B is right.
scio me nihil scire
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
User avatar
Legendary Member
Posts: 1172
Joined: Wed Apr 28, 2010 6:20 pmFollowed by: 4 members
Thanked: 74 times

by uwhusky » Fri Sep 10, 2010 10:30 am
@niksworth

I guess we can agree that C is incorrect for different reasons. IMO, "split apart" to me is an incorrect usage of verb, thus C is wrong.

Edit: I just verified that this is indeed an OG question, which is question #119 (12th edition).

The explanation in the back of the book is also calling C an incorrect usage of verb.

I think if it is used as an adjective, it should be in participle like most verbs that are used as adjectives. Furthermore, GMAT makes it easier by using articles in front of the gerunds to signal that it is a gerund as oppose to a verb or verbal.
Yep.
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
Legendary Member
Posts: 520
Joined: Mon Jun 14, 2010 10:44 amFollowed by: 6 members
Thanked: 70 times

by niksworth » Fri Sep 10, 2010 10:44 am
@uwhusky

Agreed. Since C is incorrect, the same phrase cannot be correct for one reason while incorrect for the other. It must be incorrect for both. Silly me :)
scio me nihil scire
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
User avatar
Legendary Member
Posts: 1172
Joined: Wed Apr 28, 2010 6:20 pmFollowed by: 4 members
Thanked: 74 times

by uwhusky » Fri Sep 10, 2010 10:49 am
Nothing silly, good discussions!
Yep.
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
Post new topic Locked