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Appositive modifier

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Appositive modifier

by halaghe » Sat Nov 20, 2010 11:00 pm
Hi,
Look at this question:

According to surveys by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, about 20 percent of
young adults used cocaine in 1979, doubling those reported in the 1977 survey.
(A) doubling those reported in the 1977 survey
(B) to double the number the 1977 survey reported
(C) twice those the 1977 survey reported
(D) twice as much as those reported in the 1977 survey
(E) twice the number reported in the 1977 survey

The answer is E and I know what errors other options have.

The question is that why E itself is correct. In this forum I read some post that mentioned TWICE as appositive modifier. However in E, twice is modifying "about 20 percent of young adults".
Please help me understand this contradiction.
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by gmat_perfect » Sun Nov 21, 2010 3:36 am
halaghe wrote:Hi,
Look at this question:

According to surveys by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, about 20 percent of
young adults used cocaine in 1979, doubling those reported in the 1977 survey.
(A) doubling those reported in the 1977 survey
(B) to double the number the 1977 survey reported
(C) twice those the 1977 survey reported
(D) twice as much as those reported in the 1977 survey
(E) twice the number reported in the 1977 survey

The answer is E and I know what errors other options have.

The question is that why E itself is correct. In this forum I read some post that mentioned TWICE as appositive modifier. However in E, twice is modifying "about 20 percent of young adults".
Please help me understand this contradiction.
I was trying to answer your question. I did not get the question. Would you refresh your question?

Thanks.
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by tintinusa » Sun Nov 21, 2010 4:48 am
Sorry my post is not of much help but between D & E, Intuitively I got E as D did not sound proper "As those of"...
"If you can't explain something simply, you don't understand it well." - A.E
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by gmat_perfect » Sun Nov 21, 2010 6:25 am
halaghe wrote:Hi,
Look at this question:

According to surveys by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, about 20 percent of young adults used cocaine in 1979, doubling those reported in the 1977 survey.

(A) doubling those reported in the 1977 survey
(B) to double the number the 1977 survey reported
(C) twice those the 1977 survey reported
(D) twice as much as those reported in the 1977 survey
(E) twice the number reported in the 1977 survey

The answer is E and I know what errors other options have.

The question is that why E itself is correct. In this forum I read some post that mentioned TWICE as appositive modifier. However in E, twice is modifying "about 20 percent of young adults".
Please help me understand this contradiction.
Appositive:

Case in apposition means placing near. We can have two types of appositives:

1. COMMA + Abstract NOUN

--> This appositive modifies the entire preceding clause.

Example:
The committee has shown how to use the substance properly, a suggestion that will help the poor.

2. COMMA + CONCRETE NOUN:
--> This modifies the preceding NOUN before comma.

Example:
They have made Shourav Ganguli, the Indian cricket captain, the chair of the committee.

3. COMMA + Adjective:

As we know adjective modifies the NOUN. In this case COMMA + Adjective modifies the NOUN phrase "about 20 percent of young adults".

I can explain why other four options are wrong:

A) doubling those reported in the 1977 survey

==> COMMA + VERBING modifies the entire preceding clause, and Verbing retains the subject of the preceding clause. So, "about 20 percent of young adults" is the subject of "doubling", and it means that "about 20 percent of young adults doubled the number". It changes the intended meaning of the sentence. it is the number of the young adults that doubled the number.

(B) to double the number the 1977 survey reported

=> Survey itself cannot report. The surveyor or the institute that conducts the survey can report on the basis of the data from the survey. So, it changes the meaning of the sentence.

(C) twice those the 1977 survey reported

==> The same logic as it is in B.

(D) twice as much as those reported in the 1977 survey

==> Young adults are COUNTABLE, so the use of "as much as" is wrong.

Answer is E.
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by halaghe » Sun Nov 21, 2010 7:02 am
To Gmat_perfect:

I found your explanation very helpful.
Before your discussion I understood appositive modifier only as the what can modifies just the preceding noun.

Now it is clear for me.

Thank you.
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by gmat_perfect » Sun Nov 21, 2010 9:13 am
halaghe wrote:To Gmat_perfect:

I found your explanation very helpful.
Before your discussion I understood appositive modifier only as the what can modifies just the preceding noun.

Now it is clear for me.

Thank you.
Glad it helped.
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by Jim@Grockit » Sun Nov 21, 2010 10:26 pm
Note that in informal English, apposition of the form COMMA + CONCRETE NOUN may not always modify the noun before the comma. Consider I can see a girl playing across the street, a little redhead about five years old. On the GMAT and in your own writing, put the appositive right after the noun.
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