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

Redeem

Anti-poverty initiatives have

This topic has expert replies
Post new topic Locked
Previous Topic Next Topic
Legendary Member
Posts: 774
Joined: Mon Jan 23, 2012 4:32 am
Thanked: 46 times
Followed by:14 members

Anti-poverty initiatives have

by aditya8062 » Sun Aug 31, 2014 8:57 am
Anti-poverty initiatives have had to contend with two decades of economic shifts that have depressed wages of workers with little or no technical skills.

A) that have depressed wages of workers with little or no technical skills
B) having depressed wages of workers with little or no technical skills
C) that have depressed the wages of workers with few or no technical skills
D) in which the workers' wages with few or no technical skills have been depressed
E) in that workers with few or no technical skills have wages that are depressed

my concern : i had ruled out A on the basis of wrong usage of "little skill"; however, i want to know that is the expression "that have depressed wages of workers" wrong when compared to the expression "that have depressed the wages of workers"?

ALSO in option B is the expression "economic shifts having depressed....." wrong ? i get a feeling that "economic shifts that have depressed..." bears the same meaning as "economic shifts having depressed"
Top
Source: — Sentence Correction |
Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 147
Joined: Mon Jul 21, 2014 3:52 pm
Thanked: 53 times
Followed by:21 members

by David@GMATPrepNow » Sun Aug 31, 2014 10:41 am
Hi aditya8062,

Good for you, eliminating A because of the wrong use of "little skills" - you are correct, because "few" should be used instead of "little" when modifying countable items. The point is that the workers do not have many skills, rather than the skills they have being very small in size. This allows us to eliminate both answer A and B.

To answer your question about A, the phrase "that have depressed wages of workers" is indeed a problem, because it is missing the definite article "the." A better answer is "that have depressed the wages of workers." Remember that a definite article indicates that its noun is a particular one (or ones) identifiable to the listener, in this case the wages of workers with few skills. Answer C is correct.

You are correct that the phrase "economic shifts having depressed" conveys the same meaning as "economic shifts that have depressed," but this answer choice was already eliminated because of the "little skills" problem.

As an aside, we can eliminate answers D and E because those choices incorrectly claim that wages have skills, instead of workers.

I hope this helps.
Top
Legendary Member
Posts: 774
Joined: Mon Jan 23, 2012 4:32 am
Thanked: 46 times
Followed by:14 members

by aditya8062 » Sun Aug 31, 2014 10:55 am
Thanks David for your reply

can u please elaborate on this further : Remember that a definite article indicates that its noun is a particular one (or ones) identifiable to the listener, in this case the wages of workers with few skills.

Also u said : You are correct that the phrase "economic shifts having depressed" conveys the same meaning as "economic shifts that have depressed," but this answer choice was already eliminated because of the "little skills" problem.

does that mean that following modified B will be correct : Anti-poverty initiatives have had to contend with two decades of economic shifts having depressed wages of workers with few or no technical skills .
Top
Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 147
Joined: Mon Jul 21, 2014 3:52 pm
Thanked: 53 times
Followed by:21 members

by David@GMATPrepNow » Sun Aug 31, 2014 11:10 am
Hi again aditya8062,

The definite article for both singular and plural nouns, is "the." We use the definite article to indicate specific nouns (a person, place or thing), rather than general ones. For example:

The cattle know the safest way home to their barn.

The sentence above refers to specific cattle and a safe way home; it contrasts with the much more general observation that:

Cattle know the safest way home to their barn.

The latter example refers to cattle in general and their specific ways home.

No, your revised answer B is not correct. A comma between "shifts" and "having" would help, but the real problem is the second independent clause suggests that the anti-poverty initiatives have depressed the wages of workers.
Top
User avatar
GMAT Instructor
Posts: 15539
Joined: Tue May 25, 2010 12:04 pm
Location: New York, NY
Thanked: 13060 times
Followed by:1906 members
GMAT Score:790

by GMATGuruNY » Mon Sep 01, 2014 6:09 am
aditya8062 wrote: ALSO in option B is the expression "economic shifts having depressed....." wrong ?
NOUN + having + VERBed is ALWAYS WRONG.
Private tutor exclusively for the GMAT and GRE, with over 20 years of experience.
Followed here and elsewhere by over 1900 test-takers.
I have worked with students based in the US, Australia, Taiwan, China, Tajikistan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia -- a long list of countries.
My students have been admitted to HBS, CBS, Tuck, Yale, Stern, Fuqua -- a long list of top programs.

As a tutor, I don't simply teach you how I would approach problems.
I unlock the best way for YOU to solve problems.

For more information, please email me (Mitch Hunt) at [email protected].
Student Review #1
Student Review #2
Student Review #3
Top
Legendary Member
Posts: 774
Joined: Mon Jan 23, 2012 4:32 am
Thanked: 46 times
Followed by:14 members

by aditya8062 » Mon Sep 01, 2014 6:17 am
thanks GURU
NOUN + having + VERBed is ALWAYS WRONG.
this is gem of a statement. Can u please elaborate a bit more on this. some example would be of some great help. also what exactly makes it so wrong?

Thanks
Top
User avatar
GMAT Instructor
Posts: 15539
Joined: Tue May 25, 2010 12:04 pm
Location: New York, NY
Thanked: 13060 times
Followed by:1906 members
GMAT Score:790

by GMATGuruNY » Mon Sep 01, 2014 11:22 am
aditya8062 wrote:thanks GURU
NOUN + having + VERBed is ALWAYS WRONG.
this is gem of a statement. Can u please elaborate a bit more on this. some example would be of some great help. also what exactly makes it so wrong?

Thanks
A having + VERBED modifier cannot serve to modify only a noun.
Like a COMMA + VERBing modifier, a having + VERBed modifier must serve to modify an ENTIRE CLAUSE.
Both types of modifiers serve the same purpose: to express an action directly LINKED to the main verb.
Two key differences:

1:
A COMMA + VERBing modifier serves to express an action happening AT THE SAME TIME as the main verb.
A having + VERBed modifier serves to express an action that happened BEFORE the main verb.

2:
A COMMA + VERBing modifier usually appears AFTER the main verb.
A having + VERBed modifier usually appears BEFORE the main verb.

SC21 in the OG12: Neuroscientists, having amassed a wealth of knowledge, are now drawing solid conclusions.
Here, having amassed serves to express a PAST ACTION that is directly linked to a CURRENT ACTION (now drawing).
The following would also be correct:
Having amassed a wealth of knowledge, neuroscientists are now drawing solid conclusions.

Since a having + VERBed modifier must serve to modify an entire clause, NOUN + having + VERBed is always WRONG.
Last edited by GMATGuruNY on Tue Sep 06, 2016 5:37 am, edited 1 time in total.
Private tutor exclusively for the GMAT and GRE, with over 20 years of experience.
Followed here and elsewhere by over 1900 test-takers.
I have worked with students based in the US, Australia, Taiwan, China, Tajikistan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia -- a long list of countries.
My students have been admitted to HBS, CBS, Tuck, Yale, Stern, Fuqua -- a long list of top programs.

As a tutor, I don't simply teach you how I would approach problems.
I unlock the best way for YOU to solve problems.

For more information, please email me (Mitch Hunt) at [email protected].
Student Review #1
Student Review #2
Student Review #3
Top
Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 193
Joined: Tue May 24, 2011 5:14 am
Thanked: 6 times
Followed by:1 members

by iongmat » Wed Sep 03, 2014 12:17 am
Hello Mitch, the example that you have quoted "Neuroscientists, having amassed ..." itself has noun + having + VERBed structure.

So, is the presence of "comma" (after "Neuroscientists") making the difference here?
Top
User avatar
GMAT Instructor
Posts: 15539
Joined: Tue May 25, 2010 12:04 pm
Location: New York, NY
Thanked: 13060 times
Followed by:1906 members
GMAT Score:790

by GMATGuruNY » Wed Sep 03, 2014 12:38 am
iongmat wrote:Hello Mitch, the example that you have quoted "Neuroscientists, having amassed ..." itself has noun + having + VERBed structure.

So, is the presence of "comma" (after "Neuroscientists") making the difference here?
Correct.
A having + VERBed modifier cannot touch an immediately preceding noun.
Wrong: Neuroscientists having amassed...
Private tutor exclusively for the GMAT and GRE, with over 20 years of experience.
Followed here and elsewhere by over 1900 test-takers.
I have worked with students based in the US, Australia, Taiwan, China, Tajikistan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia -- a long list of countries.
My students have been admitted to HBS, CBS, Tuck, Yale, Stern, Fuqua -- a long list of top programs.

As a tutor, I don't simply teach you how I would approach problems.
I unlock the best way for YOU to solve problems.

For more information, please email me (Mitch Hunt) at [email protected].
Student Review #1
Student Review #2
Student Review #3
Top
Post new topic Locked
• Page 1 of 1