the failing of the book

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sq720: Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts; Posts: 59; Joined: Wed Apr 29, 2009 6:05 pm

by sq720 » Thu Apr 30, 2009 11:47 am

14. The failing of the book lies not in a lack of attention to scientific detail but in the depiction of scenes of life and death in the marine world with emotional overtones that reduce the credibility of the work.
(A) depiction of scenes of life and death in the marine world with emotional overtones that
(B) fact that it depicts marine world scenes of life and death as having emotional overtones that
(C) depiction of scenes of life and death in the marine world, whose emotional overtones
(D) depiction of marine world scenes of life and death, which have emotional overtones and thus
(E) fact that it depicts scenes of life and death in the marine world, whose emotional overtones

A

Source: Beat The GMAT — Sentence Correction | Thu Apr 30, 2009 11:47 am

asdf29: Junior | Next Rank: 30 Posts; Posts: 19; Joined: Tue Mar 10, 2009 10:25 am; GMAT Score:750

by asdf29 » Thu Apr 30, 2009 1:12 pm

Adding "the fact that" is unjustified and wordy, hence (B) and (E) can be eliminated. In (C) and (E), 'whose' does not agree with 'depiction'. (D) makes the singular noun 'depiction' the subject of the phrase which does not match the plural verb 'reduce'.

That only leaves (A).

abhinav85: Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts; Posts: 179; Joined: Mon Dec 29, 2008 4:41 am; Thanked: 2 times

by abhinav85 » Fri May 01, 2009 11:25 am

Hey asdf29

If you are saying that (D) makes the singular noun 'depiction' the subject of the phrase which does not match the plural verb 'reduce'.

Option A has the same thing.

I think the difference between option A and D is the redundancy in the phrase "depiction of scenes of life and D€@th in the marine world "(A)

and
"depiction of marine world scenes of life and D€@th" (D).

Thats why A is the right answer and not D.

asdf29: Junior | Next Rank: 30 Posts; Posts: 19; Joined: Tue Mar 10, 2009 10:25 am; GMAT Score:750

by asdf29 » Fri May 01, 2009 11:32 am

In (A) "reduce" refers to "emotional overtones" which is plural.

ashish2104: Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts; Posts: 191; Joined: Sat Jun 26, 2010 9:27 amFollowed by: 2 members; Thanked: 6 times

by ashish2104 » Mon Aug 16, 2010 5:57 am

This may sound like a silly question, but I am not sure why whose cannot stand for depiction of scenes.

I was caught between A and C and selected C as I felt usage of whose was correct.

beatthegmatinsept: Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts; Posts: 422; Joined: Mon Aug 09, 2010 11:47 amFollowed by: 1 member; Thanked: 22 times; GMAT Score:680

by beatthegmatinsept » Mon Aug 16, 2010 6:02 am

ashish2104 wrote:This may sound like a silly question, but I am not sure why whose cannot stand for depiction of scenes.

I was caught between A and C and selected C as I felt usage of whose was correct.

whose is used for people, so incorrect usage here.

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ashish2104: Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts; Posts: 191; Joined: Sat Jun 26, 2010 9:27 amFollowed by: 2 members; Thanked: 6 times

by ashish2104 » Mon Aug 16, 2010 6:05 am

Isnt whose used to refer to nouns, either people or things. Who and whom can refer to only people in subject and object position. This is as per MGMAT SC guide.

Correct me, if I am wrong.

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e-GMAT: GMAT Instructor; Posts: 645; Joined: Mon Jul 26, 2010 12:42 pmFollowed by: 227 members; Location: US; Thanked: 527 times

by e-GMAT » Mon Aug 16, 2010 6:24 am

The failing of the book lies not in a lack of attention to scientific detail but in the depiction of scenes of life and death in the marine world with emotional overtones that reduce the credibility of the work.

In the original sentence, the modifier "with emotional overtones" modifies the depiction of scenes. Please note that "of life and death in the marine world" describes the scenes.

(C) depiction of scenes of life and death in the marine world, whose emotional overtones

Now in choice C - the modifier "whose emotional overtone" modifies the closest noun and hence changes the intended meaning of the sentence.

Thus, A is the correct answer.

I hope this helps. Please let me know if you have further questions about this.

Regards,

Payal Tandon

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paes: Legendary Member; Posts: 995; Joined: Tue Apr 13, 2010 11:56 pmFollowed by: 1 member; Thanked: 31 times

by paes » Mon Aug 16, 2010 10:46 pm

nice explanation by Payal
thnaks

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