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1000 SC Q27

by roy_priya » Wed Mar 05, 2008 6:32 pm
Please tell me whether my reasoning is wrong.

A report by the American Academy for the Advancement of Science has concluded that much of the currently uncontrolled dioxins to which North Americans are exposed comes from the incineration of wastes.
(A) much of the currently uncontrolled dioxins to which North Americans are exposed comes
(B) much of the currently uncontrolled dioxins that North Americans are exposed to come
(C) much of the dioxins that are currently uncontrolled and that North Americans are exposed to comes
(D) many of the dioxins that are currently uncontrolled and North Americans are exposed to come
(E) many of the currently uncontrolled dioxins to which North Americans are exposed come

My answer is B, because dioxins as per the question are uncountable, so 'much' would be correct rather than 'many' and it also uses the idiom 'exposed to'.

The OA is E.

Thanks
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Re: 1000 SC Q27

by Stuart@KaplanGMAT » Wed Mar 05, 2008 7:54 pm
roy_priya wrote:Please tell me whether my reasoning is wrong.

A report by the American Academy for the Advancement of Science has concluded that much of the currently uncontrolled dioxins to which North Americans are exposed comes from the incineration of wastes.
(A) much of the currently uncontrolled dioxins to which North Americans are exposed comes
(B) much of the currently uncontrolled dioxins that North Americans are exposed to come
(C) much of the dioxins that are currently uncontrolled and that North Americans are exposed to comes
(D) many of the dioxins that are currently uncontrolled and North Americans are exposed to come
(E) many of the currently uncontrolled dioxins to which North Americans are exposed come

My answer is B, because dioxins as per the question are uncountable, so 'much' would be correct rather than 'many' and it also uses the idiom 'exposed to'.

The OA is E.

Thanks
Two notes:

first, dioxins are countable (the fact that it's pluralized means that it's a countable noun). The sentence is referring to different dioxins, not the overall level of dioxin (which would be uncountable).

Second, "to which North Americans are exposed" not only uses the right idiom, it also avoids the issue of dangling participles (although the GMAT doesn't usually test on that issue, it's technically incorrect to end a sentence or clause with a preposition).
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by viidyasagar » Thu Jan 07, 2010 6:59 pm
Second, "to which North Americans are exposed" not only uses the right idiom, it also avoids the issue of dangling participles (although the GMAT doesn't usually test on that issue, it's technically incorrect to end a sentence or clause with a preposition).
I had come to believe that "that" was the most superior pronoun in GMAT...... Can anybody cite the difference between "to which" and "that"....

Is the following incorrect?

many of the currently uncontrolled dioxins that North Americans are exposed to come

If yes, then can we say "to which = that" whenever they are interchangeable?? and hence the above problem is only about much vs. many

Much thanks or Many thanks :-)
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by Stuart@KaplanGMAT » Thu Jan 07, 2010 9:00 pm
viidyasagar wrote:
Second, "to which North Americans are exposed" not only uses the right idiom, it also avoids the issue of dangling participles (although the GMAT doesn't usually test on that issue, it's technically incorrect to end a sentence or clause with a preposition).
I had come to believe that "that" was the most superior pronoun in GMAT...... Can anybody cite the difference between "to which" and "that"....

Is the following incorrect?

many of the currently uncontrolled dioxins that North Americans are exposed to come

If yes, then can we say "to which = that" whenever they are interchangeable?? and hence the above problem is only about much vs. many

Much thanks or Many thanks :-)
"that North Americans are exposed to" is an illustration of the dangling participle issue that I mentioned above; it would be rare to see that phrasing on the GMAT.
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by viidyasagar » Thu Jan 07, 2010 10:45 pm
A report by the American Academy for the Advancement of Science has concluded that many of the currently uncontrolled dioxins that North Americans are exposed to come from the incineration of wastes

"that North Americans are exposed to" is an illustration of the dangling participle issue that I mentioned above; it would be rare to see that phrasing on the GMAT.
Thanks for ur guidance Stuart.... i understand GMAT doesnt test dangling participle...

But i think the above quoted sentence is awkward (multiple "that") hence incorrect.

i don't understand what is dangling here....."that North Americans are exposed to" is an adjectival phrase clearly referring to uncontrolled dioxins and the 1st "that" clearly refers to the preceding phrase and both "thats" appear immediately after the subject...

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Vidyasagar
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by Stuart@KaplanGMAT » Fri Jan 08, 2010 3:02 am
viidyasagar wrote:
A report by the American Academy for the Advancement of Science has concluded that many of the currently uncontrolled dioxins that North Americans are exposed to come from the incineration of wastes

"that North Americans are exposed to" is an illustration of the dangling participle issue that I mentioned above; it would be rare to see that phrasing on the GMAT.
Thanks for ur guidance Stuart.... i understand GMAT doesnt test dangling participle...

But i think the above quoted sentence is awkward (multiple "that") hence incorrect.

i don't understand what is dangling here....."that North Americans are exposed to" is an adjectival phrase clearly referring to uncontrolled dioxins and the 1st "that" clearly refers to the preceding phrase and both "thats" appear immediately after the subject...

Tx
Vidyasagar
Hi.. it's the "to" that's dangling.

It's considered incorrect to end a sentence with a preposition.

For example, we shouldn't say:

"I just visited the school that I went to."

Instead, we should say:

"I just visited the school to which I went."

Just as it's improper to end a full sentence with a preposition, it's improper to end a phrase with a preposition.

So, "that North Americans are exposed to" should be "to which North Americans are exposed".
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by viidyasagar » Fri Jan 08, 2010 5:20 am
Stuart u are God..thanks
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by girish3131 » Thu Mar 18, 2010 2:23 am
Many Many thanks to Stuart......!
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by AsadAbu » Thu Sep 08, 2016 12:02 pm

A report by the American Academy for the Advancement of Science has concluded that much of the currently uncontrolled dioxins to which North Americans are exposed comes from the incineration of wastes.
(A) much of the currently uncontrolled dioxins to which North Americans are exposed comes
(B) much of the currently uncontrolled dioxins that North Americans are exposed to come
(C) much of the dioxins that are currently uncontrolled and that North Americans are exposed to comes
(D) many of the dioxins that are currently uncontrolled and North Americans are exposed to come
(E) many of the currently uncontrolled dioxins to which North Americans are exposed come
in E, ''to which North Americans are exposed'' is a modifier. But my question is WHY we don't use comma before and after of ''to which North Americans are exposed''?

also, in C, HOW "that are currently uncontrolled" and "that North Americans" are parallel to each other?
and in D, WHY not "that are currently uncontrolled" and "North Americans " parallel to each other?

also, it it possible to count 'Dioxin'?
Thanks...
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