Komal..
OMG ,,u still remember that???
So what abt the answer??
"Due to" or " because"
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gmatmachoman wrote:Komal..
OMG ,,u still remember that???
So what abt the answer??
I see u have made a few valid points while solving this question. Too bad i missed them.
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See how easy it is to format things properly so they're easy to read (although the formatting on E got a bit messed up when I added the omitted part of the answer).mgmt_gmat wrote:In California, a lack of genetic variation in the Argentine ant has allowed the species
to spread widely; due to their being so genetically similar to one another, the ants
consider all their fellows to be a close relative and thus do not engage in the kind of
fierce intercolony struggles that limits the spread of this species in its native
Argentina.
A. due to their being so genetically similar to one another, the ants consider
all their fellows to be a close relative and thus do not engage in the kind
of fierce intercolony struggles that limits
B. Due to its being so genetically similar the ant considers all its fellows to be
a close relative and thus does not engage in the kind of fierce intercolony
struggles that limit
C. Because it is so genetically similar, the ant considers all its fellows to be
close relatives and thus does not engage in the kind of fierce intercolony
struggles that limits
D. Because they are so genetically similar to one another, the ants consider
all their fellows to be close relatives and thus do not engage in the kind
of fierce intercolony struggles that limit
E. Because of being so genetically similar to one another, the ants consider all their fellows to be close relatives and thus do not engage in the kind of fierce intercolony struggles that limit
Let's discuss the two major issues here:
(1) it vs their
"it" cannot be genetically similar to itself; eliminate B and C.
As an aside, the semicolon divides the sentence, so "their" properly refers to "the ants" after the comma.
(2) limit vs limits
Every choice as "struggles" as the subject, so "limit" (i.e. the plural form of the verb) is required; eliminate A (and C if you haven't already eliminated it).
We still have D and E remaining; assuming that the end of E is as I've posted (since the OP didn't bother posting the entire thing) and doesn't have subject-verb agreement issues, "because of being" is passive, so we choose D over E. Remember: "being" is very rarely part of the correct answer on the GMAT, so if in doubt, eliminate choices that include it.
* * *
Regarding "due to" vs "because", it's very rare for a question to come down to a decision between the two constructions (on this particular question, for example, we can totally ignore that issue and come to the right answer).
Basically, "because" modifies verbs and verb phrases and "due to" modifies nouns and noun phrases.
So, "the ants consider X because they are Y" is correct.

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ha ha!! i know gmatmachoman dost, you are a veteran. I have learnt many things from your posts. I was talking about the "new" destroyers who have increased their post-count during the running month.gmatmachoman wrote:Harsh..I am not new GMAT destroyer BTW dude,harshavardhanc wrote:echo your comments!!okigbo wrote:How can you guys even dissect the problem w/out the underlying???
Soo annoying! It literally takes 5 secs to underline...
the "giant GMAT giveaway" surely has increased the quantity of posts, but has degraded the quality of them.
Moreover, mods/instructors have repeatedly asked to cite the source, but the new "GMAT destroyers" don't even care about it.
I am a loyal/legible/strict follower of BTG rules..
hahaha!!
BTW plz share ur view on the above SC query..its interesting when many people have given a wrong shot!!
Anyway, as far as the answer is concerned : IMO D
A & B : eliminated due to incorrect use of due to
here if it refers to the ant, then a to+ a noun should follow similar .C. Because it is so genetically similar, the ant considers all its fellows to be
Because of being is E is yukkk!!!
Regards,
Harsha
Harsha
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Stuart,
so what about the " this & its (Singular) " in the second clause??
Plz do give a reason why C is wrong here??
so what about the " this & its (Singular) " in the second clause??
Plz do give a reason why C is wrong here??
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Well first and foremost- Gmatmachoman, you are our loyal customer. so dont worry. together we will bash any1 who points fingers at u LOL!!! moreover there was no finger pointed at you, so dont worry. I am just a pm away, let me know and i will bring my arsenals to the fore 
Now mgmat_gmat, now need to do 2 things:align the question properly and underline the sentence. This makes it very easy to the users to answer your question with precision.
One more thing: 'Due to' is interchangeable with 'caused by'. So when ever you see 'Due to' replace it with caused by. if that makes sense, then the use of 'due to' is correct.
The structure of the sentence is this: Independent clause [semi colon] dependent clause tat modies another Independent clause. So the structure is grammatically correct. Nothing wrong with it.
the second independent clause is "the ants consider all their fellows to be a close relative and thus do not engage in the kind of fierce intercolony struggles that limits" Now what is the dependent clause trying to do? It is trying to provide a reason for this action. Therefore we need a 'because' and not 'Due to'. When in doubt replace 'due to' with 'caused by' and you will know which option to keep.
Here we can directly eliminate A and B.
A. due to their being so genetically similar to one another, the ants consider
all their fellows to be a close relative and thus do not engage in the kind
of fierce intercolony struggles that limits [Eliminated!]
B. Due to its being so genetically similar the ant considers all its fellows to be
a close relative and thus does not engage in the kind of fierce intercolony
struggles that limit [Eliminated!]
C. Because it is so genetically similar, the ant considers all its fellows to be
close relatives and thus does not engage in the kind of fierce intercolony
struggles that limits [now 'that' is a demonstrative pronoun. It points to the word it is modifying. here 'That' refers to struggles. what is the verb? limits. what is the subject of the verb? ask the question who/ what to the verb. what limits the spread of the species? answer is struggles. Struggles is a plural subject. Limits is singular. Hence subject verb agreement error. Eliminated!]
D. Because they are so genetically similar to one another, the ants consider
all their fellows to be close relatives and thus do not engage in the kind
of fierce intercolony struggles that limit [sentence is clear of any errors. subject verb agree. 'they' properly refers to the plural- the ants. Correct!]
E. Because of being so genetically similar to one another, the ants consider all their fellows to be close relatives and thus do not engage in the kind of fierce intercolony struggles that limit ['being' as a verb is not correct. 'being' if represented as a participle does not require quick elimination but as a verb 'being' is wrong. Eliminated!]
Hope this helps!
Now mgmat_gmat, now need to do 2 things:align the question properly and underline the sentence. This makes it very easy to the users to answer your question with precision.
One more thing: 'Due to' is interchangeable with 'caused by'. So when ever you see 'Due to' replace it with caused by. if that makes sense, then the use of 'due to' is correct.
The structure of the sentence is this: Independent clause [semi colon] dependent clause tat modies another Independent clause. So the structure is grammatically correct. Nothing wrong with it.
the second independent clause is "the ants consider all their fellows to be a close relative and thus do not engage in the kind of fierce intercolony struggles that limits" Now what is the dependent clause trying to do? It is trying to provide a reason for this action. Therefore we need a 'because' and not 'Due to'. When in doubt replace 'due to' with 'caused by' and you will know which option to keep.
Here we can directly eliminate A and B.
A. due to their being so genetically similar to one another, the ants consider
all their fellows to be a close relative and thus do not engage in the kind
of fierce intercolony struggles that limits [Eliminated!]
B. Due to its being so genetically similar the ant considers all its fellows to be
a close relative and thus does not engage in the kind of fierce intercolony
struggles that limit [Eliminated!]
C. Because it is so genetically similar, the ant considers all its fellows to be
close relatives and thus does not engage in the kind of fierce intercolony
struggles that limits [now 'that' is a demonstrative pronoun. It points to the word it is modifying. here 'That' refers to struggles. what is the verb? limits. what is the subject of the verb? ask the question who/ what to the verb. what limits the spread of the species? answer is struggles. Struggles is a plural subject. Limits is singular. Hence subject verb agreement error. Eliminated!]
D. Because they are so genetically similar to one another, the ants consider
all their fellows to be close relatives and thus do not engage in the kind
of fierce intercolony struggles that limit [sentence is clear of any errors. subject verb agree. 'they' properly refers to the plural- the ants. Correct!]
E. Because of being so genetically similar to one another, the ants consider all their fellows to be close relatives and thus do not engage in the kind of fierce intercolony struggles that limit ['being' as a verb is not correct. 'being' if represented as a participle does not require quick elimination but as a verb 'being' is wrong. Eliminated!]
Hope this helps!
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Stuart Kovinsky wrote:See how easy it is to format things properly so they're easy to read (although the formatting on E got a bit messed up when I added the omitted part of the answer).mgmt_gmat wrote:In California, a lack of genetic variation in the Argentine ant has allowed the species
to spread widely; due to their being so genetically similar to one another, the ants
consider all their fellows to be a close relative and thus do not engage in the kind of
fierce intercolony struggles that limits the spread of this species in its native
Argentina.
A. due to their being so genetically similar to one another, the ants consider
all their fellows to be a close relative and thus do not engage in the kind
of fierce intercolony struggles that limits
B. Due to its being so genetically similar the ant considers all its fellows to be
a close relative and thus does not engage in the kind of fierce intercolony
struggles that limit
C. Because it is so genetically similar, the ant considers all its fellows to be
close relatives and thus does not engage in the kind of fierce intercolony
struggles that limits
D. Because they are so genetically similar to one another, the ants consider
all their fellows to be close relatives and thus do not engage in the kind
of fierce intercolony struggles that limit
E. Because of being so genetically similar to one another, the ants consider all their fellows to be close relatives and thus do not engage in the kind of fierce intercolony struggles that limit
@Fibo
In the Second clause (look at the bolded portion ) "this & its" are singular right??
SO they have to refer a singular subject !!
In D..the subject (the ants) is plural, where a C gives a singular subject..
Fibo.. i am in deep confusion..where I am missing??
.
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From my original post:gmatmachoman wrote:Stuart,
so what about the " this & its (Singular) " in the second clause??
Plz do give a reason why C is wrong here??
There's one reason to eliminate C!(1) it vs their
"it" cannot be genetically similar to itself; eliminate B and C.
As an aside, the semicolon divides the sentence, so "their" properly refers to "the ants" after the comma.
And hey, just in case 1 reason wasn't good enough, there's another reason to eliminate C!(2) limit vs limits
Every choice has "struggles" as the subject, so "limit" (i.e. the plural form of the verb) is required; eliminate A (and C if you haven't already eliminated it).
How many reasons do you need?
Regarding "in its native Argentina", "its" refers to "this species" which is singular, so no issues there. "This species" refers back to the "the species" at the beginning of the sentence - all good!

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Stuart,
U mean to say "the ant" is not the subject & "struggles" is the subject in the second clause???
U mean to say "the ant" is not the subject & "struggles" is the subject in the second clause???
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Guys... Seems I have created a BIG MESS out of this SC Post...
I pestered Komal, Stuart, Fibo, Vidyasagar, Harsh.champ so many times for answering this one.. OMG.. What's happenening to me??? Why I have become so adamant to accept the correct answer??
Sometimes EGO hurts us....!! Now it is!!
Komal.... U r correct.. !!!
Thanks Komal/Fibo/Stuart/Harsh.champ!!
Very silly of me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I pestered Komal, Stuart, Fibo, Vidyasagar, Harsh.champ so many times for answering this one.. OMG.. What's happenening to me??? Why I have become so adamant to accept the correct answer??
Sometimes EGO hurts us....!! Now it is!!
Komal.... U r correct.. !!!
Thanks Komal/Fibo/Stuart/Harsh.champ!!
Very silly of me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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i see no mess!!!! u wanna see mess??? check this..... https://www.beatthegmat.com/gmat-cr-assu ... 10319.htmlGuys... Seems I have created a BIG MESS out of this SC Post...
Ur questions were, IMHO, pertinent and atleast taught me to accept that SC is the toughest family to crack at the GMAT.
Specially when the suspect portion is at the centre....look for subject-verb agreements before and after the suspect portion, look for pronoun errors before and after....
Specially in long SCs, I tend to overlook the "after" part and have erred a couple of million times.....very good SC and love such questions.
Only if mgmt_gmat could follow posting rules, this would have been the perfect SC debate....actually, the ugly posting has made the question tougher
well done gmatmachoman
the "giant GMAT giveaway" surely has increased the quantity of posts, but has degraded the quality of them
really sorry!!! if that is the common sentiment. However, a handful of newbies cannot represent millions of others who have benefited considerably from so many new Qs and healthy discussions. If anything the giant GMAT giveaway has thrown more Qs than i can take & quick responses have expedited my preparation considerably. Few terrible posts is a small price to pay!!! newbies will learn soon, so i hope!!! sweeping generalization is a bit too harsh!!!
Lol ^ infinityan achievement !!!! Stuart & I posted at the same time!!!! hurray
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"struggles" is the subject as it relates to the verb "limit"; the ants are the main subject of the entire second half.gmatmachoman wrote:Stuart,
U mean to say "the ant" is not the subject & "struggles" is the subject in the second clause???
It's the struggles that (potentially) limit the spread of the species.

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That phrase is only acceptable because it appears in every answer choice; idiomatically, it should be:okigbo wrote:Can someone explain to me why the phrase "consider x to be y" is acceptable here...
"the ants consider all its fellows close relatives".

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