LAKE BAIKAL!!!

This topic has expert replies
User avatar
Legendary Member
Posts: 1083
Joined: Wed Feb 24, 2010 9:38 pm
Thanked: 127 times
Followed by:14 members

LAKE BAIKAL!!!

by gmat_perfect » Sat Jul 03, 2010 5:14 am
More than 300 rivers drain into Siberia's Lake Baikal, which holds 20 percent of the world's fresh water, more than all the North American Great Lakes combined.

(A) More than 300 rivers drain into Siberia's Lake Baikal, which holds 20 percent of the world's fresh water, more than all the North American Great Lakes combined.

(B) With 20 percent of the world's fresh water, that is more than all the North American Great Lakes combined, Siberia's Lake Baikal has more than 300 rivers that drain into it.

(C) Siberia's Lake Baikal, with more than 300 rivers draining into it, it holds more of the world's fresh water than all that of the North American Great Lakes combined, 20 percent.

(D) While more than 300 rivers drain into it, Siberia's Lake Baikal holds 20 percent of the world's fresh water, which is more than all the North American Great Lakes combined.

(E) More than all the North American Great Lakes combined, Siberia's Lake Baikal, with more than 300 rivers draining into it, holds 20 percent of the world's fresh water.

My analysis:
1. Opening modifier:

The modifier that is a phrase and does not have a subject and a verb in it will modify the immediate following NOUN.
Example:
Going to new market, the shirt cost me $200. INCORRECT.
** it means that shirt is going to new market.
=> Going to new market, I bought a shirt that cost me $200.

E is wrong for this reason. In E. it seems that Baikal itself is "more than all the North American Great Lakes combined".

2. Which refers to the immediate preceding NOUN:

(D) While more than 300 rivers drain into it, Siberia's Lake Baikal holds 20 percent of the world's fresh water, which is more than all the North American Great Lakes combined.

Question:
=> We know in case of "X of Y", which can refer to the whole of "X of Y" or Y. In D, which refers to what?

3. Baikal it holds:

(C) Siberia's Lake Baikal, with more than 300 rivers draining into it, it holds more of the world's fresh water than all that of the North American Great Lakes combined, 20 percent.

Option C is awkward. OK.

4. That:

That is used in the following ways:
1. We don't use any comma before THAT.
2. That refers to the immediate preceding noun.
3. The verb after that follows the noun before that.

(B) With 20 percent of the world's fresh water, that is more than all the North American Great Lakes combined, Siberia's Lake Baikal has more than 300 rivers that drain into it.

B has the following errors:
1. Comma has been used before that.
2. That refers to water.

Experts, please explain the option D.
Source: — Sentence Correction |

Junior | Next Rank: 30 Posts
Posts: 23
Joined: Wed Nov 25, 2009 6:33 am
Thanked: 4 times

by anin » Sat Jul 03, 2010 5:31 am
Good analysis, Gmat_perfect. Thanks and I agree with you.
A seems right.

Legendary Member
Posts: 995
Joined: Tue Apr 13, 2010 11:56 pm
Thanked: 31 times
Followed by:1 members

by paes » Sat Jul 03, 2010 6:33 am
D: While more than 300 rivers drain into it, Siberia's Lake Baikal holds 20 percent of the world's fresh water, which is more than all the North American Great Lakes combined.

D is wrong as :

While is used to show a contrast and a simultaneous event.

No need of while here.
Last edited by paes on Sun Jul 04, 2010 2:02 am, edited 1 time in total.

User avatar
GMAT Instructor
Posts: 1052
Joined: Fri May 21, 2010 1:30 am
Thanked: 335 times
Followed by:98 members

by Patrick_GMATFix » Sat Jul 03, 2010 10:47 pm
gmat_perfect wrote:Experts, please explain the option D.
I'll try to explain D:

D is not the correct answer. Paes has presented the right reasons for this:
* 'While' in the beginning implies a contrast that is non-existent in the intended meaning

* The modifier at the end 'which is more than all lakes' is introduced by a relative pronoun and is therefore a noun modifier (must target a noun or noun phrase). Thus this modifier cannot possibly work as intended (the author intends to say that Baikal holds more than all lakes - to modify an action, we need an adverbial modifier). In D, 'which is more than all lakes' illogically targets either 'the world's fresh water' or '20%'. Either way it cannot target the action 'to hold 20%'

The OA to this question is A. A more detailed breakdown is available at GMATPrep Question 2063

Good Luck,
-Patrick
  • Ask me about tutoring.

Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts
Posts: 31
Joined: Mon Apr 05, 2010 2:30 am
Thanked: 4 times
GMAT Score:740

by gmat_Tutor » Sun Jul 04, 2010 12:20 am
Patrick_GMATFix wrote:
gmat_perfect wrote:Experts, please explain the option D.
I'll try to explain D:

D is not the correct answer. Paes has presented the right reasons for this:
* 'While' in the beginning implies a contrast that is non-existent in the intended meaning

* The modifier at the end 'which is more than all lakes' is introduced by a relative pronoun and is therefore a noun modifier (must target a noun or noun phrase). Thus this modifier cannot possibly work as intended (the author intends to say that Baikal holds more than all lakes - to modify an action, we need an adverbial modifier). In D, 'which is more than all lakes' illogically targets either 'the world's fresh water' or '20%'. Either way it cannot target the action 'to hold 20%'

The OA to this question is A. A more detailed breakdown is available at GMATPrep Question 2063

Good Luck,
-Patrick
Thanks Patrick.

• Page 1 of 1