Mo2men wrote:Hi GMATGuru,
I have question, should not choice D has 'comma' before 'using...'. My reasoning could be illustrated by following examples.
I killed the thief, using a gun. Meaning: I killed him by my gun.
I killed the thief using a gun. Meaning: i killed the thief WHO use a gun.
Similarly like in my 2 examples, I understood that 'call... them using .....' as same way. implied meaning for me: males call female to them (males) that use acoustical signals. I believe it wrong as we need to know HOW males attract females. I'm confused about 'using' in choice D.
In Verbal Review Q8, I provide another SC with OA
As the cost of wireless service has steadily dropped over the last year and as mobile phones have become increasingly common, many people are finding that they can avoid toll charges on their home phones by using their mobile phones to make long-distance calls at night or on weekends, whenmany wireless companies provide unlimited airtime for a small monthly fee.
Choice D: phones using mobile phones for making long-distance calls during the night or weekends, when
Choice D is wrong because 'phone using mobile' is nonsensical meaning that implies that phones are human and use phones.
Another OG example while it was non underline part:
There are several ways to build solid walls using just mud or clay, but the most extensively used method has been the to form the mud or clay into bricks, and, after some preliminary air drying or sun drying, to lay them in the wall in mud mortar.
Here, the sentence say "walls using mud or clay' while it could gave the nonsensical meaning . I can interpret it is 'walls that use mud'the same 'phone using mobile'.
It seems there is inconsistency when dealing with 'using' and 'by using'
What is the difference among the whole cases?
Thanks in advance
The structure in the OA is as follows:
CLAUSE + NO COMMA +
using.
In this structure,
using may serve to refer to the preceding SUBJECT if the intended meaning is crystal clear.
Rule:
A VERBing modifier cannot serve to modify a third-person pronoun serving as the object of preposition (
to him, for her, from them, by it, etc.) .
OA:
Male whistling moths call female moths to them using acoustical signals.
Here -- in accordance with the rule above --
using cannot serve to modify
to them.
For this reason, it is crystal clear that
using serves to refer not to
them but to
male whistling moths (the preceding subject).
Conveyed meaning:
MALE WHISTLING MOTHS are USING acoustical signals.
SC11 in the OG12:
There are several ways to build solid walls using just mud or clay.
Here, the walls are to be BUILT and thus do not yet exist.
For this reason, no reader will construe that WALLS are
using just mud or clay.
From context, it is crystal clear that
using serves to refer not to
walls but to the implied agent of
to build.
Conveyed meaning:
Whoever intends TO BUILD solid walls will be USING just mud or clay.
SC8 in the OA for Verbal, answer choice D:
Many people are finding that they can avoid toll charges on their home phones using their mobile phones.
Here, a reader might construe that
using serves to refer to
home phones, conveying that HOME PHONES are USING mobile phones to achieve a particular result.
Since the intended meaning is NOT crystal clear, the structure here Is not viable.
Eliminate D.
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