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Hawaiian

by Mission2012 » Mon Oct 07, 2013 2:15 am
Consuming more Spam per capita than any U.S. state, Hawaiians refer to the ubiquitous product as "the Hawaiian steak."

a>Consuming more Spam per capita than any U.S. state, Hawaiians refer
b>Because they consume more Spam per capita than any U.S. state, Hawaiians refer
c>Hawaiians consume more Spam per capita than do residents of any U.S. state; they refer
d>In Hawaii, which consumes more Spam per capita than any U.S. state, they refer
e>Hawaiians, who consume more Spam per capita than do the residents of any other U.S. state, refer

Why C is incorrect?
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by theCodeToGMAT » Mon Oct 07, 2013 2:31 am
We need "other" with US ... Only {E} gives that.

{A} - INCORRECT; We need "other" with US
{B} - INCORRECT; Incorrect meaning; We need "other" with US
{C} - INCORRECT; "they" is ambiguous; We need "other" with US
{D} - INCORRECT; We need "other" with US; Meaning issue; which issue
{E} - CORRECT
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by vinay1983 » Mon Oct 07, 2013 2:46 am
Compare residents of Hawaii to residents of other U.S states.

B - wrong usage of Because-no cause - effect relation here
C-"they" can refer to "residents" or "Hawaiians".Also we don't need independent clause here.It is dependent or rather contionuos phrase here
D-classic error, Hawaii does not consume spam here
E-Correct
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by rakeshd347 » Mon Oct 07, 2013 3:47 am
Mission2012 wrote:Consuming more Spam per capita than any U.S. state, Hawaiians refer to the ubiquitous product as "the Hawaiian steak."

a>Consuming more Spam per capita than any U.S. state, Hawaiians refer
b>Because they consume more Spam per capita than any U.S. state, Hawaiians refer
c>Hawaiians consume more Spam per capita than do residents of any U.S. state; they refer
d>In Hawaii, which consumes more Spam per capita than any U.S. state, they refer
e>Hawaiians, who consume more Spam per capita than do the residents of any other U.S. state, refer

Why C is incorrect?
There are two issues with C. One is "they" is ambiguous and doesn't have a clear antecedent.
Another and major issue is this. "any US state"...I mean Hawaiians is also US state so how can it be compared to itself.
Example:
Usain bolt runs faster than any olympian.....here the meaning of the sentence is usain bolt runs faster than any ( including himself). How can he run faster than himself.
Usain bolt runs faster than any other olypian....here the meaning is clear and sentence is correct. Here usage of other emphasise that he runs faster than all other Olympians excluding himself.

I hope its clear.
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by ceilidh.erickson » Mon Oct 07, 2013 6:59 am
I have to disagree with the other posters. "They" is not really ambiguous in C. Pronoun ambiguity in a dangerous topic on the GMAT, because sometimes the GMAT tests it, but more often than not they allow seemingly ambiguous pronouns.

TRUE pronoun ambiguity occurs only when two nouns have equal pull on the pronoun (almost always the subject and the closest object), and they both make sense:
The dog is biting the cat, so I'll take it to the other room.
Here, it would make equal sense to take the dog or the cat to the other room.

On the GMAT, most of the time that we think we have pronoun ambiguity, it's allowable if the meaning is clear enough. In C, the structure of the sentence is:
Hawaiians do something; they refer to something...

In the context of this sentence, the GMAT would probably consider it clear enough that Hawaiians are the subject of both clauses. Structurally and logically, that's the only antecedent that would make sense.

The only real problem with C is that without including the word "other," it's comparing Hawaii to any US state, and thereby implying that Hawaii is NOT a US state. However - this would require you to know that Hawaii is a US state. The GMAT would never require such knowledge; that would be unfair.

This is a BAD QUESTION, and I'd recommend that you not study from any source that writes questions like this.
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by ceilidh.erickson » Mon Oct 07, 2013 7:02 am
For more on pronoun ambiguity:
https://www.beatthegmat.com/parallel-and ... tml#581362
https://www.beatthegmat.com/declaration- ... tml#539397
https://www.beatthegmat.com/bear-markets ... tml#549435
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by theCodeToGMAT » Mon Oct 07, 2013 7:07 am
Ceilidh, is there any good rule using which we can judge the Pronoun Ambiguity.
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by ceilidh.erickson » Mon Oct 07, 2013 7:17 am
theCodeToGMAT wrote:Ceilidh, is there any good rule using which we can judge the Pronoun Ambiguity.
My rule is this: if you notice what you think is pronoun ambiguity, ignore it at first. Look for any other grammar issues in the sentence, and use those to narrow the answer choices down. If you've done that, and you find yourself stuck with two answer choices that are otherwise identical/correct except for the pronoun issue, then and only then can you eliminate the ambiguous one.

Other than that, I'm afraid I can't give you a rule. The GMAT is inconsistent on this issue.

#68 in V2 tests the ambiguity: "... the new telecommunications company has not only captured customers from other phone companies but also forced them to offer competitive prices" - considered INCORRECT

#21 in V2 allows the ambiguity: "While depressed property values can hurt some large investors, they are potentially devastating for homeowners..." - considered CORRECT

The test writers might argue that the meaning in the first case is unclear, while in the second it is clear. I think that's arguable. All we can do is be aware of the rule, but know that for the most part, it isn't tested.
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by theCodeToGMAT » Mon Oct 07, 2013 7:23 am
ceilidh.erickson wrote:
theCodeToGMAT wrote:Ceilidh, is there any good rule using which we can judge the Pronoun Ambiguity.
My rule is this: if you notice what you think is pronoun ambiguity, ignore it at first. Look for any other grammar issues in the sentence, and use those to narrow the answer choices down. If you've done that, and you find yourself stuck with two answer choices that are otherwise identical/correct except for the pronoun issue, then and only then can you eliminate the ambiguous one.

Other than that, I'm afraid I can't give you a rule. The GMAT is inconsistent on this issue.

#68 in V2 tests the ambiguity: "... the new telecommunications company has not only captured customers from other phone companies but also forced them to offer competitive prices" - considered INCORRECT

#21 in V2 allows the ambiguity: "While depressed property values can hurt some large investors, they are potentially devastating for homeowners..." - considered CORRECT

The test writers might argue that the meaning in the first case is unclear, while in the second it is clear. I think that's arguable. All we can do is be aware of the rule, but know that for the most part, it isn't tested.
Thanks Ceilidh.... I agree with you..Indeed both sentences are pretty much arguable.

I will make sure to keep Pronoun Ambiguity check at the last, if needed :)
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