Sentence Correction

I really enjoy this kind of questions... here we go....

Initiated five centuries after Europeans arrived in the New World on Columbus Day 1992. Project SETI pledged a $100 million investment in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence.

(A) Initiated five centuries after Europeans arrived in the New World on Columbus Day 1992, Project SETI pledged a $100 million investment in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence.
(B) Initiated on Columbus Day 1992, five centuries after Europeans arrived in the New World, a $100 million investment in the search for -extraterrestrial intelligence was pledged by Project SETI.
(C) Initiated on Columbus Day 1992, five centuries after Europeans arrived in the New World, Project SETI pledged a $100 million investment in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence.
(D) Pledging a $100 million investment in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence, the . initiation of Project SETI five centuries after Europeans arrived in the New World on Columbus Day 1992.
(E) Pledging a $100 million investment in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence five centuries after Europeans arrived in the New World, on Columbus Day 1992, the initiation of Project SETI took place.

OA C

missionGMAT007 wrote:I really enjoy this kind of questions... here we go....

Initiated five centuries after Europeans arrived in the New World on Columbus Day 1992. Project SETI pledged a $100 million investment in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence.

(A) Initiated five centuries after Europeans arrived in the New World on Columbus Day 1992, Project SETI pledged a $100 million investment in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence.
(B) Initiated on Columbus Day 1992, five centuries after Europeans arrived in the New World, a $100 million investment in the search for -extraterrestrial intelligence was pledged by Project SETI.
(C) Initiated on Columbus Day 1992, five centuries after Europeans arrived in the New World, Project SETI pledged a $100 million investment in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence.
(D) Pledging a $100 million investment in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence, the initiation of Project SETI five centuries after Europeans arrived in the New World on Columbus Day 1992.
(E) Pledging a $100 million investment in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence five centuries after Europeans arrived in the New World, on Columbus Day 1992, the initiation of Project SETI took place.

OA C

The splits:

VERBING+ COMMA + NOUN
--> Verbing modifies the NOUN after comma.

On the basis of this rule, options D and E can be eliminated.

Verb-ed + COMMA + NOUN

Verb-ed modifies the NOUN after COMMA.

--> This rule eliminates B.

We are between A and C.

A=>Europeans arrived in the New World on Columbus Day 1992--This portion changes the meaning of the sentence.

Actually "Columbus Day 1992" was five centuries after the Europeans arrived in the New World. The Europeans did not arrive on Columbus Day.

So, the option A is out.

Answer is C.

Hi,

I underlined every prepositional phrase below.

(E) Pledging a $100 million investment in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence five centuries after Europeans arrived in the New World, on Columbus Day 1992, the initiation of Project SETI took place.

"in the search" must modify pledging, or in other words, the "why" of pledging.
"for extraterrestrial intelligence" is modifying "search" ,
"five centuries after Europeans arrived", should modify either when the "search" occurred or when the "pledge" occurred?
"in the New World", should modify "arrived"

(1). Is "five centuries after europeans arrived" a prepositional phrase? then what is "five centuries"?

(2) New World "on Columbus Day 1992" ... here on columbus day appears to modify "arrived", which is why the answer choice is incorrect. However, how are we to know that it modifies "arrived" and not the previous noun "new world"? What if it was "on planet earth", then "on planet earth" would be a adjectival prepositional phrase modifying "new world". Both prepositional modifiers would look identical and there would be nothing other than meaning or a plain judgement call on what it modifies

Two things to note:
a) What was initiated---Modifier
b) Active voice. Passive voice is the trap

(C) is the answer

C) Initiated on Columbus Day 1992, five centuries after Europeans arrived in the New World, Project SETI pledged a $100 million investment in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence.

Isn't Initiated on Columbus Day 1992..modifying. five centuries?

Thats why I discarded C.

No ,The following is the sequence

i) "five centuries...." is modifying "initiated"
ii) "initiated" is modifying "Project"

Ans C

msrdon wrote:Ans C

OA A. anyone with better explanation for "c"

Between A, B and C,

A) It implies that Europeans arrived in the New World in 1992.
B) Initiated on Columbus Day 1992, ----, Project SETI pledged-- is correct. The project was initiated, not the $100 million investment.

So C is the answer.

Got lost between A and C and chose A by mistake which is the wrong answer
anyways really good question...