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Read the question below and Select the correct answer

A
9
53%
B
1
6%
C
4
24%
D
1
6%
E
2
12%
 
Total votes: 17

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Try this 700+ level COMPLETELY UNDERLINED question!

by e-GMAT » Tue Jan 15, 2013 4:55 am
After you have arrived at the correct answer, be sure to MARK the answer in the poll above.

Although Robonaut 2, the next generation humanoid robot built by NASA for space exploration, can be controlled by its fellow astronauts in space or a crew on earth, it can complete certain tasks all on its own, becoming better suited for some dangerous projects than its human counterpart.

A. Although Robonaut 2, the next generation humanoid robot built by NASA for space exploration, can be controlled by its fellow astronauts in space or a crew on earth, it can complete certain tasks all on its own, becoming better suited for some dangerous projects than its human counterpart.
B. Even though capable of completing certain tasks all on its own by becoming better suited for some dangerous projects than its human counterpart, Robonaut 2 is the next generation humanoid robot built by NASA for space exploration, controlled by its fellow astronauts in space or a crew on earth.
C. Capable of completing certain tasks on its own and becoming better suited for some dangerous projects than its human counterpart, Robonaut 2, the next generation humanoid robot built by NASA for space exploration, can be controlled by its fellow astronauts in space or a crew on earth.
D. The next generation humanoid robot built by NASA for space exploration, Robonaut 2, although can complete certain tasks all on its own and become better suited for some dangerous projects than its human counterpart, but is controlled by its fellow astronauts in space or a crew on earth.
E. Although Robonaut 2 is the next generation humanoid robot built by NASA for space exploration, it can be controlled by its fellow astronauts in space or a crew on earth, and can also complete certain tasks all on its own, becoming better suited for some dangerous projects than its human counterpart.

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OA A
Last edited by e-GMAT on Thu Jan 17, 2013 5:16 am, edited 2 times in total.
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by challenger63 » Tue Jan 15, 2013 8:36 am
E - contradiction between "control" vs "automatic" is lost

D - "although" can't be in the middle of a sentence. It should either begin or finish a sentence.
+ double negation "although" + "but"

C- main point about automatic control is missed.

B - "even though" has different meaning. "even though it was difficult, he was able to overcome difficulties" = despite with an emphasis

A - "it" is ok because of "although". Bearing in mind ellipsis rules, comparison is also ok.

POE gives us A.
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by e-GMAT » Wed Jan 16, 2013 11:16 am
Official Explanation

Sentence structure of Original Sentence
"¢ Clause 1: Although Robonaut 2, the next generation humanoid robot built by NASA for space exploration, can be controlled by its fellow astronauts in space or a crew on earth,
"¢ Clause 2: it can complete certain tasks all on its own, becoming better suited for some dangerous projects than its human counterpart.

Meaning of Original Sentence
"¢ The sentence presents contrast (as is evident through the use of 'although').
"¢ The sentence presents contrasting information about Robonaut 2.
"¢ Robonaut 2 is the next generation humanoid robot.
"¢ It can be controlled by astronauts in space or a crew on earth.
"¢ However, it can perform certain functions all by itself.
"¢ This ability makes this robot better suited for some dangerous exploration jobs than the human astronauts.

Errors in the Original Sentence
1. All the SV pairs are accounted for - "Robonaut 2- can be controlled" & "it can complete".
2. Since the sentence presents general information about the capability of Robonaut 2, both the verbs are correctly written in simple present tense.
3. Pronouns "it" and "its" correctly refers to Robonaut 2.
4. Noun phrase "the next generation humanoid robot" correctly refers to Robonaut 2. Verb-ed modifier "built" correctly refers to the preceding noun entity "the... robot". Comma + Verb-ing modifier "becoming..." correctly presents the result of the preceding clause.
5. "Robonaut 2... can be controlled" and "it can complete..." maintains the parallelism. Again parallelism is maintained
6. The structure and the meaning of the sentence are also correct. Hence, there are no errors in this sentence.

Answer Choice Analysis
A. Although Robonaut 2, the next generation humanoid robot built by NASA for space exploration, can be controlled by its fellow astronauts in space or a crew on earth, it can complete certain tasks all on its own, becoming better suited for some dangerous projects than its human counterpart.
Correct choice.

B. Even though capable of completing certain tasks all on its own by becoming better suited for some dangerous projects than its human counterpart, Robonaut 2 is the next generation humanoid robot built by NASA for space exploration, controlled by its fellow astronauts in space or a crew on earth.
Error 1 - Per the original sentence, the contrasting points are - Robonaut 2 can be controlled and it can perform a few tasks on its own. Per this choice, the contrasting points are - Robonaut 2 is capable of completing few tasks on its own and it is a Humanoid robot.
Error 2 - Per the original sentence, "becoming better..." presents the result of the Robonaut 2 being capable of doing certain tasks on its own. This choice says that the robot can perform certain tasks on its own by becoming better suited. This is absolutely illogical.
Error 3 - Usage of controlled is incorrect. If it is a verb with "is" understood before it, then the two verbs "is" and "(is) controlled" are not connected properly. If it is a verb-ed modifier, then it refers to the preceding noun entity "space exploration". Both the usages are incorrect.

C. Capable of completing certain tasks on its own and becoming better suited for some dangerous projects than its human counterpart, Robonaut 2, the next generation humanoid robot built by NASA for space exploration, can be controlled by its fellow astronauts in space or a crew on earth.
Error 1 - This choice has an unintended parallel list - "completing" and "becoming". This distorts the intended meaning.
Error 2 - The choice does not express the intended contrast.

D. The next generation humanoid robot built by NASA for space exploration, Robonaut 2, although can complete certain tasks all on its own and become better suited for some dangerous projects than its human counterpart, but is controlled by its fellow astronauts in space or a crew on earth.
Error 1 - This choice has an unintended parallel list - "can complete" and "(can) become". This distorts the intended meaning.
Error 2 - The contrast presented by "but" is not the intended contrast.
Error 3 - Per this choice, "but" connects two entities in the list. Hence, use of comma before "but" is not correct.

E. Although Robonaut 2 is the next generation humanoid robot built by NASA for space exploration, it can be controlled by its fellow astronauts in space or a crew on earth, and can also complete certain tasks all on its own, becoming better suited for some dangerous projects than its human counterpart.
Error 1 - The contrasting points per this choice are - Robonaut 2 is the next generation robot and it can be controlled.
Error 2 - This choice has an unintended list - "can be controlled" and "can also complete". This distorts the intended meaning.

Take Away
1: When you read the original sentence, make sure you understand the intended meaning. For example, if there is a contrast in the sentence, then understand the contrasting elements.
2: The correct sentence should have correct sentence structure. For example, if there is a list of elements, it should be connected properly.

Regards,
Payal
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by BTG14 » Thu Jan 17, 2013 4:22 am
Hi E-gmat,

Is usuage of "his" in B,C,D,E is right?

One more doubt. In option A: it and its can refer to NASA, since it is also a NOUN.

Please clarify. Thanks in advance.
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by e-GMAT » Thu Jan 17, 2013 5:16 am
You are absolutely correct BTG14. Usage of "his" in choices B,C,D,E is not correct. The correct pronoun here is "its".

Good catch!! In fact since this question was not intended to test pronoun related errors, we have changed the pronoun "his" to "its" in the above mentioned choices.
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by e-GMAT » Thu Jan 17, 2013 6:13 am
BTG14 wrote:Hi E-gmat,

In option A: it and its can refer to NASA, since it is also a NOUN.

Please clarify. Thanks in advance.
Although Robonaut 2, the next generation humanoid robot built by NASA for space exploration, can be controlled by its fellow astronauts in space or a crew on earth, it can complete certain tasks all on its own, becoming better suited for some dangerous projects than its human counterpart.

In this sentence, NASA also appears in the vicinity of the pronoun "its" and "it". But these pronouns cannot refer to NASA. It does not make sense to say NASA's fellow astronauts. Or it does not make sense to say NASA can complete certain tasks.

Please note that pronoun reference is very logic driven aspect. There may be a number of nouns in the sentence but in a correctly written sentence the pronoun will make sense with its antecedent only. For example:

After the car hit the tree, it had to be taken to the garage for extensive repair.

Now in this sentence there are two nouns - car and tree. But "it" correctly refers to "car" since a tree cannot be taken to the garage for repair.

Hope this explains the basic concept governing pronouns.

You may review this blog post for more information on this topic.
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by BTG14 » Sun Jan 20, 2013 3:26 am
Thanks e-gmat.

But when i check some of the OG questions my doubt stills pops out of my head.
Please use below example from Official Guide:Question No.22(12th Edition): Please check the image i have highlighted same scenario where pronoun is in ambiguity state and logic driven aspect is not taken into consideration.

Image
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