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Japanese City built a wall

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by asdf29 » Sat Apr 04, 2009 4:58 am
After suffering the effects of several tsunamis, the residents of a Japanese city built a wall on their coast over forty feet high and a mile long, a way to protect the city against another disaster.

(A) a way to protect
(B) in efforts to protect
(C) protecting
(D) to protect in one way
(E) in order to protect

OA is C, but does anyone know why it isn't E.

Thanks in advance...
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by karmayogi » Sat Apr 04, 2009 7:11 am
As soon as I saw the options, I knew that C is the answer. In all such questions in which something after comma qualifies an event/action before comma, participle form is always pithy and preferred. In C, “protecting” is qualifying the entire clause “After suffering ….a mile long”, in general, and the action of building the wall, to be very precise.

Now, why “in order to protect” is wrong? I don’t have a very technical answer, but I can try. I would prefer “in order to” without comma. As an adjective clause after comma, I would always prefer to go with participle form. I hope, someone might have a better explanation.
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by maihuna » Sat Apr 04, 2009 7:53 am
my answer is still E

I aqm not sure about rhe role of protecting here
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by bjp2008 » Sat Apr 04, 2009 8:49 am
This one is similar to the OG question "Schield .....Protecting"...C is the correct answer...
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by ken3233 » Sat Apr 04, 2009 12:06 pm
karmayogi wrote:As soon as I saw the options, I knew that C is the answer. In all such questions in which something after comma qualifies an event/action before comma, participle form is always pithy and preferred. In C, “protecting” is qualifying the entire clause “After suffering ….a mile long”, in general, and the action of building the wall, to be very precise.

Now, why “in order to protect” is wrong? I don’t have a very technical answer, but I can try. I would prefer “in order to” without comma. As an adjective clause after comma, I would always prefer to go with participle form. I hope, someone might have a better explanation.
I concur. I knew immediately that the answer is C or E, and after some quick analysis, arrived at the same conclusion as you.
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by ken3233 » Sat Apr 04, 2009 12:15 pm
maihuna wrote:my answer is still E

I aqm not sure about rhe role of protecting here
Because there is a comma after "mile long", the clause that follows is a modifying clause. In this case, the entire first sentence clause is being modified; thus, the modifying clause that follows should begin with a participle.

"Protecting" is the participle form of "to protect".

Had "mile long" not been followed by a comma, then E would have been grammatically correct.

See MGMAT SC page 109 for more on this issue.
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by nasa » Sat Apr 04, 2009 12:41 pm
The reason that qualifies E as a correct answer also allows B,D as correct answers!
Once we have the comma, the phrase / clause that follows should start with a modifier.

While skiing I wear goggles, to protect my eyes - incorrect
While skiing I wear goggles to protect my eyes - correct
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