Whether usage

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Whether usage

by karthikpandian19 » Tue May 08, 2012 12:34 am
A little under a million years ago, the briny waters of the Baltic Sea began flooding into the cold North Atlantic: geologists are still debating whether the flood was gradual or created a cataclysm.
(A) whether the flood was gradual or created a cataclysm
(B) if the flood was gradual or created a cataclysm
(C) about whether the flood was gradual or cataclysmic
(D) whether the flood was gradual or cataclysmic
(E) whether the flood was gradual or it created a cataclysm
Source: — Sentence Correction |

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by shwetaprasad » Tue May 08, 2012 12:55 am
Answer: D

Reason: Whether is the correct usage here, if is more on the lines of probability.
Also, when we are using adjectives, the form they should be used in should be parallel, i.e., gradual and cataclysmic.

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by Bill@VeritasPrep » Tue May 08, 2012 6:31 am
A little under a million years ago, the briny waters of the Baltic Sea began flooding into the cold North Atlantic: geologists are still debating whether the flood was gradual or created a cataclysm.

(A) whether the flood was gradual or created a cataclysm

(B) if the flood was gradual or created a cataclysm

(C) about whether the flood was gradual or cataclysmic

(D) whether the flood was gradual or cataclysmic

(E) whether the flood was gradual or it created a cataclysm
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by GmatKiss » Tue May 08, 2012 12:15 pm
IMO: D as well

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by jordan23 » Wed May 09, 2012 8:03 am
IMO D
karthikpandian19 wrote:A little under a million years ago, the briny waters of the Baltic Sea began flooding into the cold North Atlantic: geologists are still debating whether the flood was gradual or created a cataclysm.
(A) whether the flood was gradual or created a cataclysm
(B) if the flood was gradual or created a cataclysm
(C) about whether the flood was gradual or cataclysmic
(D) whether the flood was gradual or cataclysmic
(E) whether the flood was gradual or it created a cataclysm

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by karthikpandian19 » Wed May 09, 2012 10:09 pm
OA is D,

Can you provide elaborate explanation on each option
Bill@VeritasPrep wrote:A little under a million years ago, the briny waters of the Baltic Sea began flooding into the cold North Atlantic: geologists are still debating whether the flood was gradual or created a cataclysm.

(A) whether the flood was gradual or created a cataclysm

(B) if the flood was gradual or created a cataclysm

(C) about whether the flood was gradual or cataclysmic

(D) whether the flood was gradual or cataclysmic

(E) whether the flood was gradual or it created a cataclysm

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