Modifiers problem....OG quesion

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Mo2men: Legendary Member; Posts: 712; Joined: Fri Sep 25, 2015 4:39 amFollowed by: 5 members; Thanked: 14 times

by Mo2men » Wed Apr 19, 2017 3:10 am

Minnesota is the only one of the contiguous forty-eight states that still has a sizable wolf population, and where this predator remains the archenemy of cattle and sheep.

(A) that still has a sizable wolf population, and where
(B) that still has a sizable wolf population, where
(C) that still has a sizable population of wolves, and where
(D) where the population of wolves is still sizable;
(E) where there is still a sizable population of wolves and where

OA:E

[spoiler]Why A is wrong? Both are relative pronoun that can refer to Minnesota.

In OA E, it is not clear whether 'where' refer to 'states' or Minnesota, while in choice A, it is clear that 'that' refers to 'one' which. in turn' refers to Minnesota' So the fcous and menng of the sentence is clear in A.

where is the problem[/spoiler]

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Source: Beat The GMAT — Sentence Correction | Wed Apr 19, 2017 3:10 am

GMATGuruNY: GMAT Instructor; Posts: 15539; Joined: Tue May 25, 2010 12:04 pmFollowed by: 1906 members; Location: New York, NY; Thanked: 13060 times; GMAT Score:790

by GMATGuruNY » Wed Apr 19, 2017 12:38 pm

A that-modifier cannot be parallel with a where-modifier.
Incorrect:
John visited the easternmost state that has a sizable population of wolves and where this predator remains the archenemy of sheep.
In the red that-modifier, the easternmost state is the implied subject of has.
Conveyed meaning:
THE EASTERNMOST STATE has a sizable population of wolves.
In the blue where-clause, the easternmost state is an implied ADVERB modifying remains.
Conveyed meaning:
IN THE EASTERNMOST STATE this predator remains the archenemy of sheep.
Since the easternmost state is the implied subject of the that-modifier but an implied adverb in the where-modifier, the result is a lack of parallelism.

Mo2men wrote:Why A is wrong? Both are relative pronoun that can refer to Minnesota.

A: Minnesota is the only one of the contiguous forty-eight states that still has a sizable wolf population, and where this predator remains the archenemy of cattle and sheep.
Here, and incorrectly serves to connect the that-modifier in red to the where-modifier in blue.
The result is a lack of parallelism.
Eliminate A.

In OA E, it is not clear whether 'where' refer to 'states' or Minnesota, while in choice A, it is clear that 'that' refers to 'one' which. in turn' refers to Minnesota' So the fcous and menng of the sentence is clear in A.

where is the problem

OA: Minnesota is the only one of the contiguous forty-eight states where there is still a sizable population of wolves and where this predator remains the archenemy of cattle and sheep.

Here, if we interpret that where serves to refer to states, we get the following meaning:
Of the contiguous forty-eight states where there is still a sizable population of wolves, Minnesota is the only one.
The portion in red does not convey a complete meaning.
Thus, it is crystal clear that where does NOT serve to refer to states.

Only one interpretation is logical: where must serve to refer to the only one, conveying the following meaning:
Of the contiguous forty-eight states, Minnesota is the only one where there is still a sizable population of wolves.
This meaning makes sense.

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ceilidh.erickson: GMAT Instructor; Posts: 2095; Joined: Tue Dec 04, 2012 3:22 pmFollowed by: 247 members; Thanked: 1443 times

by ceilidh.erickson » Sun Apr 23, 2017 6:56 am

Here is a breakdown of the other answer choices:

Minnesota is the only one of the contiguous forty-eight states that still has a sizable wolf population, and where this predator remains the archenemy of cattle and sheep.

(A) that still has a sizable wolf population, and where

As Mitch pointed out, a subordinate clause beginning with "that" cannot be parallel to a subordinate clause beginning with "where."

(B) that still has a sizable wolf population, where

When a subordinate clause beginning with a relative pronoun (e.g. "where") is placed after a comma, it modifies the noun (or noun phrase) after it. In this case "where" is modifying "wolf population." This is nonsensical.

(C) that still has a sizable population of wolves, and where

This answer choice is indistinguishable from A. There is no difference in meaning between "wolf population" and "population of wolves." If you see answer choices such as these that differ only by a minor discrepancy in word choice, it's likely that both answers are wrong.

(D) where the population of wolves is still sizable;

This answer choice is perfectly grammatically correct; the semicolon fixes the parallelism issue. However... the meaning is disrupted. The intended meaning of the sentence is "it's the only place where there are wolves AND the sheep they prey on." By splitting the sentence with a semicolon, that contrast in meaning is lost, and the 2nd part of the sentence has little logical connection to the 1st.

(E) where there is still a sizable population of wolves and where

Correct! Parallel structure, and clear meaning.

Ceilidh Erickson
EdM in Mind, Brain, and Education
Harvard Graduate School of Education

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