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Low temperature

by jain2016 » Mon Feb 08, 2016 9:40 am

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As a result of record low temperatures, the water pipes on the third floor froze, which caused the heads of the sprinkler system to burst, which released torrents of water into offices on the second floor.

A) which caused the heads of the sprinkler system to burst, which released torrents of water

B) which caused the heads of the sprinkler system to burst and which released torrents of water

C) which caused the heads of the sprinkler system to burst, torrents of water were then released

D) causing the heads of the sprinkler system to burst, then releasing torrents of water

E) causing the heads of the sprinkler system to burst and release torrents of water

OAE

I got this one right, but still need to understand optionD

Many thanks in advance.

SJ
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by fabiocafarelli » Tue Feb 09, 2016 4:22 am

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1. After reading the given sentence, you can eliminate options A, B, and C directly. This is because the the relative pronoun WHICH has nothing to refer to in any of the three. WHICH refers to nouns and pronouns, but here it is being used to refer to a general situation: the freezing of the water pipes. Such a use of WHICH would be acceptable colloquially, but not in the GMAT. There is no noun to refer to the freezing of the water pipes, only the verb FROZE. The relative pronoun WHICH cannot refer to a verb.

2. Option D has an illogical sequence of present participles: CAUSING ... RELEASING. The first is fine: it intoduces the consequence of the previous situation: the water pipes froze, and therefore the heads of the sprinkler system burst. A situation can cause something to happen, but then we come to the illogicality. A situation cannot be releasing torrents of water. Thus, the second present participle makes the sequence illogical. (Furthermore, even if RELEASING were logical, it would have to be connected to CAUSING by AND, and there is no AND.)

3. By elimination, option E is correct. But to explain it: CAUSING makes sense, because it introduces the consequence of the previous situation, and from there we go to the two infinitives in parallel form TO BURST AND RELEASE (there is no need to repeat TO for the second verb): these are the twin aspects of the consequence of the freezing of the water pipes.

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by joealam1 » Sat Nov 05, 2016 5:51 am

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Hey,

were is the verb in option E)?? for the way i see it it's a fragment
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by GMATGuruNY » Sat Nov 05, 2016 7:08 am

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jain2016 wrote:As a result of record low temperatures, the water pipes on the third floor froze, which caused the heads of the sprinkler system to burst, which released torrents of water into offices on the second floor.

A) which caused the heads of the sprinkler system to burst, which released torrents of water

B) which caused the heads of the sprinkler system to burst and which released torrents of water

C) which caused the heads of the sprinkler system to burst, torrents of water were then released

D) causing the heads of the sprinkler system to burst, then releasing torrents of water

E) causing the heads of the sprinkler system to burst and release torrents of water
COMMA + which must be immediately preceded by a NOUN.
In A, B and C, COMMA + which is preceded not by a noun but by a verb (froze).
Eliminate A, B and C.

The agent of a COMMA + VERBing modifier must be the PRECEDING SUBJECT.
D: The water pipes froze, releasing torrents of water.
Here, the agent of releasing seems to be water pipes, implying that that the FROZEN PIPES were RELEASING torrents of water.
The intended meaning is that the SPRINKLER SYSTEM THAT BURST released torrents of water.
Eliminate D.

The correct answer is E.

E: The water pipes on the third floor froze, causing the heads of the sprinkler system to burst and release torrents of water.
Here, the main verb is froze.
Conveyed meaning:
When the pipes FROZE, they were responsible for CAUSING the heads of the sprinkler system to burst and release torrents of water.
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by joealam1 » Sat Nov 05, 2016 11:01 pm

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Thanks Mitch!
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by emily566 » Tue May 22, 2018 4:36 pm

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GMATGuruNY wrote:
jain2016 wrote:As a result of record low temperatures, the water pipes on the third floor froze, which caused the heads of the sprinkler system to burst, which released torrents of water into offices on the second floor.

A) which caused the heads of the sprinkler system to burst, which released torrents of water

B) which caused the heads of the sprinkler system to burst and which released torrents of water

C) which caused the heads of the sprinkler system to burst, torrents of water were then released

D) causing the heads of the sprinkler system to burst, then releasing torrents of water

E) causing the heads of the sprinkler system to burst and release torrents of water
COMMA + which must be immediately preceded by a NOUN.
In A, B and C, COMMA + which is preceded not by a noun but by a verb (froze).
Eliminate A, B and C.

The agent of a COMMA + VERBing modifier must be the PRECEDING SUBJECT.
D: The water pipes froze, releasing torrents of water.
Here, the agent of releasing seems to be water pipes, implying that that the FROZEN PIPES were RELEASING torrents of water.
The intended meaning is that the SPRINKLER SYSTEM THAT BURST released torrents of water.
Eliminate D.

The correct answer is E.

E: The water pipes on the third floor froze, causing the heads of the sprinkler system to burst and release torrents of water.
Here, the main verb is froze.
Conveyed meaning:
When the pipes FROZE, they were responsible for CAUSING the heads of the sprinkler system to burst and release torrents of water.
hi, Mitch. Could you explain why burst and release are parallel? The sprinkler system burst and release water at the same time. If they are used in parallel, it means these things happen at a different time.
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by GMATGuruNY » Wed May 23, 2018 3:33 am

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emily566 wrote:hi, Mitch. Could you explain why burst and release are parallel? The sprinkler system burst and release water at the same time. If they are used in parallel, it means these things happen at a different time
The conclusion in red is not necessarily true.
and may serve to connect concurrent actions.
Mary was sitting and reading.
Here, the two actions in blue are performed at the same time.
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