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fangtray: Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts; Posts: 273; Joined: Thu Sep 08, 2011 6:50 amFollowed by: 3 members; Thanked: 5 times

by fangtray » Fri May 04, 2012 2:26 pm

In his experiments with gravity, Isaac Newton showed how the motion of each planet in the solar system results from the combined gravitational pull of the Sun and of all the other planets, each contributing according to their mass and distance from others.
a.
b. of all the other planets, with each of them contributing according to their
c. all the other planets, each of which contributing according to its
d. all the other planets, each contributing according to its
e. all the other planets, each of which contribute according to their.

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Source: Beat The GMAT — Sentence Correction | Fri May 04, 2012 2:26 pm

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Mike@Magoosh: GMAT Instructor; Posts: 768; Joined: Wed Dec 28, 2011 4:18 pmFollowed by: 140 members; Location: Berkeley, CA; Thanked: 387 times

by Mike@Magoosh » Fri May 04, 2012 2:44 pm

fangtray wrote:In his experiments with gravity, Isaac Newton showed how the motion of each planet in the solar system results from the combined gravitational pull of the Sun and of all the other planets, each contributing according to their mass and distance from others.
a.
b. of all the other planets, with each of them contributing according to their
c. all the other planets, each of which contributing according to its
d. all the other planets, each contributing according to its
e. all the other planets, each of which contribute according to their.

Hi, there. I'm happy to help with this.

First of all, the pronoun "each" is always singular, so the answers that pair "each" (singular) with "their" (plural) are incorrect. That immediately eliminates (A), (B), and (E).

The problem with (C) is ---- the relative pronoun "which" is supposed to introduce a relative clause, with it's own noun + verb. Instead, in (C), "which" is followed by a participial phrase, "contributing . . ." That's grammatically incorrect. It's also unnecessarily wordy.

That leaves [spoiler](D)[/spoiler] ---- compact, direct, and free of errors ---- the correct answer.

Does all this make sense? Please let me know if you have any more questions.

Mike

Last edited by Mike@Magoosh on Mon May 07, 2012 10:52 am, edited 1 time in total.

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fangtray: Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts; Posts: 273; Joined: Thu Sep 08, 2011 6:50 amFollowed by: 3 members; Thanked: 5 times

by fangtray » Fri May 04, 2012 3:13 pm

Mike@Magoosh wrote:
fangtray wrote:In his experiments with gravity, Isaac Newton showed how the motion of each planet in the solar system results from the combined gravitational pull of the Sun and of all the other planets, each contributing according to their mass and distance from others.
a.
b. of all the other planets, with each of them contributing according to their
c. all the other planets, each of which contributing according to its
d. all the other planets, each contributing according to its
e. all the other planets, each of which contribute according to their.
Hi, there. I'm happy to help with this.

First of all, the pronoun "each" is always singular, so the answers that pair "each" (singular) with "their" (plural) are incorrect. That immediately eliminates (A), (B), and (E).

The problem with (C) is ---- the relative pronoun "which" is supposed to introduce a relative clause, with it's own noun + verb. Instead, in (C), "which" is followed by a participial phrase, "contributing . . ." That's grammatically incorrect. It's also unnecessarily wordy.

That leaves [spoiler](D)[/spoiler] ---- compact, direct, and free of errors ---- the correct answer.

Here's a free lesson on pronouns that you may find helpful.
https://gmat.magoosh.com/lessons/613-pronouns-i

Does all this make sense? Please let me know if you have any more questions.

Mike

thx mike! i chose between c and d as well. could you explain why which needs to be followed by its own noun + verb? and an example of what could be done to C, so that which is correctly used?

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fangtray: Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts; Posts: 273; Joined: Thu Sep 08, 2011 6:50 amFollowed by: 3 members; Thanked: 5 times

by fangtray » Fri May 04, 2012 3:27 pm

Mike@Magoosh wrote:
fangtray wrote:In his experiments with gravity, Isaac Newton showed how the motion of each planet in the solar system results from the combined gravitational pull of the Sun and of all the other planets, each contributing according to their mass and distance from others.
a.
b. of all the other planets, with each of them contributing according to their
c. all the other planets, each of which contributing according to its
d. all the other planets, each contributing according to its
e. all the other planets, each of which contribute according to their.
Hi, there. I'm happy to help with this.

First of all, the pronoun "each" is always singular, so the answers that pair "each" (singular) with "their" (plural) are incorrect. That immediately eliminates (A), (B), and (E).

The problem with (C) is ---- the relative pronoun "which" is supposed to introduce a relative clause, with it's own noun + verb. Instead, in (C), "which" is followed by a participial phrase, "contributing . . ." That's grammatically incorrect. It's also unnecessarily wordy.

That leaves [spoiler](D)[/spoiler] ---- compact, direct, and free of errors ---- the correct answer.

Here's a free lesson on pronouns that you may find helpful.
https://gmat.magoosh.com/lessons/613-pronouns-i

Does all this make sense? Please let me know if you have any more questions.

Mike

thx mike! i chose between c and d as well. could you explain why which needs to be followed by its own noun + verb? and an example of what could be done to C, so that which is correctly used?

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by Mike@Magoosh » Sun May 06, 2012 9:42 am

fangtray wrote:thx mike! i chose between c and d as well. could you explain why which needs to be followed by its own noun + verb? and an example of what could be done to C, so that which is correctly used?

Dear fantray,

Why does "which" need to be followed by a noun + verb? Well, how well do you understand independent and dependent clauses? Unlike a participial phrase ("contributing according to its ..."), any clause, whether independent or dependent, need to have a noun & verb. Dependent clauses are introduced by subordinate conjunctions (e.g. after, although, as, as far as, as if, as long as, as soon as, as though, because, before, if, in order that, since, so, so that, than, though, unless, until, when, whenever, where, whereas, wherever, and while) or a relative pronoun (e.g. who, what, which, where, when, why). These are huge topics in grammar --- I don't think there's any way I could say everything there is to say about them in a single post. Here's a free lesson on SC

https://gmat.magoosh.com/lessons/600-gen ... strategies

but I would recommend some source that would give you a thorough overview of the grammar on the GMAT. Magoosh has an excellent series of videos covering all this grammar. See the link in my signature.

As far as what would make C acceptable . . . here is the current version of (C)

(C) In his experiments with gravity, Isaac Newton showed how the motion of each planet in the solar system results from the combined gravitational pull of the Sun and all the other planets, each of which contributing according to its mass and distance from others.

Here's the corrected version --- change the participle to a verb -----

(C) In his experiments with gravity, Isaac Newton showed how the motion of each planet in the solar system results from the combined gravitational pull of the Sun and all the other planets, each of which contributes according to its mass and distance from others..

The relative pronoun "which" acts as the noun and "contributes" is a bonafide verb.

Does that make sense?

Let me know if you have any further questions.

Mike

Magoosh GMAT Instructor
https://gmat.magoosh.com/

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GmatKiss: Legendary Member; Posts: 2789; Joined: Tue Jul 26, 2011 12:19 amFollowed by: 43 members; Location: Chennai, India; Thanked: 206 times; GMAT Score:640

by GmatKiss » Sun May 06, 2012 10:45 am

IMO: D

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fangtray: Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts; Posts: 273; Joined: Thu Sep 08, 2011 6:50 amFollowed by: 3 members; Thanked: 5 times

by fangtray » Sun May 06, 2012 9:09 pm

Mike@Magoosh wrote:
fangtray wrote:thx mike! i chose between c and d as well. could you explain why which needs to be followed by its own noun + verb? and an example of what could be done to C, so that which is correctly used?
Dear fantray,

Why does "which" need to be followed by a noun + verb? Well, how well do you understand independent and dependent clauses? Unlike a participial phrase ("contributing according to its ..."), any clause, whether independent or dependent, need to have a noun & verb. Dependent clauses are introduced by subordinate conjunctions (e.g. after, although, as, as far as, as if, as long as, as soon as, as though, because, before, if, in order that, since, so, so that, than, though, unless, until, when, whenever, where, whereas, wherever, and while) or a relative pronoun (e.g. who, what, which, where, when, why). These are huge topics in grammar --- I don't think there's any way I could say everything there is to say about them in a single post. Here's a free lesson on SC

https://gmat.magoosh.com/lessons/600-gen ... strategies

but I would recommend some source that would give you a thorough overview of the grammar on the GMAT. Magoosh has an excellent series of videos covering all this grammar. See the link in my signature.

As far as what would make C acceptable . . . here is the current version of (C)

(C) In his experiments with gravity, Isaac Newton showed how the motion of each planet in the solar system results from the combined gravitational pull of the Sun and all the other planets, each of which contributing according to its mass and distance from others.

Here's the corrected version --- change the participle to a verb -----

(C) In his experiments with gravity, Isaac Newton showed how the motion of each planet in the solar system results from the combined gravitational pull of the Sun and all the other planets, each of which contributes according to its mass and distance from others..

The relative pronoun "which" acts as the noun and "contributes" is a bonafide verb.

Does that make sense?

Let me know if you have any further questions.

Mike

omg thanks so much for that explanation. since which is part of a dependent clause, it is the noun. and it needs a verb. So each of WHICH contributes..

or we can even say, Each of WHICH IS contributing right? Is will be the verb in this case?

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gmatdriller: Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts; Posts: 418; Joined: Sun Jul 04, 2010 12:48 pmFollowed by: 3 members; Thanked: 6 times

by gmatdriller » Sun May 06, 2012 9:34 pm

Hi Mike@magoosh,

Please what do you think would determine the best answer if C and D
were:

c. all the other planets, all contributing according to their
d. all the other planets, each contributing according to its

i.e "all....their" Vs "each...its"

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Mike@Magoosh: GMAT Instructor; Posts: 768; Joined: Wed Dec 28, 2011 4:18 pmFollowed by: 140 members; Location: Berkeley, CA; Thanked: 387 times

by Mike@Magoosh » Mon May 07, 2012 10:23 am

fangtray wrote:omg thanks so much for that explanation. since which is part of a dependent clause, it is the noun. and it needs a verb. So each of WHICH contributes..
or we can even say, Each of WHICH IS contributing right? Is will be the verb in this case?

The construction ...
each of which contributes according to its mass and distance from others.
... uses the regular present tense, which is perfectly correct.

The construction ...
each of which is contributing according to its mass and distance from others.
... use the present progressive. The present progressive emphasizes that the action is question is taking place simultaneously with our description of it. "She talks to her friend on the phone" --- general present tense indicates merely that this is a regular occurrence, a typical recurring situation. "She is talking to her friend on the phone" --- the present progressive indicates that right now, right at this moment, she is performing this action, simultaneous with our description of it.
In this context, the planets are out their doing their gravitational thing, but there's absolutely no reason to emphasize that their action is exactly simultaneous with our description of it. That's why the present progressive would be incorrect. Yes, in the very narrow sense of providing a noun for the clause following "which" --- in that limited sense, it is correct, but overall, it does not fit the logic of the sentence.

Does that make sense?

Mike

Magoosh GMAT Instructor
https://gmat.magoosh.com/

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Mike@Magoosh: GMAT Instructor; Posts: 768; Joined: Wed Dec 28, 2011 4:18 pmFollowed by: 140 members; Location: Berkeley, CA; Thanked: 387 times

by Mike@Magoosh » Mon May 07, 2012 10:50 am

gmatdriller wrote:Hi Mike@magoosh,

Please what do you think would determine the best answer if C and D
were:

c. all the other planets, all contributing according to their
d. all the other planets, each contributing according to its

i.e "all....their" Vs "each...its"

That's a great question, gmatdriller. I'm happy to answer.

Let's go back to the original sentence with correct answer (D)
In his experiments with gravity, Isaac Newton showed how the motion of each planet in the solar system results from the combined gravitational pull of the Sun and all the other planets, each contributing according to its mass and distance from others.

You propose an alternate to (C):
In his experiments with gravity, Isaac Newton showed how the motion of each planet in the solar system results from the combined gravitational pull of the Sun and all the other planets, all contributing according to their mass and distance from others.

Yes, now we have agreement between "all" and "their", so that's no longer a problem. One problem that remains is: "their" refers to all the planets, but "mass and distance" are singular. Not all th planets have the same mass. Each has a unique mass. Therefore, we would need those words in the plural.
In his experiments with gravity, Isaac Newton showed how the motion of each planet in the solar system results from the combined gravitational pull of the Sun and all the other planets, all contributing according to their masses and distances from others.

This version is technically grammatically correct, insofar as all the singulars & plurals match up correctly. The problem is more subtle, about the logic of the sentence. We want to emphasize the complexity of Newton's model --- the motion of any one planet depends on the Sun's gravity and on the gravity from each other planet. Say we are looking at Mars and its orbit --- the Sun's gravity has one impact, Earth's gravity on Mars has another impact, Jupiter's gravity on Mars has yet another impact, etc. etc. The orbit of Mars depends on all the different impacts. Each planet has a unique impact on each other planet: that is the nature of the complexity of the Newtonian model.
The construction "each contributing according to its" captures the particularity of the interactions, whereas "all contributing according to their" lumps everything together in way that might obscure the full complexity. Therefore, the "each" version is better than the "all" version. BTW, this final distinction is, in all likelihood, more subtle that the GMAT SC would address.

Does that make sense? Let me know if you have any further questions.

Mike

Magoosh GMAT Instructor
https://gmat.magoosh.com/

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fangtray: Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts; Posts: 273; Joined: Thu Sep 08, 2011 6:50 amFollowed by: 3 members; Thanked: 5 times

by fangtray » Mon May 07, 2012 8:18 pm

thanks Mike,

i feel your explanations are incredibly clear and easy to understand.

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richachampion: Legendary Member; Posts: 698; Joined: Tue Jul 21, 2015 12:12 amFollowed by: 26 members; Location: Noida, India; Thanked: 32 times; GMAT Score:740

by richachampion » Sun Aug 27, 2017 3:34 pm

In option E:

each of which contribute(plural) = that means "which" is referring to planets and that makes perfect sense with the plural verb "contribute".

Please justify my understanding?

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DavidG@VeritasPrep: Legendary Member; Posts: 2663; Joined: Wed Jan 14, 2015 8:25 amFollowed by: 128 members; Location: Boston, MA; Thanked: 1153 times; GMAT Score:770

by DavidG@VeritasPrep » Sun Aug 27, 2017 4:24 pm

richachampion wrote:In option E:

each of which contribute(plural) = that means "which" is referring to planets and that makes perfect sense with the plural verb "contribute".

Please justify my understanding?

"Which" is the object of the preposition "of," rather than the subject of the verb "contribute." "Each" is the subject of the verb, and "each" is singular.

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