In late 1997, the chambers inside the pyramid of the Pharaoh Menkaure at Giza were closed to visitors for cleaning and repair due to moisture exhaled by tourists, which raised its humidity to such levels so that salt from the stone was crystallizing and fungus was growing on the walls.
(A) due to moisture exhaled by tourists, which raised its humidity to such levels so that salt from the stone was crystallizing
(B) due to moisture that tourists had exhaled, thereby raising its humidity to such levels that salt from the stone would crystallize
(e) because tourists were exhaling moisture, which had raised the humidity within them to levels such that salt from the stone would crystallize
(D) because of moisture that was exhaled by tourists raising the humidity within them to levels so high as to make the salt from the stone crystallize
(E) because moisture exhaled by tourists had raised the humidity within them to such levels that salt from the stone was crystallizing
Experts, please explain every option.
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OG12_06_Experts, please explain!
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gmat_perfect
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In late 1997, the chambers inside the pyramid of the Pharaoh Menkaure at Giza were closed to visitors for cleaning and repair due to moisture exhaled by tourists, which raised its humidity to such levels so that salt from the stone was crystallizing and fungus was growing on the walls.
(A) due to moisture exhaled by tourists, which raised its humidity to such levels so that salt from the stone was crystallizing
(B) due to moisture that tourists had exhaled, thereby raising its humidity to such levels that salt from the stone would crystallize
(e) because tourists were exhaling moisture, which had raised the humidity within them to levels such that salt from the stone would crystallize
(D) because of moisture that was exhaled by tourists raising the humidity within them to levels so high as to make the salt from the stone crystallize
(E) because moisture exhaled by tourists had raised the humidity within them to such levels that salt from the stone was crystallizing
Experts, please explain every option.
Eliminate B, C and D because the given forms of the verb crystallize aren't parallel with the fungus was growing.
Eliminate A because to such levels so that salt from the stone was crystallizing isn't idiomatic. The word so doesn't belong. The sentence should read to such levels that salt from the stone was crystalling. Also, the pronoun its doesn't agree with the noun chambers. The chambers, not the entire pyramid, experienced the rise in humidity.
The correct answer is E.
(A) due to moisture exhaled by tourists, which raised its humidity to such levels so that salt from the stone was crystallizing
(B) due to moisture that tourists had exhaled, thereby raising its humidity to such levels that salt from the stone would crystallize
(e) because tourists were exhaling moisture, which had raised the humidity within them to levels such that salt from the stone would crystallize
(D) because of moisture that was exhaled by tourists raising the humidity within them to levels so high as to make the salt from the stone crystallize
(E) because moisture exhaled by tourists had raised the humidity within them to such levels that salt from the stone was crystallizing
Experts, please explain every option.
Eliminate B, C and D because the given forms of the verb crystallize aren't parallel with the fungus was growing.
Eliminate A because to such levels so that salt from the stone was crystallizing isn't idiomatic. The word so doesn't belong. The sentence should read to such levels that salt from the stone was crystalling. Also, the pronoun its doesn't agree with the noun chambers. The chambers, not the entire pyramid, experienced the rise in humidity.
The correct answer is E.
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gmat_perfect
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The Skeleton of the original sentence:
The chambers were closed for cleaning and repair due to moisture, which raised its humidity to such levels so that salt from the stone was crystallizing and fungus was growing on the walls.
1. Due to is incorrect for the following reasons:
=> To be verb is followed by "due to".
=> "due to" modifies NOUN.
The only verb before "due to" is "closed", so the use of "due to" is not correct.
2. Its is not correct for the following reasoning:
The nouns before "its" are chambers, moisture.
=> Moisture's humidity does not make sense.
=> The plural noun "chambers" can not be referred by its.
3. "To such levels that" can be correct one, but "to such levels so that" is not correct.
4. I have a doubt about the final "AND".
Why??
Salt from the stone was crystallizing and fungus was growing on the walls.
=> If two clauses are joined by coordinating conjunctions, a comma before that conjunction should be used.
I think "salt from the stone was crystallizing" and "fungus was growing on the walls" are two clauses. If it is so, then why did the correct answer not use "comma" before "AND"?
Experts, please help.
The chambers were closed for cleaning and repair due to moisture, which raised its humidity to such levels so that salt from the stone was crystallizing and fungus was growing on the walls.
1. Due to is incorrect for the following reasons:
=> To be verb is followed by "due to".
=> "due to" modifies NOUN.
The only verb before "due to" is "closed", so the use of "due to" is not correct.
2. Its is not correct for the following reasoning:
The nouns before "its" are chambers, moisture.
=> Moisture's humidity does not make sense.
=> The plural noun "chambers" can not be referred by its.
3. "To such levels that" can be correct one, but "to such levels so that" is not correct.
4. I have a doubt about the final "AND".
Why??
Salt from the stone was crystallizing and fungus was growing on the walls.
=> If two clauses are joined by coordinating conjunctions, a comma before that conjunction should be used.
I think "salt from the stone was crystallizing" and "fungus was growing on the walls" are two clauses. If it is so, then why did the correct answer not use "comma" before "AND"?
Experts, please help.
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From the original sentence:
...to such levels that salt from the stone was crystallizing and fungus was growing on the walls.
No comma is needed before the word and because salt from the stone was crystallizing and fungus was growing on the walls are not two independent clauses. They are both completing the idiom such...that. Before the word fungus, the word that is implied, as in:
to such levels that salt from the stone was crystallizing and that fungus was growing on the walls.
Does this help?
...to such levels that salt from the stone was crystallizing and fungus was growing on the walls.
No comma is needed before the word and because salt from the stone was crystallizing and fungus was growing on the walls are not two independent clauses. They are both completing the idiom such...that. Before the word fungus, the word that is implied, as in:
to such levels that salt from the stone was crystallizing and that fungus was growing on the walls.
Does this help?
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gmat_perfect
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Thanks for the reply.GMATGuruNY wrote:From the original sentence:
...to such levels that salt from the stone was crystallizing and fungus was growing on the walls.
No comma is needed before the word and because salt from the stone was crystallizing and fungus was growing on the walls are not two independent clauses. They are both completing the idiom such...that. Before the word fungus, the word that is implied, as in:
to such levels that salt from the stone was crystallizing and that fungus was growing on the walls.
Does this help?
That means such levels that X and that Y, where X and Y are the two clauses.
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hardik.jadeja
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Thanks for the explanation Mitch.
I have one more doubt. I thought "them" in option E is ambiguous as it could refer to tourists also.
I have one more doubt. I thought "them" in option E is ambiguous as it could refer to tourists also.
You may also solve it this way.
2-3 Split between "due to" vs "because of"
X where closed due to/because of Y.
Now, we need an adverb to describe closed, so because is appropriate. A & B eliminated.
Now we are looking for parallelism, X was verbing and fungus was growing; leaves us with only E as the answer.
Further, D is very verbose ("so high as to make").
And C makes a mistake in the tense ("tourists were exhaling moisture", we need a past tense here).
2-3 Split between "due to" vs "because of"
In this example:"Due to" generally modifies a noun, so this a prepositional phrase modifying a noun.
ex: His prosperity is due to his hard work
Because of generally follows a verb and modifies it.
ex: He prospered because of his hard work
So one works as adjective the other one as adverb.
X where closed due to/because of Y.
Now, we need an adverb to describe closed, so because is appropriate. A & B eliminated.
Now we are looking for parallelism, X was verbing and fungus was growing; leaves us with only E as the answer.
Further, D is very verbose ("so high as to make").
And C makes a mistake in the tense ("tourists were exhaling moisture", we need a past tense here).
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To see the situation more clearly, let's trim the fat and look at only the relevant parts of the sentence:hardik.jadeja wrote:Thanks for the explanation Mitch.
I have one more doubt. I thought "them" in option E is ambiguous as it could refer to tourists also.
The chambers were closed because moisture exhaled by tourists had raised the humidity within them to such levels that salt from the stone was crystallizing and fungus was growing on the walls.
Would anyone really think that the tourists had raised the humidity levels in themselves? The following parts of the sentence help us to realize that the pronoun them refers to the chambers:
- the use of the conjunction because
- the past perfect tense of had raised
- the intended meaning of the sentence (sweaty tourists = nasty wall fungus = closed chambers)
Combining these three elements, we know that the chambers were closed because sweat from the rank tourists had raised the humidity levels in them (i.e., the chambers).
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gmat_perfect
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I have another doubt about the usage of "which".
In option A, "which" refers to what?
Please explain.
Thanks.
In option A, "which" refers to what?
Please explain.
Thanks.
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Just to be clear: answer choice A is incorrect. The correct answer is E.gmat_perfect wrote:I have another doubt about the usage of "which".
In option A, "which" refers to what?
The relevant excerpt from A:
due to moisture exhaled by tourists, which raised its humidity
The pronoun which refers to the moisture, since which cannot be used to refer to people. To refer to the tourists, the excerpt would have to read:
due to moisture exhaled by tourists, who raised its humidity
Ideally, the noun moisture would appear immediately before the pronoun which, another reason that A is not the best answer choice.
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gmat_perfect
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GMATGuruNY wrote:Just to be clear: answer choice A is incorrect. The correct answer is E.gmat_perfect wrote:I have another doubt about the usage of "which".
In option A, "which" refers to what?
The relevant excerpt from A:
due to moisture exhaled by tourists, which raised its humidity
The pronoun which refers to the moisture, since which cannot be used to refer to people. To refer to the tourists, the excerpt would have to read:
due to moisture exhaled by tourists, who raised its humidity
Yes, right you are. I was thinking so.
Which refers to the immediate preceding noun, and which introduces non-essential clause.
I know the following about the use of which:
1. Which refers to things, not persons.
2. We need to use comma before which.
3. Which introduces non-essential clause.
4. The noun or noun phrase that is required to be modified must be near which.
5. In case of "x of y", which refers to the whole of "x of y", not just the x or the y.
I have another question about the use of which.
In case of "x of y", can which refer to only y?
Thanks for clarification.
Ideally, the noun moisture would appear immediately before the pronoun which, another reason that A is not the best answer choice.
