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OG12, Q18

by sumanr84 » Fri Jul 16, 2010 3:05 am
Plants are more efficient at acquiring carbon than are fungi, in the form of carbon dioxide, and converting it to energy-rich sugars.

(A) Plants are more efficient at acquiring carbon than are fungi,

(B) Plants are more efficient at acquiring carbon than fungi,

(C) Plants are more efficient than fungi at acquiring carbon,

(D) Plants, more efficient than fungi at acquiring carbon,

(E) Plants acquire carbon more effi ciently than fungi,

[spoiler]OA : C , I don't have a problem with OA but my doubt is with the explanation that OG gives to eliminate A.[/spoiler]



Here comes an exception to COMMA+Preposition Rule,

Rule : Comma + Preposition acts as an adverbial modifier and should modify the previous clause.

E.g. The diet of greek,...was largely veg,...., with meat as a rarity.

For option A, OG Explanation says that - According to the sentence grammar, in the form of carbon dioxide describes fungi, which is nonsensical.

Option C - in the form of carbon dioxide correctly modifies carbon - How come Comma + Prep started referring to previous a noun just before comma. Is it acting as a noun modifier here ? So that means we have an exception.

Review: https://www.manhattangmat.com/forums/ass ... t5523.html
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by pradeepkaushal9518 » Fri Jul 16, 2010 3:43 am
here we are comparing the efficiency of plants and fungi. not the acquiring efficiency of carbon to carbon dioxide and converting it to sugars .

because fungi is not converting carbon to carbon dioxide and converting it to sugars.
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by paes » Fri Jul 16, 2010 3:51 am
Can somebody explain why A is wrong ?
I agree that C is right, but I am not seeing any problem with A.
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by Patrick_GMATFix » Fri Jul 16, 2010 4:03 am
Hey paes, A is incorrect because "in the form of carbon dioxide" is a noun modifier for "carbon". The right answer must place carbon next to the modifier (at the end of the underlined portion).
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by paes » Fri Jul 16, 2010 4:07 am
Thanks Patrick. But big confusion here :

As already written above :

Rule : Comma + Preposition acts as an adverbial modifier and should modify the previous clause.

E.g. The diet of greek,...was largely veg,...., with meat as a rarity.

so here also
"in the form of carbon dioxide" should be an preposition modifier, modifying to plants.
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by manjeetsingh1 » Fri Jul 16, 2010 4:15 am
Hi..

Comma + preposition can work both as adverbial modifier as well as adjectival modifier depending upon context

e.g I have visited royal place, in Brussels -- in this it is acting as a adjectival modifier modifying "royal place"

I have visited royal place in 1995 -- in this prepositional phrase is modifying the entire clause
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by ryantherocket » Fri Jul 16, 2010 4:49 am
paes wrote:Thanks Patrick. But big confusion here :

As already written above :

Rule : Comma + Preposition acts as an adverbial modifier and should modify the previous clause.

E.g. The diet of greek,...was largely veg,...., with meat as a rarity.

so here also
"in the form of carbon dioxide" should be an preposition modifier, modifying to plants.
i think comma+preposition can modify a noun, not just a clause. this sentence is an example of that.
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by Patrick_GMATFix » Fri Jul 16, 2010 8:12 am
I am not aware of a rule that explicitly states that comma+preposition = adverbial modifier, so I don't have the same dilemma as you guys.

I know that that comma+preposition typically starts an adverbial modifier, but I didn't know it must do so as a rule. My understanding was always that a prepositional phrase can work as a noun or adverbial modifier depending on the intended meaning.

On a side note, an adverbial modifier does not modify individual nouns, so we could not say in answer A that "in the form of carbon dioxide" is an adverbial modifier modifying plants.

Sorry I can't be of more help.
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by kvcpk » Fri Jul 16, 2010 8:38 am
Seems interesting. Request the experts to shed some light..
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by GMATGuruNY » Fri Jul 16, 2010 9:37 am
sumanr84 wrote:Plants are more efficient at acquiring carbon than are fungi, in the form of carbon dioxide, and converting it to energy-rich sugars.

(A) Plants are more efficient at acquiring carbon than are fungi,

(B) Plants are more efficient at acquiring carbon than fungi,

(C) Plants are more efficient than fungi at acquiring carbon,

(D) Plants, more efficient than fungi at acquiring carbon,

(E) Plants acquire carbon more effi ciently than fungi,

[spoiler]OA : C , I don't have a problem with OA but my doubt is with the explanation that OG gives to eliminate A.[/spoiler]



Here comes an exception to COMMA+Preposition Rule,

Rule : Comma + Preposition acts as an adverbial modifier and should modify the previous clause.

E.g. The diet of greek,...was largely veg,...., with meat as a rarity.

For option A, OG Explanation says that - According to the sentence grammar, in the form of carbon dioxide describes fungi, which is nonsensical.

Option C - in the form of carbon dioxide correctly modifies carbon - How come Comma + Prep started referring to previous a noun just before comma. Is it acting as a noun modifier here ? So that means we have an exception.

Review: https://www.manhattangmat.com/forums/ass ... t5523.html
Remember this rule about modifiers:

A modifier should be as close as possible to what it's modifying. If it's unclear what a modifier is modifying, or if a modifier could be modifying more than one thing, eliminate the answer choice.

In the SC above, what is in the form of carbon dioxide? The carbon that is being acquired. So C is better than A because it places the modifier closer to what it's modifying.

Please don't get caught up in the minutia of grammar. Think KISS: Keep it simple, Silly! If answer choice C places the modifier closer to what it's modifying, and there are no other errors in A or C, eliminate A and pick C.

Answer choice A would be correct if it said the following:

Plants are more efficient at acquiring carbon in the form of carbon dioxide than are fungi.
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by paes » Fri Jul 16, 2010 9:53 am
Thanks Guru.
You are the master of SC.
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by rsarashi » Wed May 10, 2017 9:01 am
Remember this rule about modifiers:

A modifier should be as close as possible to what it's modifying. If it's unclear what a modifier is modifying, or if a modifier could be modifying more than one thing, eliminate the answer choice.

In the SC above, what is in the form of carbon dioxide? The carbon that is being acquired. So C is better than A because it places the modifier closer to what it's modifying.

Please don't get caught up in the minutia of grammar. Think KISS: Keep it simple, Silly! If answer choice C places the modifier closer to what it's modifying, and there are no other errors in A or C, eliminate A and pick C.

Answer choice A would be correct if it said the following:

Plants are more efficient at acquiring carbon in the form of carbon dioxide than are fungi.


Hi GMATGuruNY ,

Can you please explain about option E? Whats wrong in this option?

Thanks..
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by Mo2men » Tue Apr 02, 2019 5:37 am
GMATGuruNY wrote:
sumanr84 wrote:Plants are more efficient at acquiring carbon than are fungi, in the form of carbon dioxide, and converting it to energy-rich sugars.

(A) Plants are more efficient at acquiring carbon than are fungi,

(B) Plants are more efficient at acquiring carbon than fungi,

(C) Plants are more efficient than fungi at acquiring carbon,

(D) Plants, more efficient than fungi at acquiring carbon,

(E) Plants acquire carbon more effi ciently than fungi,

[spoiler]OA : C , I don't have a problem with OA but my doubt is with the explanation that OG gives to eliminate A.[/spoiler]



Here comes an exception to COMMA+Preposition Rule,

Rule : Comma + Preposition acts as an adverbial modifier and should modify the previous clause.

E.g. The diet of greek,...was largely veg,...., with meat as a rarity.

For option A, OG Explanation says that - According to the sentence grammar, in the form of carbon dioxide describes fungi, which is nonsensical.

Option C - in the form of carbon dioxide correctly modifies carbon - How come Comma + Prep started referring to previous a noun just before comma. Is it acting as a noun modifier here ? So that means we have an exception.

Review: https://www.manhattangmat.com/forums/ass ... t5523.html
Remember this rule about modifiers:

A modifier should be as close as possible to what it's modifying. If it's unclear what a modifier is modifying, or if a modifier could be modifying more than one thing, eliminate the answer choice.

In the SC above, what is in the form of carbon dioxide? The carbon that is being acquired. So C is better than A because it places the modifier closer to what it's modifying.

Please don't get caught up in the minutia of grammar. Think KISS: Keep it simple, Silly! If answer choice C places the modifier closer to what it's modifying, and there are no other errors in A or C, eliminate A and pick C.

Answer choice A would be correct if it said the following:

Plants are more efficient at acquiring carbon in the form of carbon dioxide than are fungi.
Dear GMATGuru,
While I understand your point above, i find it somehow contradictory to other rules.

'in form of' is an adverbial phrase that must modify Verbs but here, according to your explanation, it modifies 'carbon' which is a noun. So is not it incorrect?

Your clarification is highly appreciated
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by GMATGuruNY » Tue Apr 02, 2019 5:57 am
Mo2men wrote:Dear GMATGuru,
While I understand your point above, i find it somehow contradictory to other rules.

'in form of' is an adverbial phrase that must modify Verbs but here, according to your explanation, it modifies 'carbon' which is a noun. So is not it incorrect?

Your clarification is highly appreciated
OA: Plants are more efficient than fungi at acquiring carbon, in the form of carbon dioxide.
Here, the modifier in green is an adverb in that it describes UNDER WHAT CIRCUMSTANCE the preceding blue action happens.
Under what circumstance ARE plants MORE EFFICIENT at acquiring carbon?
Under the following circumstance:
When the carbon is IN THE FORM OF CARBON DIOXIDE.
While the phrase in green does refer to carbon, it also serves to modify the preceding verb phrase in blue, expressing the circumstance under which plants ARE more efficient.
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