Sentence Correction

hi guys
i try to seek this sentence and even found two discussions on this forum, but i was not happy with both. My particular question why D is better than C.

Paleontologist Stephen Jay Gould has argued that many biological traits are not the products of natural selection, favored due to their enhancement of reproduction or survival, but that they are simply random by-products of other evolutionary developments.

(A) due to their enhancement of reproduction or survival, but that they are

(B) due to the reproduction or survival they enhance, but they are

(C) because they enhance reproduction or survival, but

(D) because they enhance reproduction or survival, but are

(E) because of enhancing reproduction or survival, but are
oa is D

clock60 wrote:hi guys
i try to seek this sentence and even found two discussions on this forum, but i was not happy with both. My particular question why D is better than C.

Paleontologist Stephen Jay Gould has argued that many biological traits are not the products of natural selection, favored due to their enhancement of reproduction or survival, but that they are simply random by-products of other evolutionary developments.

(C) because they enhance reproduction or survival, but

(D) because they enhance reproduction or survival, but are

oa is D

It is saying two things,which needs to be parallel, in this:
Paleontologist Stephen Jay Gould has argued that
1)many biological traits ARE not the products of natural selection.
2)many biological traits ARE simply random by-products.

So structure: many biological traits ARE not X, but ARE Y


I am not sure but may be ARE is a verb here.
In case of verb, we need to repeat the verb to maintain parallelism.
Eg.
Correct: I played basketball, but did not played football
Wrong: I played basketball, but not football.

May be we can have expert comments for more clarity.

Thanks

IMO D

clock60 wrote:hi guys
i try to seek this sentence and even found two discussions on this forum, but i was not happy with both. My particular question why D is better than C.

Paleontologist Stephen Jay Gould has argued that many biological traits are not the products of natural selection, favored due to their enhancement of reproduction or survival, but that they are simply random by-products of other evolutionary developments.

(A) due to their enhancement of reproduction or survival, but that they are

(B) due to the reproduction or survival they enhance, but they are

(C) because they enhance reproduction or survival, but

(D) because they enhance reproduction or survival, but are

(E) because of enhancing reproduction or survival, but are
oa is D

I received a PM asking me to comment.

In C, the meaning is not crystal clear:

...products of natural selection, favored...but simply random...

The construction above could imply -- incorrectly -- that both favored and random modify products.

In D, the parallel structure are not...but are makes it crystal clear that random refers not to products but to traits:

...traits that are not the products of natural selection...but are simply random by-products of other evolutionary developments...

It must be clear what a modifier is modifying. Since D makes the meaning crystal clear, eliminate C and choose D.

thanks Mitch for your reply
Can you also comment on my post above. Please point out, if I am wrong anywhere.

Thanks

GMATGuruNY wrote:

clock60 wrote:hi guys
i try to seek this sentence and even found two discussions on this forum, but i was not happy with both. My particular question why D is better than C.

Paleontologist Stephen Jay Gould has argued that many biological traits are not the products of natural selection, favored due to their enhancement of reproduction or survival, but that they are simply random by-products of other evolutionary developments.

(A) due to their enhancement of reproduction or survival, but that they are

(B) due to the reproduction or survival they enhance, but they are

(C) because they enhance reproduction or survival, but

(D) because they enhance reproduction or survival, but are

(E) because of enhancing reproduction or survival, but are
oa is D

I received a PM asking me to comment.

In C, the meaning is not crystal clear:

...products of natural selection, favored...but simply random...

The construction above could imply -- incorrectly -- that both favored and random modify products.

In D, the parallel structure are not...but are makes it crystal clear that random refers not to products but to traits:

...traits that are not the products of natural selection...but are simply random by-products of other evolutionary developments...

It must be clear what a modifier is modifying. Since D makes the meaning crystal clear, eliminate C and choose D.

Hi Mitch
thank you for wonderful reply. i want only to specify my own understanding. if i got you solution right full, version of D must be read as:
...many biological traits are not the products of natural selection....,but (traits) are simply random by-products....here they omitted traits
is it right understanding?
and perhaps silly question. How do you know that initial meaning of the sentence was to modify traits rather than products? As both idioms in C: not x but y.
and in D: are not x but are y. are legitimate constructions ( as far as i know)
thanks

Meaning gets clear by the comparison between products of natural selection and Random by products.
So they need to be parallel

clock60 wrote:Hi Mitch
thank you for wonderful reply. i want only to specify my own understanding. if i got you solution right full, version of D must be read as:
...many biological traits are not the products of natural selection....,but (traits) are simply random by-products....here they omitted traits
is it right understanding?
and perhaps silly question. How do you know that initial meaning of the sentence was to modify traits rather than products? As both idioms in C: not x but y.
and in D: are not x but are y. are legitimate constructions ( as far as i know)
thanks

hi sameerballani
if i got Mitch`s note right they compare not products of natural selection and random by-products,
but traits that in one case are not products of natural selection and on the other case traits that are simply by-products.
say other words: traits1 vs traits2
it seems to me that according to you note C is right answer

You are correct. Traits are NOT X but ARE Y

clock60 wrote:hi sameerballani
if i got Mitch`s note right they compare not products of natural selection and random by-products,
but traits that in one case are not products of natural selection and on the other case traits that are simply by-products.
say other words: traits1 vs traits2
it seems to me that according to you note C is right answer

Paleontologist Stephen Jay Gould has argued that many biological traits are not the products of natural selection, favored because they enhance reproduction or survival, but simply random by-products of other evolutionary developments.

I am curious to know, why this sentence is not clear in meaning, as though both noun and verb--traits are--append to the parallel phrases X and Y in the not X but Y idiom?

its a lott confusing...!!!!

Confusion ! what is the source of this question ?

each option has a comma before but .
And If i am right , we need a clause after comma + but .

in the idiom Not x But y , I don't think we have a comma unless X and Y both are parallel clauses.

@ rveeraga ,
I think what you have written is correct .

GMATGuruNY wrote:

clock60 wrote:hi guys
i try to seek this sentence and even found two discussions on this forum, but i was not happy with both. My particular question why D is better than C.

Paleontologist Stephen Jay Gould has argued that many biological traits are not the products of natural selection, favored due to their enhancement of reproduction or survival, but that they are simply random by-products of other evolutionary developments.

(A) due to their enhancement of reproduction or survival, but that they are

(B) due to the reproduction or survival they enhance, but they are

(C) because they enhance reproduction or survival, but

(D) because they enhance reproduction or survival, but are

(E) because of enhancing reproduction or survival, but are
oa is D

I received a PM asking me to comment.

In C, the meaning is not crystal clear:

...products of natural selection, favored...but simply random...

The construction above could imply -- incorrectly -- that both favored and random modify products.

In D, the parallel structure are not...but are makes it crystal clear that random refers not to products but to traits:

...traits that are not the products of natural selection...but are simply random by-products of other evolutionary developments...

It must be clear what a modifier is modifying. Since D makes the meaning crystal clear, eliminate C and choose D.

but can combine with not and so, in C, but is correct.

why C is wrong is still a problem.

786 wrote:Confusion ! what is the source of this question ?

each option has a comma before but .
And If i am right , we need a clause after comma + but .

in the idiom Not x But y , I don't think we have a comma unless X and Y both are parallel clauses.

@ rveeraga ,
I think what you have written is correct .

Why is there no clause after ,but

Can anybody please fill the gap in my understanding.I guess I am missing a grammar rule here