lunarpower wrote:i agree that this problem is non-official, but it's not horrible.
GMATGuruNY wrote:The problem with D is that the parallel structure would appear...and make implies a series of two distinct actions.
i don't necessarily agree with this.
cf. og11 #78, which contains the following construction:
Visitors to the park have often looked up into the leafy canopy and seen...
this is not a series of two distinct actions, but it's connected with "and".
I'm not quite sure that the two situations are analagous.
The following would feel a bit awkward:
Visitors to the park have often looked up into the leafy canopy, seeing monkeys sleeping on the branches....
That the visitors have often
seen the monkeys seems too important to place in a modifying phrase. The sentence would be left with only one main action (
looked up), which doesn't really convey the point of the sentence. To convey the intended meaning of the sentence, the two actions (have
looked up and
seen) need to be kept distinct.
The following, however, feels correct:
A burst of smoke would appear, making an already terrified passenger think...
Granted, the version above benefits from the omission of
when the bag inflated, the inclusion of which would make it unclear whether
making is modifying
burst or
bag.
Given a choice between a parallel structure (
a burst of smoke would appear...and make) and the structure suggested above (
a burst of smoke would appear, making), I strongly suspect that the GMAT would prefer the latter.
Consider OG12 #47, in which answer choice E is incorrect:
Five fledgling sea eagles left their nests...,and brought to 34 the number...
Whereas answer choice A is the OA:
Five fledgling sea eagles left their nests...,bringing to 34 the number...
While the use of
brought in E creates a punctuation issue, I think that the primary error in E is that the two actions (
left and
brought) are not distinct.
Last edited by
GMATGuruNY on Wed May 18, 2011 4:29 am, edited 1 time in total.
Private tutor exclusively for the GMAT and GRE, with over 20 years of experience.
Followed here and elsewhere by over 1900 test-takers.
I have worked with students based in the US, Australia, Taiwan, China, Tajikistan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia -- a long list of countries.
My students have been admitted to HBS, CBS, Tuck, Yale, Stern, Fuqua -- a long list of top programs.
As a tutor, I don't simply teach you how I would approach problems.
I unlock the best way for YOU to solve problems.
For more information, please email me (Mitch Hunt) at
[email protected].
Student Review #1
Student Review #2
Student Review #3
