Sentence Correction

In OG12 #64, the non-underlined portion of the sentence contains this list.

1: cigarette smoking
2: eating rich foods
3: alcohol consumption

Per my understanding consumption is action noun. So it cannot be parallel to simple gerund. So the parallel list should contain complex gerund and action noun.

smoking of cigarettes
eating of rich foods
alcohol consumption

Now obviously, I know the list in the OG sentence is correct. So what is the rule here? What am I missing here? What should I keep in mind when I see a list of gerunds and action nouns?

Per my current understanding, simple gerunds are not parallel to complex gerunds and action nouns. For example, in question 28, 'cultivating corn' is not parallel to 'the harvesting of fish'.

Please help...I feel that I learn these rules only to see certain exceptions and then I get confused all over again.

Aman

Could you please share the complete question.

Sure, I should have done that in the first place.

This is OG12#64. The list mentioned above is in non-underlined portion of the sentence.

Doctors generally agree that such factors as cigarette smoking， eating rich foods high in fats， and alcohol consumption not only do damage by themselves but also aggravate genetic predispositions toward certain diseases.

(A） not only do damage by themselves but also aggravate
（B） do damage by themselves but also are aggravating to
（C） are damaging by themselves but also are aggravating
（D） not only do damage by themselves， they are also aggravating to
（E） are doing damage by themselves， and they are also aggravating

This is OG12#28. The list mentioned above is in underlined portion of the sentence.

Building on civilizations that preceded them in coastal Peru, the Mochica developed their own elaborate society, based on cultivating such crops like corn and beans, the harvesting of fish and shellfish, and exploiting other wild and domestic resources.

A. based on cultivating such crops like corn and beans, the harvesting of fish and shellfish, and exploiting
B. based on cultivation of such crops like corn and beans, the harvesting of fish and shellfish, and the exploitation
C. and basing it on the cultivation of crops like corn and beans, harvesting fish and seafood, and the exploiting of
D. and they based it on their cultivation of crops such as corn and beans, the harvest of fish and seafood, and exploiting
E. and they based it on their cultivating such crops such as corn and beans, their harvest of fish and shellfish, and they exploited

For OG12#64....IMO A

deep.amangmat wrote:Sure, I should have done that in the first place.

This is OG12#64. The list mentioned above is in non-underlined portion of the sentence.

Doctors generally agree that such factors as cigarette smoking， eating rich foods high in fats， and alcohol consumption not only do damage by themselves but also aggravate genetic predispositions toward certain diseases.

(A） not only do damage by themselves but also aggravate
（B） do damage by themselves but also are aggravating to
（C） are damaging by themselves but also are aggravating
（D） not only do damage by themselves， they are also aggravating to
（E） are doing damage by themselves， and they are also aggravating

This is OG12#28. The list mentioned above is in underlined portion of the sentence.

Building on civilizations that preceded them in coastal Peru, the Mochica developed their own elaborate society, based on cultivating such crops like corn and beans, the harvesting of fish and shellfish, and exploiting other wild and domestic resources.

A. based on cultivating such crops like corn and beans, the harvesting of fish and shellfish, and exploiting
B. based on cultivation of such crops like corn and beans, the harvesting of fish and shellfish, and the exploitation
C. and basing it on the cultivation of crops like corn and beans, harvesting fish and seafood, and the exploiting of
D. and they based it on their cultivation of crops such as corn and beans, the harvest of fish and seafood, and exploiting
E. and they based it on their cultivating such crops such as corn and beans, their harvest of fish and shellfish, and they exploited

IMO OG12#64 A
OG12#28 B

Please share the OA for both the questions.
Thanks

for OG12#28 A

Hi,

OG12#28--> if there is a noun form of a verb, such as retention (to retain), exploration (to explore), acquisition (to acquire), you directly use that noun and avoid gerund form of the noun. This is aGMAT rule.

NoT explorimg but exploration...etc

IMO #64 a#. #28 d
#28 such as. b) parallelism

deep.amangmat wrote:In OG12 #64, the non-underlined portion of the sentence contains this list.

1: cigarette smoking
2: eating rich foods
3: alcohol consumption

I am also in the same boat as Aman here. Could someone please explain how these three expressions are in parallel.

Thanks in advance.

Hi Ron,

Thanks so much for responding.

I will keep the point about noun form of action vs gerund form in my mind - we should prefer to use noun form of action if one exists and if one is present in the answer choices.

But I am still confused. Per the below quoted text of MGMAT SC book, action nouns are not parallel to simple gerunds. Action nouns should be parallel to complex gerunds. Is this understanding correct?

Quoted from MGMAT SC Page 67 -

"There are 3 categories of nouns 1: Concrete nouns, 2: Action Nouns and Complex Gerunds, 3: Simple Gerunds. Do not mix these categories"

If my understanding is correct, then why is this list in OG12#64 correct? All are nouns, but the forms are different and simple gerund is made parallel to action noun


Noun = smoking is simple gerund
Noun = eating rich foods is simple gerund
Noun = consumption is action noun

So should the list not be?

smoking of cigarettes
eating of rich foods
alcohol consumption

Or if we want a list of simple gerunds then:
cigarette smoking (or smoking cigarettes)
eating rich foods
consuming alcohol

On similar lines, then if there were an option in OG12#28 for this list, will it be correct?
cultivating crops
harvesting fish
resource exploitation

I hope I am not over-analyzing this, but it took me quite a while to grasp this advanced rule and now when I read this sentence Q64, I feel I am confused all over again. I feel that I did not really needed to remember this rule. PLEASE HELP....

Aman

let me prove that what you have quoted from SC guide is correct. Remember most of the rules in SC guide are result of Official questions - it is not a grammar book but sentence correction book for GMAT. So a blend of logic and grammar.

1: cigarette smoking -> smoking (action noun)
2: eating rich foods -> simlple gerund effectively noun
3: alcohol consumption -> action noun (consumption)

now , think for a while why this rule is there ? Personally, i wont call it grammar. Parallelism is not grammar but logic - common sens.

Ask your self why these rules are so ? In other words, question those rules. You will see these rules are logical.

Think what is an action noun, think what is a vrb then.. think how they can be interchanged and their corresponding functions. Also, think where these rules might fall short but an appropriate replacement will do the job without hampering the exact logic.

Hint - concrete noun can NOT be parallel to an acion in other words to a verb, so it can't be parallel to a SIMPLE gerund or action noun..

think action noun has some action in it.. so that could be found only in gerund , which is made from verb (action)

Question rules that are not grammar because they are byproduct of logic.. now analyse the list and share your thoughts.. that way you will cherish the beauty llying behind.

I emphasis the point because in the past i suffered same thought process but got my eyes opened now.

also, you can go through Thursday with Ron for parallelsim.use google search for the link.

lunarpower wrote:Hi Ron,

i looked on page 67 of the sc guide, and i don't see anything like this. (i see the very first page of the Pronouns chapter.) please check the page number. (are you using a really old edition?)

Hi Ron,
Thanks alot for your response. It makes complete logical sense to say what you are saying. But these statements in MGMAT SC guide is really bothering me. Because I cannot seem to fit this rule with the OG sentence.

This rule is on Page 67 of MGMAT SC 3rd edition. It is on Page 214-215 of edition 4.


Here is what I stated earlier:
But I am still confused. Per the below quoted text of MGMAT SC book, action nouns are not parallel to simple gerunds. Action nouns should be parallel to complex gerunds. Is this understanding correct?

Quoted from MGMAT SC Page 67 -

"There are 3 categories of nouns 1: Concrete nouns, 2: Action Nouns and Complex Gerunds, 3: Simple Gerunds. Do not mix these categories"

If my understanding is correct, then why is this list in OG12#64 correct? All are nouns, but the forms are different and simple gerund is made parallel to action noun

Noun = smoking is simple gerund
Noun = eating rich foods is simple gerund
Noun = consumption is action noun

So should the list not be?

smoking of cigarettes
eating of rich foods
alcohol consumption

Or if we want a list of simple gerunds then:
cigarette smoking (or smoking cigarettes)
eating rich foods
consuming alcohol

I would really appreciate your response on this. Thanks so much.

Aman.

Hi gmatmadeeasy,

I really like your approach towards logic and SC. I am glad that you can understand where I am trapped right now. I hope I can clear my head of these rules and rise beyond them. Some days I really feel like I am wasting my time memorizing these rules. At times I try to follow logic but then I get swayed with all these grammar rules.

Now what you said about action nouns and gerunds, I completely follow. What you have explained is why action nouns are parallel to gerunds. And why concrete nouns are not parallel to gerunds.

But my question arises when MGMAT SC further classifies gerunds into simple gerunds and complex gerunds and then states that simple gerunds cannot be parallel to action nouns and that only complex gerunds can be parallel to action nouns. Any comments on this?

Infact if you see in MGMAT SC, there are a few questions in the exercise (BTW I truly love the way these questions are structured). In Edition 4, check question 17 & 18 on Page 218. In Edition 3, these are on page 70. Tell me what you feel about these two sentences.

Thanks alot,

Aman