The Swedish warship Vasa, sunk in 1628 and raised in 1961

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The Swedish warship Vasa, sunk in 1628 and raised in 1961, was preserved in the cold water of Stockholm harbor, where low salinity inhibits the growth of marine borers that in most seas devour every exposed scrap of a sunken ship's wooden hull.

(A) was preserved in the cold water of Stockholm harbor, where low salinity inhibits
(B) being preserved in the cold water of Stockholm harbor, because the low salinity there is able to inhibit
(C) and preserved in the cold water of Stockholm harbor, the low salinity there inhibits
(D) having been preserved in the cold water of Stockholm harbor, whose low salinity inhibits
(E) had been preserved in the cold water of Stockholm harbor, because of low salinity there inhibiting

OA: A

Source:GMATPrep

[spoiler]What is wrong in B - "being preserved" is it not verb/ ing modifier? & "because the low salinity there is able to inhibit"-- is it wordy
In C - there is no verb "and" - should be used for the parallel structure.
In D - having been preserved is wrong.
In E -had been preserved is wrong why?[/spoiler]

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by GMATGuruNY » Tue Jul 25, 2017 5:19 am
NandishSS wrote:The Swedish warship Vasa, sunk in 1628 and raised in 1961, was preserved in the cold water of Stockholm harbor, where low salinity inhibits the growth of marine borers that in most seas devour every exposed scrap of a sunken ship's wooden hull.

(A) was preserved in the cold water of Stockholm harbor, where low salinity inhibits
(B) being preserved in the cold water of Stockholm harbor, because the low salinity there is able to inhibit
(C) and preserved in the cold water of Stockholm harbor, the low salinity there inhibits
(D) having been preserved in the cold water of Stockholm harbor, whose low salinity inhibits
(E) had been preserved in the cold water of Stockholm harbor, because of low salinity there inhibiting
In B, C, and D, the Swedish warship Vasa (subject) lacks a verb.
Eliminate B, C and D.

The past perfect (had + VERBed) serves to express an action completed before another past event.
E: The Swedish warship Vasa, sunk in 1628 and raised in 1961, had been preserved.
Here, the usage of had been preserved (past perfect) seems to imply that the warship was preserved BEFORE IT WAS SUNK AND RAISED.
This sequence is illogical.
Eliminate E.

The correct answer is A.
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by Mo2men » Wed Jul 26, 2017 5:12 am
GMATGuruNY wrote:
NandishSS wrote:The Swedish warship Vasa, sunk in 1628 and raised in 1961, was preserved in the cold water of Stockholm harbor, where low salinity inhibits the growth of marine borers that in most seas devour every exposed scrap of a sunken ship's wooden hull.

(A) was preserved in the cold water of Stockholm harbor, where low salinity inhibits
(B) being preserved in the cold water of Stockholm harbor, because the low salinity there is able to inhibit
(C) and preserved in the cold water of Stockholm harbor, the low salinity there inhibits
(D) having been preserved in the cold water of Stockholm harbor, whose low salinity inhibits
(E) had been preserved in the cold water of Stockholm harbor, because of low salinity there inhibiting
In B, C, and D, the Swedish warship Vasa (subject) lacks a verb.
Eliminate B, C and D.

The past perfect (had + VERBed) serves to express an action completed before another past event.
E: The Swedish warship Vasa, sunk in 1628 and raised in 1961, had been preserved.
Here, the usage of had been preserved (past perfect) seems to imply that the warship was preserved BEFORE IT WAS SUNK AND RAISED.
This sequence is illogical.
Eliminate E.

The correct answer is A.
Dear GMATGuru,

I have 2 questions about Choice E.

1- In above explanation you said it is illogical sequence. What is 'sunk and raised' role? I think both are participle? If so, what are their original form ? is it 'which was sunk and was raised'? could they be 'which had been sunk and had been raised?

2- Does this part 'because of low salinity there inhibiting' correct ? If correct, Is it consistent with non-underline part?

Thanks

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by GMATGuruNY » Fri Jul 28, 2017 6:21 am
Mo2men wrote:Dear GMATGuru,

I have 2 questions about Choice E.

1- In above explanation you said it is illogical sequence. What is 'sunk and raised' role? I think both are participle?
sunk = past participle of to sink.
raised = past participle of to raise.
In E, sunk and raised function as ADJECTIVES describing the Swedish warship Vasa.
If so, what are their original form ? is it 'which was sunk and was raised'?
Sure -- though the inclusion of which was adds no meaning and thus is unwarranted.
could they be 'which had been sunk and had been raised?
No.
Generally, the past perfect serves to express an action that happened at an INDEFINITE PAST MOMENT.
It cannot serve to express an action that happened during a defined time period (such as in 1628 or in 1961).
2- Does this part 'because of low salinity there inhibiting' correct ? If correct, Is it consistent with non-underline part?

Thanks
In E, the usage of because implies the following:
Low salinity caused the ship to be preserved..
low salinity = an absence of salt.
It seems illogical to say that something NOT PRESENT IN THE WATER (salt) caused an action in the water (the preservation of the ship).
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by Mo2men » Fri Jul 28, 2017 7:05 am
GMATGuruNY wrote:
2- Does this part 'because of low salinity there inhibiting' correct ? If correct, Is it consistent with non-underline part?

Thanks
In E, the usage of because implies the following:
Low salinity caused the ship to be preserved..
low salinity = an absence of salt.
It seems illogical to say that something NOT PRESENT IN THE WATER (salt) caused an action in the water (the preservation of the ship).
Thanks Mitch for your reply.

In my question above, if you ignored the meaning issue, is the construction grammatically correct 'because of low salinity there inhibitingthe growth of marine borers that in most seas devour '

Thanks

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by GMATGuruNY » Mon Jul 31, 2017 5:56 am
Mo2men wrote:
GMATGuruNY wrote:
2- Does this part 'because of low salinity there inhibiting' correct ? If correct, Is it consistent with non-underline part?

Thanks
In E, the usage of because implies the following:
Low salinity caused the ship to be preserved..
low salinity = an absence of salt.
It seems illogical to say that something NOT PRESENT IN THE WATER (salt) caused an action in the water (the preservation of the ship).
Thanks Mitch for your reply.

In my question above, if you ignored the meaning issue, is the construction grammatically correct 'because of low salinity there inhibitingthe growth of marine borers that in most seas devour '

Thanks
Probably incorrect: because of + NOUN + VERBing
Preferable: because + SUBJECT + VERB

Consider SC6 in the OG12:
D) because of moisture raising the humidity
OA) because moisture had raised the humidity
Whereas D (incorrect) includes because of + NOUN + VERBing, the OA includes because + SUBJECT + VERB.
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