Sixty-five million

This topic has expert replies
Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts
Posts: 8
Joined: Fri Mar 12, 2010 10:56 am
Thanked: 1 times

Sixty-five million

by elevinty » Sun May 23, 2010 4:45 am
years ago, according to some scientists, an asteroid bigger than Mount Everest slammed into North America, which, causing plant and animal extinctions, marks the end of the geologic era known as the Cretaceous Period.

A. which, causing plant and animal extinctions, marks
B. which caused the plant and animal extinctions marking
C. and causing plant and animal extinctions that mark
D. an event that caused plant and animal extinctions, and it marks
E. an event that caused the plant and animal extinctions that mark

Here is my question: In options E and D, how is the appositive grammatically right, shouldn't the appositive set next to the noun that it's modifying, in this case what is (an event) actually modifying because if it's modifying north america, then it wouldnt be right
need help plz
Last edited by elevinty on Mon May 24, 2010 12:50 am, edited 1 time in total.

Legendary Member
Posts: 537
Joined: Fri Jan 22, 2010 10:06 pm
Thanked: 14 times
Followed by:1 members

by frank1 » Sun May 23, 2010 5:39 am
First i narrowed it to D and E
D out as 'it' is not clear....what does it refers to

so E was alone
but when i re-read the answer
North America, an event that caused the plant and animal extinctions ....
i thought if it can win ...then B is not bad either

but i think
north america,which caused.... clearly modifies wrong part than
North America, an event that caused

so i think both are wrong
but i have to answer
as b is poorer among two bad choices...lol
i think E wins

Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts
Posts: 8
Joined: Fri Mar 12, 2010 10:56 am
Thanked: 1 times

by elevinty » Mon May 24, 2010 12:54 am
why do you think E clearly modifies the clause, isn't E appositive and therefore it's modifying the wrong the noun, is there anyway that appositive can modify a clause?

Legendary Member
Posts: 2326
Joined: Mon Jul 28, 2008 3:54 am
Thanked: 173 times
Followed by:2 members
GMAT Score:710

by gmatmachoman » Mon May 24, 2010 2:15 am
frank1 wrote:First i narrowed it to D and E
D out as 'it' is not clear....what does it refers to

so E was alone
but when i re-read the answer
North America, an event that caused the plant and animal extinctions ....
i thought if it can win ...then B is not bad either

but i think
north america,which caused.... clearly modifies wrong part than
North America, an event that caused

so i think both are wrong
but i have to answer
as b is poorer among two bad choices...lol
i think E wins
B is bad!! How so?? "which" refers back to N.America, but the intended meaning is the event that caused the "extinction".

D introduces " it". Certain amount of ambiguity is there!

E rightly introduces " that" which refers back to extinctions.

User avatar
Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 131
Joined: Tue Apr 22, 2008 1:54 pm
Thanked: 3 times
GMAT Score:550

by hariharakarthi » Mon May 24, 2010 11:21 am
IMO E.

In D, also see the verb "and it marks"
So, eliminate D and Choose B.

Appositive modifier does not need to next to the noun it modifies. Appositive modifier is used when you have modifier dangling in sentence.
Regards,
hhk

Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts
Posts: 56
Joined: Fri Mar 05, 2010 9:50 pm
Thanked: 1 times

by muralithe1 » Mon May 24, 2010 4:27 pm
gmatmachoman wrote:
frank1 wrote:First i narrowed it to D and E
D out as 'it' is not clear....what does it refers to

so E was alone
but when i re-read the answer
North America, an event that caused the plant and animal extinctions ....
i thought if it can win ...then B is not bad either

but i think
north america,which caused.... clearly modifies wrong part than
North America, an event that caused

so i think both are wrong
but i have to answer
as b is poorer among two bad choices...lol
i think E wins
B is bad!! How so?? "which" refers back to N.America, but the intended meaning is the event that caused the "extinction".

D introduces " it". Certain amount of ambiguity is there!

E rightly introduces " that" which refers back to extinctions.
HI,
I guess here in 'B' , "Which" can refer to either "asteroid' or "Mount Everest" and thats how it can create the ambiguity.
Please correct me if i am wrong.

User avatar
Legendary Member
Posts: 2109
Joined: Sun Apr 19, 2009 10:25 pm
Location: New Jersey
Thanked: 109 times
Followed by:79 members
GMAT Score:640

by money9111 » Mon May 24, 2010 4:34 pm
I chose E... I didn't choose B because in the sentence it says slammED and then to have markING would not be parallel

i dont know if my reasoning is correct BUT... that's how i justified it in my head
My goal is to make MBA applicants take onus over their process.

My story from Pre-MBA to Cornell MBA - New Post in Pre-MBA blog

Me featured on Poets & Quants

Free Book for MBA Applicants


Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts
Posts: 3
Joined: Thu Oct 25, 2018 7:50 pm

by teaserbae » Mon Oct 29, 2018 2:23 am
Options a , b and c can easily rejected as in
A which modifies N.A which is wrong similarly in B
in C causing in parallel to what ?
Now we are left with D and E
And the difference between D and E is it and that ( articel the is not tested in GMAT)
it may indicate to asteriod... or an event
From the sentence it indicates the antecedent is an event
But in E it is more clear