IMO - C
whenever we introduce a present participle phrase with a comma then it signifies that the action mentioned in the present participle phrase took place at the same time as the action in the main clause .
If you look closely into the above sentence , you will notice that the act of warm up , stretching exercise and the chance of reduced injury is taking place at the same time .
So the option C correctly fits the rule .
Grammarians refer to this rule as adverb of attendant circumstances .
why is A worng ?
It is the problem with A. It refers to salsa dancers - this is wrong . It should have referred to warm up and stretching exercises .
800 bob on test magic says "
Subject and object pronouns (it, they, them) agree with the subject of the preceding clause or
sentence
Relative pronoun (that, who, which) agree with the immediately preceding noun.
In order to prove his point bob gives half a dozen of examples form Official guide of the GMAT where this rule is applied ........
For example :
97. Iguanas have been an important food source in Latin America since prehistoric times, and they are still prized as game animals by the campesinos.... The pronoun “they” refers to “iguanas,” not to the nearest plural noun “times.”
103. Students in the metropolitan school district are so lacking in math skills that it will be difficult to absorb them into a city economy.... The pronoun “them” refers to “students,” not to the nearest plural noun “skills.”
152. ...a microbe never before seen on Earth that might escape from the laboratory and kill vast numbers of humans who would have no natural defenses against it. The pronoun “it” refers to “microbe,” not to the nearest singular noun “laboratory.”
153. A recording system was so secretly installed and operated in the Kennedy Oval Office that even Theodore C. Sorensen, the White House counsel, did not know it existed. The pronoun “it” refers to “system,” not to the nearest singular noun “Office.”
180. Quasars are so distant that their light has taken billions of years to reach the Earth; consequently, we see them as they were during the formation of the universe. The pronouns “them” and “they” refer to “quasars,” not to the nearest plural noun “years.”
251. The gyrfalcon, an Arctic bird of prey, has survived a close brush with extinction; its numbers are now five times greater than when.... The pronoun “its” refers to “gyrfalcon,” not to the nearest singular noun “extinction.”
option B is wrong . Which refers to nearest preceding noun which is stretching exercises . Then what about warm up ? option B is written in such a manner that it gives me a idea that only stretching exercises reduce the chance of injury where as the author of the sentence wants to say - warm and stretching exercises both reduce the chance of injury.
Those interested in knowing more about adverb of attendant circumstances and free modifiers and how are they derived can mail me .
