SC-31

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mankey: Legendary Member; Posts: 627; Joined: Thu Jun 23, 2011 9:12 amFollowed by: 1 member; Thanked: 4 times

by mankey » Sat Oct 22, 2011 2:48 am

On the Great Plains, nineteenth-century settlers used mud and grass to build their homes, doing it without timber and nails.

(A) settlers used mud and grass to build their homes, doing it without
(B) settlers used mud and grass to build their homes, did it without
(C) settlers used mud and grass to build their homes, making them while not having
(D) settlers used mud and grass to build their homes, making do without
(E) settlers' homes were built of mud and grass, making do without

OA: D.

Didnt understand this. Please help.

Thanks.

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Source: Beat The GMAT — Sentence Correction | Sat Oct 22, 2011 2:48 am

aspirant2011: Legendary Member; Posts: 1574; Joined: Fri Jan 28, 2011 2:52 amFollowed by: 13 members; Thanked: 88 times

by aspirant2011 » Sat Oct 22, 2011 6:51 am

mankey wrote:On the Great Plains, nineteenth-century settlers used mud and grass to build their homes, doing it without timber and nails.

(A) settlers used mud and grass to build their homes, doing it without
(B) settlers used mud and grass to build their homes, did it without
(C) settlers used mud and grass to build their homes, making them while not having
(D) settlers used mud and grass to build their homes, making do without
(E) settlers' homes were built of mud and grass, making do without

Remember making do without is also an idiom. This is a 1000 SC question and experts don't recommend to practice 1000 SC........so won't recommend u to practice from 1000 SC

OA: D.

Didnt understand this. Please help.

Thanks.

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Ilana@EconomistGMAT: GMAT Instructor; Posts: 70; Joined: Thu Dec 16, 2010 3:22 pmFollowed by: 18 members; Thanked: 37 times

by Ilana@EconomistGMAT » Sun Oct 23, 2011 6:15 am

In A, the pronoun 'it' is used incorrectly to refer to an action - 'building'. This is not acceptable. 'It' should only be used to refer to a noun.
In B, we have a comma splice - two clauses connected by a comma, instead of a connector. This is not acceptable syntax.
In C, we have two stylistic problems: the pronoun 'them' is ambiguous - it could refer to 'homes' but also to 'Plains"' or even to 'mud and grass'. The phrase 'while no having' is awkward.
In E, the problem is not so much with the passive construction, as with the way the passive construction combines with the participle 'making do'. Once the subject is the 'homes' rather than the settlers themselves, the participle 'making do' does not make any sense. The settlers make do or do not make do - not the homes.
This leaves only answer choice D, which is grammatically correct and logical. Here, the partciple 'making do' logically modifies 'settlers".

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