SC - Link of cause and effect

This topic has expert replies
User avatar
Legendary Member
Posts: 1665
Joined: Thu Nov 03, 2011 7:04 pm
Thanked: 165 times
Followed by:70 members

SC - Link of cause and effect

by karthikpandian19 » Sun Jul 01, 2012 11:06 pm
The mountain goat has never been widely pursued as a game animal, most likely on account of living at high altitudes where hunters are less likely to adventure.


(A) on account of living

(B) being they live

(C) because of living

(D) because it lives

(E) on account of their living
Regards,
Karthik
The source of the questions that i post from JUNE 2013 is from KNEWTON

---If you find my post useful, click "Thank" :) :)---
---Never stop until cracking GMAT---
Source: — Sentence Correction |

User avatar
Legendary Member
Posts: 502
Joined: Tue Jun 03, 2008 11:36 pm
Thanked: 99 times
Followed by:21 members

by vk_vinayak » Mon Jul 02, 2012 12:44 am
Between A and D, I prefer D. Not sure how to rule out A.
- VK

I will (Learn. Recognize. Apply)

User avatar
Legendary Member
Posts: 1665
Joined: Thu Nov 03, 2011 7:04 pm
Thanked: 165 times
Followed by:70 members

by karthikpandian19 » Mon Jul 02, 2012 1:15 am
This sentence contains an awkward prepositional phrase; on account of living does not clearly express the relationship between the second part of the sentence and the first, which is a cause-effect relationship. While on account of does indicate a cause-effect relationship, it cannot be used to introduce an entire subordinate clause. Introducing a subordinate clause can be done concisely with a single word like because or since.

Choice D is correct. It replaces on account of living with because it lives, which is concise and grammatical; it lives displays pronoun-antecedent agreement (it refers to the mountain goat) and provides the subordinate clause with both a subject and a verb.

Choice B uses the construction being, a construction that should be avoided in most cases. They is a plural pronoun incorrectly referring to the singular antecedent, the mountain goat.

Choice C correctly replaces the wordy on account of with because of; however, this subordinate clause does not contain a main subject or verb and is therefore ungrammatical.

Choice E retains the original mistake and introduces a pronoun-antecedent agreement error.

Choice D is correct.
vk_vinayak wrote:Between A and D, I prefer D. Not sure how to rule out A.
Regards,
Karthik
The source of the questions that i post from JUNE 2013 is from KNEWTON

---If you find my post useful, click "Thank" :) :)---
---Never stop until cracking GMAT---

• Page 1 of 1