BREAKING: Target Test Prep releases Brand New 2026 On Demand GMAT prep course

Redeem
TTP OnDemand GMAT Video Course
Featured Course

Target Test Prep GMAT OnDemand

Scott Woodbury-Stewart’s private virtual classroom — 400 hours of master-class video lessons for the GMAT Focus Edition.

  • 715+ score guarantee — highest in the industry (99th percentile)
  • 52 chapters · 1,500+ lessons · 4,000+ practice questions
  • 400 hours of video · 1,500+ instructor-led HD smartboard lessons
  • 300,000+ students accepted to Harvard, Stanford, Wharton, Booth & Sloan & more
  • 24/7 live support + weekly Zoom office hours with GMAT instructors
  • TTP AI Assist — 24/7 AI-powered virtual tutor for instant help
  • 1,200+ flashcards + AI-powered study assistant & daily calendar
  • OnDemand, LiveTeach & GMAT Bootcamp formats available
  • Also: GRE, SAT Math & Executive Assessment courses
  • MBA Admissions Consulting now available
  • 🏆 2025 EdTech Breakthrough Award: Test Prep Solution Provider of the Year
  • 200,000+ students served
  • 5-day free trial — $0 to start, no auto-billing, cancel anytime
★★★★★ 5.0 (559 reviews)
130-pt guarantee
$0 to start then $127/mo
Start Free 5-Day Trial Read 559 Reviews →

SC Grail Q26

Expert replies
Post new topic Locked
Previous Topic Next Topic
User avatar
Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts
Posts: 80
Joined: Sun Jan 09, 2011 4:00 amFollowed by: 5 members
Thanked: 4 times

by powerpuff » Mon Jan 24, 2011 8:25 am
Guys, the OA is option C .
Very good explanation given by Vatsalroxy. Kudos to you.

Here is another point you guys probably wouldn't have observed.

A staunch critic of the Umpire Decision Review System (UDRS), the football team captain did a volte-face on Thursday by backing the controversial innovation and saying it would have to be used if the standard of umpiring keeps going down .

How did the football team Captain do a Volte face? by ...... and (by). The second by is missing,hence parallelism error .

This was not a difficult but a very tricky question ,I must say.The kind of questions which appear in higher difficulty level on the GMAT.
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
Junior | Next Rank: 30 Posts
Posts: 13
Joined: Sun Oct 17, 2010 11:07 am
Thanked: 4 times
GMAT Score:700

by akash.delsaria » Mon Jan 24, 2011 11:25 am
Hello everyone

I came down to A & C as my final 2 choices

Between the two, A sounds better to me. As for the parallelism error pointed out, I have a query.
Is it wrong to say -

The work was done by X & Y.

Do we have to use the 'by' twice.

Secondly, in C, it seems that the 'controversial innovation was saying some thing... '

Do let me know your views or maybe experts .
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts
Posts: 95
Joined: Wed Sep 22, 2010 8:26 amFollowed by: 1 member
Thanked: 1 times

by RACHVIK » Mon Jan 24, 2011 10:32 pm
I would like to differ on the OA. [spoiler]'A'[/spoiler] should be the correct answer. Its the best among the worst.

In parallelism it is not necessary to repeat the preposition with every choice. This question is not framed properly. I would like to know from SC grail if 'saying' in Option C acts as a verb??

Would appreciate feedback!!
Rachvik
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 129
Joined: Mon Dec 15, 2008 11:43 pm
Location: Hyderabad
Thanked: 2 times

by naaga » Mon Jan 24, 2011 11:16 pm
Hi, anyone have SC grail question bank, please send it to my mail Id [email protected]
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
Legendary Member
Posts: 2330
Joined: Fri Jan 15, 2010 5:14 amFollowed by: 26 members
Thanked: 56 times

by mundasingh123 » Tue Jan 25, 2011 12:10 am
How can \c be the OA, The present participle saying that seems to be modifying innovation.t seems as if the innovation is saying
I Seek Explanations Not Answers
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
User avatar
Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts
Posts: 80
Joined: Sun Jan 09, 2011 4:00 amFollowed by: 5 members
Thanked: 4 times

by powerpuff » Tue Jan 25, 2011 1:00 am
Guys,
The point that there should be prepositions at two places..{ Did a volte face by.... and (by) ..} was my own thought and is not in the official explanation and as you guys have pointed out probably my line of thought is wrong.

Here's the official explanation

Concepts Tested - Modification, Subordination

A - This option incorrectly makes 'backing' and saying' parallel ,but the idea here is to make 'saying'
subordinated to the previous clause because the captain is not doing two things. He is only
doing one thing, which is backing', and he is doing this by 'saying' something. (SC Grail - pg. 138)

B - The modifying phrase at the beginning of the sentence should be followed by the
subject of the sentence which is the football captain and not the controversial innovation (SC Grail - pg. 71)

D - The use of the possessive had' is incorrect. The football captain didn't have anything,
he did something.

E - Poor sentence construction at the end - 'has now decided to back the controversial
innovation when he said that' - the use of 'when' is incorrect (SC Grail - pg. 124)
Last edited by powerpuff on Tue Jan 25, 2011 1:06 am, edited 1 time in total.
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
User avatar
Legendary Member
Posts: 752
Joined: Sun Sep 12, 2010 2:47 amFollowed by: 10 members
Thanked: 20 times
GMAT Score:700

by prachich1987 » Tue Jan 25, 2011 1:04 am
In A, it sounds as though backing the controversial innovation AND saying it are two different actions.
But according to me it's the captain backed the controversial innovation by saying that it would have to be used if the standard of um.............

Hence it has to be C

Powerpuff thanks for posting the OA
please oblige us by posting OE too
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
User avatar
Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts
Posts: 80
Joined: Sun Jan 09, 2011 4:00 amFollowed by: 5 members
Thanked: 4 times

by powerpuff » Tue Jan 25, 2011 1:07 am
prachich1987 wrote:In A, it sounds as though backing the controversial innovation AND saying it are two different actions.
But according to me it's the captain backed the controversial innovation by saying that it would have to be used if the standard of um.............

Hence it has to be C

Powerpuff thanks for posting the OA
please oblige us by posting OE too
Yeah, your reasoning sounds good. Have just posted the explanation above.
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
Legendary Member
Posts: 2330
Joined: Fri Jan 15, 2010 5:14 amFollowed by: 26 members
Thanked: 56 times

by mundasingh123 » Tue Jan 25, 2011 2:21 am
prachich1987 wrote:In A, it sounds as though backing the controversial innovation AND saying it are two different actions.
But according to me it's the captain backed the controversial innovation by saying that it would have to be used if the standard of um.............

Hence it has to be C

Powerpuff thanks for posting the OA
please oblige us by posting OE too
How does A sound the way u are saying it sounds.
Its clearly showing a connection bewteen the two by use of preposition gerund How did he do the volte face.
Ans:By saying ...
Saying is parallel to backing and not "He did volteface "
I Seek Explanations Not Answers
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 146
Joined: Sun Jun 13, 2010 5:05 am
Thanked: 7 times

by BastiG » Tue Jan 25, 2011 4:23 am
So is saying a present participle , the answer c must Be wrong or is saying a gerund?
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
Legendary Member
Posts: 2330
Joined: Fri Jan 15, 2010 5:14 amFollowed by: 26 members
Thanked: 56 times

by mundasingh123 » Tue Jan 25, 2011 6:34 am
BastiG wrote:So is saying a present participle , the answer c must Be wrong or is saying a gerund?
In A saying is used as noun read gerund
I Seek Explanations Not Answers
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
Legendary Member
Posts: 1574
Joined: Fri Jan 28, 2011 2:52 amFollowed by: 13 members
Thanked: 88 times

by aspirant2011 » Tue Feb 01, 2011 1:28 am
I would go with A because of parallelism...............wats the OA..................
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
Post new topic Locked