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Cambridge tests good ones - 6

by arora007 » Thu Jan 20, 2011 9:07 am
Persistence of vision, the condition when your eyes bridge the gaps of darkness between flashes of light, explains the seeming magic produced by the stroboscope, an instrument that appears to freeze the swiftest motions while they are still going on.

A) the condition when your eyes bridge
B) when your eyes bridge
C) the condition of your eyes bridging
D) which occurs when your eyes bridge
E) occuring when your eyes bridge[spoiler]

Fourth choice is correct. The orignal sentence is incorrect because the conjunction when introduces an adverbial modifier, and an adverb cannot modify the noun condition. The second choice commits a smiliar error, because the adverb seems to modify persistence, a noun. The third choice is awkward and unidiomatic. And the fifth choice changes the meaning of the sentence. The fourth choice eliminates the error of the orignal and introduces no new error.
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by AIM GMAT » Thu Jan 20, 2011 9:09 am
I find this question similar to some OG question , although i dnt remember that question . Anyways IMO D.
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by prachich1987 » Thu Jan 20, 2011 10:00 am
I have a difficulty in understanding this "The orignal sentence is incorrect because the conjunction when introduces an adverbial modifier, and an adverb cannot modify the noun condition. "
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by Adam@Knewton » Thu Jan 20, 2011 1:08 pm
prachich1987 wrote:I have a difficulty in understanding this "The orignal sentence is incorrect because the conjunction when introduces an adverbial modifier, and an adverb cannot modify the noun condition. "
Generally speaking, "when" is not properly a relative pronoun like "which," but is in fact a relative adverb. Thus its correct usage is, for example:

"I am going to retire when this semester is over." Here, "when this semester is over" is an adverbial phrase modifying the verb "retire."

However, "when" CAN be an adjectival modifier if and only if it's modifying a time:

"Tomorrow is the day when you will meet your fate." Here, "when" is introducing a relative clause modifying the noun "fate." However, this is the only correct idiomatic usage of "when" as a relative (adjectival) pronoun.

In the above sentence, although it's not given as an option, we could replace "when" with "in which" and no longer have an error. Then, "which" would be referring to "condition" and the relative clause "in which your eyes bridge the gaps..." would properly modify the noun "condition."
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by Target2009 » Thu Jan 20, 2011 8:47 pm
6. Persistence of vision, the condition when your eyes bridge the gaps of darkness between flashes of light, explains the seeming magic produced by the stroboscope, an instrument that appears to freeze the swiftest motions while they are still going on.

A) the condition when your eyes bridge - incorrect use of appositive
B) when your eyes bridge - incorrect use of when to modify vision
C) the condition of your eyes bridging - bridging is incorrect
D) which occurs when your eyes bridge - Correct
E) occuring when your eyes bridge - ing modify preceding clause

IMO - D
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by navami » Tue Mar 08, 2011 9:36 pm
Hi Adam

I am pretty lost in this problem, You said that when can be replaced by in which . Hence D is correct but in option D there is no in which . Option D has only which .

As far as I know, which refers to the nearest noun, that is in this case is vision and not persistence of vision.

Please explain.
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by minar » Wed Mar 09, 2011 9:33 am
A good one.
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