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Mark Tulli's witty observations-Use of appositives

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Mark Tulli's witty observations-Use of appositives

by mundasingh123 » Sat Jul 31, 2010 4:20 am
The appositive modifier has been explained below
https://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/2010/06/ ... mment-5181

From comic artist Mark Tatulli's witty observations about the American obsession with all things Hollywood have emerged Heart of the City, a series centered on celebrity gossip and popular movies that are inspiring readers to send record volumes of fan mail to newspapers across the country.

(A) things Hollywood have emerged Heart of the City, a series centered on celebrity gossip and popular movies that are inspiring
(B) things Hollywood has emerged Heart of the City, a series centered on celebrity gossip and popular movies that is inspiring
(C) things that are related to Hollywood has emerged Heart of the City, a series centered on celebrity gossip and popular movies that inspire
(D) Hollywood things have emerged Heart of the City, a series centered on celebrity gossip and popular movies that are inspiring
(E) Hollywood things have emerged Heart of the City, a series centered on celebrity gossip and popular movies that inspire

my doubt is : isnt ' a series centered on celebrity gossip and popular movies' an appositive that should be followed by a comma because without the comma the subordinate clause beginning with "that inspire" modifies movies and not the singular "Heart of the city"
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by Stacey Koprince » Sat Jul 31, 2010 6:30 am
Received your PM - please cite the source (author) of the problem. I can't respond unless the author has been cited properly!
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by outreach » Sat Jul 31, 2010 6:52 am
"essential appositives are not set off from the rest of the sentence by punctuation marks"

the sentence subject is "Heart of the City"

B is correct


C incorrect because "inspire" in plural and subject is singular "Heart of the City"
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by outreach » Sat Jul 31, 2010 6:59 am
i think this is from knewton test
a nice explaination by Josh from knewton is below

Source: https://gmatclub.com/forum/knewton-free- ... f+the+city
"
From comic artist Mark Tatulli's witty observations about the American obsession with all things Hollywood has emerged Heart of the City, a series centered on celebrity gossip and popular movies that is inspiring readers to send record volumes of fan mail to newspapers across the country.

At a glance it looks like phrase "that is inspiring" could modify the plural noun "movies," were we to change "is" to "are." The GMAT takes advantage of this confusion by giving you answer choices with the plural verb "are" and the plural present tense "inspire" for choice E. However if we keep reading after "inspiring" and consider the logic of the sentence, we can see that the phrase "that is inspiring" could not modify the noun "movies" without making an absurd sentence. Ask yourself what the focus of the sentence is. What is it that is inspiring readers to send record volumes of fan mail to newspapers across the country? Of course it is the series "Heart of the City," thoroughly described in this sentence as being from Mark Tatulli's witty observations and being centered on celebrity gossip, etc. etc.

If the "that is inspiring" phrase pertained to the noun "movies," you would have a laughable result. The sentence would say in effect, "Here is this series 'Heart of Darkness'. It comes from this witty comic artist, and it is focused on two things: celebrity gossip and a very specific sort of movies, movies that are inspiring readers to send record volumes of fan mail to newspapers (not magazines!) across the country, to be exact." Unless you are under the impression that the GMAT is written by sociopaths, you can rule out the possibility of such an interpretation. Take a minute, step back, and consider what the sentence is actually saying - what is the subject and what is it doing. Doing so will allow you to avoid this sort of confusion.

On a final note: Even if you are confused about the phrase around the verb "inspire," you can still rule out answer choices A, D, and E here since they all contain the first subject-verb agreement error with "have emerged."'

"
Stacey Koprince wrote:Received your PM - please cite the source (author) of the problem. I can't respond unless the author has been cited properly!
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by gmat_perfect » Sat Jul 31, 2010 7:51 am
mundasingh123 wrote:The appositive modifier has been explained below
https://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/2010/06/ ... mment-5181

From comic artist Mark Tatulli's witty observations about the American obsession with all things Hollywood have emerged Heart of the City, a series centered on celebrity gossip and popular movies that are inspiring readers to send record volumes of fan mail to newspapers across the country.

(A) things Hollywood have emerged Heart of the City, a series centered on celebrity gossip and popular movies that are inspiring
(B) things Hollywood has emerged Heart of the City, a series centered on celebrity gossip and popular movies that is inspiring
(C) things that are related to Hollywood has emerged Heart of the City, a series centered on celebrity gossip and popular movies that inspire
(D) Hollywood things have emerged Heart of the City, a series centered on celebrity gossip and popular movies that are inspiring
(E) Hollywood things have emerged Heart of the City, a series centered on celebrity gossip and popular movies that inspire

my doubt is : isnt ' a series centered on celebrity gossip and popular movies' an appositive that should be followed by a comma because without the comma the subordinate clause beginning with "that inspire" modifies movies and not the singular "Heart of the city"
ONE IMPORTANT THING:

1. XX + Preposition + YY + THAT/WHO:

=> Whether THAT/Who refers to YY or XX depends on the context.

We can have examples from OG and GPREP:

By developing the Secure Digital Music Initiative, the recording industry associations of North America, Japan, and Europe hope to create a standardized way of distributing songs and full-length recordings on the Internet that will protect copyright holders and foil the many audio pirates who copy and distribute digital music illegally.

=> [Diagnostic Test_Question#50_OG12]


After decreasing steadily in the mid-1990's, the percentage of students in the United States who finished high school or earned equivalency diplomas increased in the last three years of the decade, to 86.5 percent in 2000 from 85.9 percent in 1999 and 84.8 percent in 1998.

=> GMATPREP 2:

From here we can see that XX of YY that---> That refers to XX part.

Again:

The list of animals that:

The list of animals that exhibit a preference for using either the right or the left hand (i.e., claw, paw, or foot) has been expanded to include the lower vertebrates.

=> here, XX of YY that---> That refers to YY because list can not exhibit. It is animals that can exhibit.

Now, come to the question:


a series centered on celebrity gossip and popular movies that is inspiring readers to send record volumes of fan mail to newspapers across the country.

A series ---> Singular NOUN

Centered on X and Y---> Modifier of the singular NOUN "a series"

Inspiring readers----> is the verb of "a series" for two reasons:

1. Movies can inspire the viewers or the audiences NOT the readers.
2. Readers can be inspired by reading the series.

Conclusion:

A series THAT is-----> Finally wins.

Answer is B.
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by neha.patni » Sat Jul 31, 2010 8:33 am
gmat_perfect wrote:
mundasingh123 wrote:The appositive modifier has been explained below
https://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/2010/06/ ... mment-5181

From comic artist Mark Tatulli's witty observations about the American obsession with all things Hollywood have emerged Heart of the City, a series centered on celebrity gossip and popular movies that are inspiring readers to send record volumes of fan mail to newspapers across the country.

(A) things Hollywood have emerged Heart of the City, a series centered on celebrity gossip and popular movies that are inspiring
(B) things Hollywood has emerged Heart of the City, a series centered on celebrity gossip and popular movies that is inspiring
(C) things that are related to Hollywood has emerged Heart of the City, a series centered on celebrity gossip and popular movies that inspire
(D) Hollywood things have emerged Heart of the City, a series centered on celebrity gossip and popular movies that are inspiring
(E) Hollywood things have emerged Heart of the City, a series centered on celebrity gossip and popular movies that inspire

my doubt is : isnt ' a series centered on celebrity gossip and popular movies' an appositive that should be followed by a comma because without the comma the subordinate clause beginning with "that inspire" modifies movies and not the singular "Heart of the city"
ONE IMPORTANT THING:

1. XX + Preposition + YY + THAT/WHO:

=> Whether THAT/Who refers to YY or XX depends on the context.

We can have examples from OG and GPREP:

By developing the Secure Digital Music Initiative, the recording industry associations of North America, Japan, and Europe hope to create a standardized way of distributing songs and full-length recordings on the Internet that will protect copyright holders and foil the many audio pirates who copy and distribute digital music illegally.

=> [Diagnostic Test_Question#50_OG12]


After decreasing steadily in the mid-1990's, the percentage of students in the United States who finished high school or earned equivalency diplomas increased in the last three years of the decade, to 86.5 percent in 2000 from 85.9 percent in 1999 and 84.8 percent in 1998.

=> GMATPREP 2:

From here we can see that XX of YY that---> That refers to XX part.

Again:

The list of animals that:

The list of animals that exhibit a preference for using either the right or the left hand (i.e., claw, paw, or foot) has been expanded to include the lower vertebrates.

=> here, XX of YY that---> That refers to YY because list can not exhibit. It is animals that can exhibit.

Now, come to the question:


a series centered on celebrity gossip and popular movies that is inspiring readers to send record volumes of fan mail to newspapers across the country.

A series ---> Singular NOUN

Centered on X and Y---> Modifier of the singular NOUN "a series"

Inspiring readers----> is the verb of "a series" for two reasons:

1. Movies can inspire the viewers or the audiences NOT the readers.
2. Readers can be inspired by reading the series.

Conclusion:

A series THAT is-----> Finally wins.

Answer is B.
very good explanation...
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by GMATGuruNY » Sat Jul 31, 2010 8:39 am
Quickest approach:

From comic artist Mark Tatulli's witty observations about the American obsession with all things Hollywood have emerged Heart of the City, a series centered on celebrity gossip and popular movies that are inspiring readers to send record volumes of fan mail to newspapers across the country.

(A) things Hollywood have emerged Heart of the City, a series centered on celebrity gossip and popular movies that are inspiring. What are inspiring? The celebrity gossip and the popular movies or only the popular movies? Since we can't tell, eliminate A.
(B) things Hollywood has emerged Heart of the City, a series centered on celebrity gossip and popular movies that is inspiring. Correct. The singular verb is inspiring makes it clear that the series is inspiring readers.
(C) things that are related to Hollywood has emerged Heart of the City, a series centered on celebrity gossip and popular movies that inspire What is the subject of the plural verb inspire? The celebrity gossip and the popular movies or only the popular movies? Since we can't tell, eliminate C.
(D) Hollywood things have emerged Heart of the City, a series centered on celebrity gossip and popular movies that are inspiring What are inspiring? The celebrity gossip and the popular movies or only the popular movies? Since we can't tell, eliminate D.
(E) Hollywood things have emerged Heart of the City, a series centered on celebrity gossip and popular movies that inspire What is the subject of the plural verb inspire? The celebrity gossip and the popular movies or only the popular movies? Since we can't tell, eliminate E.

The correct answer is B.
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by mundasingh123 » Sun Aug 01, 2010 11:50 pm
outreach wrote:i think this is from knewton test
a nice explaination by Josh from knewton is below

Source: https://gmatclub.com/forum/knewton-free- ... f+the+city
"
From comic artist Mark Tatulli's witty observations about the American obsession with all things Hollywood has emerged Heart of the City, a series centered on celebrity gossip and popular movies that is inspiring readers to send record volumes of fan mail to newspapers across the country.

At a glance it looks like phrase "that is inspiring" could modify the plural noun "movies," were we to change "is" to "are." The GMAT takes advantage of this confusion by giving you answer choices with the plural verb "are" and the plural present tense "inspire" for choice E. However if we keep reading after "inspiring" and consider the logic of the sentence, we can see that the phrase "that is inspiring" could not modify the noun "movies" without making an absurd sentence. Ask yourself what the focus of the sentence is. What is it that is inspiring readers to send record volumes of fan mail to newspapers across the country? Of course it is the series "Heart of the City," thoroughly described in this sentence as being from Mark Tatulli's witty observations and being centered on celebrity gossip, etc. etc.

If the "that is inspiring" phrase pertained to the noun "movies," you would have a laughable result. The sentence would say in effect, "Here is this series 'Heart of Darkness'. It comes from this witty comic artist, and it is focused on two things: celebrity gossip and a very specific sort of movies, movies that are inspiring readers to send record volumes of fan mail to newspapers (not magazines!) across the country, to be exact." Unless you are under the impression that the GMAT is written by sociopaths, you can rule out the possibility of such an interpretation. Take a minute, step back, and consider what the sentence is actually saying - what is the subject and what is it doing. Doing so will allow you to avoid this sort of confusion.

On a final note: Even if you are confused about the phrase around the verb "inspire," you can still rule out answer choices A, D, and E here since they all contain the first subject-verb agreement error with "have emerged."'

"
Stacey Koprince wrote:Received your PM - please cite the source (author) of the problem. I can't respond unless the author has been cited properly!

Thanks for the reply.I found this question in my diary and i do not remember where did i get this question from.
I suppose its from knewton free test as i had written it.
The solution here depends on the word "readers" .What if we replace "readers " with "viewers".Then thesolution will depend solely on the singular verb tense "is".
I wish to confirm .
What do you think?
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by mundasingh123 » Mon Aug 02, 2010 12:58 am
GMATGuruNY wrote:Quickest approach:

From comic artist Mark Tatulli's witty observations about the American obsession with all things Hollywood have emerged Heart of the City, a series centered on celebrity gossip and popular movies that are inspiring readers to send record volumes of fan mail to newspapers across the country.

(A) things Hollywood have emerged Heart of the City, a series centered on celebrity gossip and popular movies that are inspiring. What are inspiring? The celebrity gossip and the popular movies or only the popular movies? Since we can't tell, eliminate A.
(B) things Hollywood has emerged Heart of the City, a series centered on celebrity gossip and popular movies that is inspiring. Correct. The singular verb is inspiring makes it clear that the series is inspiring readers.
(C) things that are related to Hollywood has emerged Heart of the City, a series centered on celebrity gossip and popular movies that inspire What is the subject of the plural verb inspire? The celebrity gossip and the popular movies or only the popular movies? Since we can't tell, eliminate C.
(D) Hollywood things have emerged Heart of the City, a series centered on celebrity gossip and popular movies that are inspiring What are inspiring? The celebrity gossip and the popular movies or only the popular movies? Since we can't tell, eliminate D.
(E) Hollywood things have emerged Heart of the City, a series centered on celebrity gossip and popular movies that inspire What is the subject of the plural verb inspire? The celebrity gossip and the popular movies or only the popular movies? Since we can't tell, eliminate E.

The correct answer is B.
GMATGuruNy , U have answered in the following thread.
https://www.beatthegmat.com/og-10-sc-103-t62754.html

Students in the metropolitan school district are so lacking in math skills that it will be difficult to absorb them into a city economy becoming ever more dependent on information-based industries.

The pronoun them must be replacing a plural noun. The only options are students and skills. We know that them refers to students because:

-- Students is the subject of the sentence.

-- If them were referring to skills, the sentence would be saying that it will be difficult to absorb math skills into a city economy, and this statement makes no sense.

You consider
1)the subject of the sentence to decide whether "what is it difficult to absorb" is modifying students or skills
2)Logic : If them were referring to skills, the sentence would be saying that it will be difficult to absorb math skills into a city economy, and this statement makes no sense

Can we apply both the points to question like the 1 being discussed here in this thread to find out what is inspiring readers.

What if we replace the word "readers" with "viewers" then does it make sense to say that movies are inspiring viewers to send fanmails.
The only point left here then is The subject of the sentence.
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by Stacey Koprince » Wed Aug 04, 2010 11:47 am
mundasingh, I'll take your word for it that it's a Knewton question. :)

Here's my take:

Interesting. The structure is almost exactly like a real OG question - I recognize it. #116 in OG11, if you've got that book. It may be worth reading the official explanation as well.

Also interestingly, the OG sentence does not include a comma in that position. In the original, a prepositional phrase follows the subject and then the "that" modifier comes into play. That would be the correct way to do this if you wanted the "that" modifier to refer all the way back to the subject.

You could also, as mundasingh suggests, set off the appositive ("a series... movies") by commas (which we should do regardless, actually, because this appositive is nonessential). That would make it WAY too obvious, though, how to fix the sentence... the difficulty level (of that part of it) would drop to zero. :)

I agree that, without the comma, the "that" modifier is modifying movies. It can't modify "Heart of the City" - not with this grammatical construction, even though we know that it should refer to that logically.

So, sorry, whoever did write this one... this one needs a re-write. (We all make errors sometimes!)
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by mundasingh123 » Thu Aug 05, 2010 2:56 am
Stacey Koprince wrote:mundasingh, I'll take your word for it that it's a Knewton question. :)



Also interestingly, the OG sentence does not include a comma in that position. In the original, a prepositional phrase follows the subject and then the "that" modifier comes into play. That would be the correct way to do this if you wanted the "that" modifier to refer all the way back to the subject.

I agree that, without the comma, the "that" modifier is modifying movies. It can't modify "Heart of the City" - not with this grammatical construction, even though we know that it should refer to that logically.
Hi Stacey,I am getting confused.
On 1 hand u said
a prepositional phrase follows the subject and then the "that" modifier comes into play. That would be the correct way to do this if you wanted the "that" modifier to refer all the way back to the subject.

This means that in the phrase " songs from movies that inspire listeners"
"that" refers to songs without doubt

and then
You said
I agree that, without the comma, the "that" modifier is modifying movies. It can't modify "Heart of the City" - not with this grammatical construction, even though we know that it should refer to that logically

This means B is not the right answer
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by Stacey Koprince » Mon Aug 09, 2010 11:18 am
Once you separate out the sentence with that comma, you have the problem.

In the OG question, the structure is:
noun <prepositional phrase> THAT modifier (NO COMMA anywhere)
In the above instance, everything is part of the main clause; no comma separates out part of it as a subordinate clause.

In the above question, the structure is:
noun COMMA noun <participial modifier> THAT modifier
In the above instance, the stuff before the comma is the main clause and the stuff after is a completely separate, subordinate modifier. The THAT modifier cannot skip over the subordinate modifier before it to refer back to the main clause. The THAT modifier is part of the subordinate clause and refers to the subordinate info before it.
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