GMAT prep-In the Louisiana Purchase

This topic has expert replies
Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts
Posts: 2
Joined: Mon Aug 27, 2012 9:09 pm

GMAT prep-In the Louisiana Purchase

by pranaygoyal02 » Wed Oct 03, 2012 8:50 am
Hi Instructors,



In the Louisiana Purchase of 1803, the United States acquired 828,000 square miles for about four cents an acre, which more than doubled the country's size and that brought its western border within reach of the Pacific Ocean.
A. In the Louisiana Purchase of 1803, the United States acquired 828,000 square miles for about four cents an acre, which more than doubled the country's size and that brought
B. For about four cents an acre the United States acquired, in the Louisiana Purchase of 1803, 828,000 square miles, more than doubling the country's size and it brought
C. With the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, the United States acquired 828,000 square miles for about four cents an acre, more than doubling its size and bringing
D. The United States, in the Louisiana Purchase of 1803, for about four cents an acre, acquired 828,000 square miles, more than doubling the country's size, bringing
E. Acquiring 828,000 square miles in the Louisiana Purchase of 1803, the United States bought it for about four cents an acre, more than doubling the country's size and bringing


I am quite skeptical why A is not the correct answer.In my opinion ,which and that both form parallel relative clause and logically referring to 828,000 square miles and not acre.Please let me know where I am going wrong. And more than doubling in the correct option C is what type of modifier.

Please let me know your thoughts about it.
Source: — Sentence Correction |

User avatar
MBA Admissions Consultant
Posts: 2279
Joined: Fri Nov 11, 2011 7:51 am
Location: New York
Thanked: 660 times
Followed by:266 members
GMAT Score:770

by Jim@StratusPrep » Wed Oct 03, 2012 9:08 am
The reason that A is wrong is because the 'which' modifies acre and it is not an acre that doubled the size of the US.
GMAT Answers provides a world class adaptive learning platform.
-- Push button course navigation to simplify planning
-- Daily assignments to fit your exam timeline
-- Organized review that is tailored based on your abiility
-- 1,000s of unique GMAT questions
-- 100s of handwritten 'digital flip books' for OG questions
-- 100% Free Trial and less than $20 per month after.
-- Free GMAT Quantitative Review

Image

User avatar
Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 434
Joined: Sat Mar 27, 2010 10:42 pm
Location: Bangalore, India
Thanked: 91 times
Followed by:46 members

by EducationAisle » Wed Oct 03, 2012 7:06 pm
pranaygoyal02 wrote: I am quite skeptical why A is not the correct answer.In my opinion ,which and that both form parallel relative clause
As Jim mentioned, "828,000 square miles" is just too far from "which", for "which" to modify it. However, even if you considered both of them to be parallel, just from construction perspective, both of the relative pronouns should have been "which" or "that" ("which more than doubled..." and "which brought its..." or "that more than doubled..." and "that brought its..."), not a combination.
pranaygoyal02 wrote: And more than doubling in the correct option C is what type of modifier.
It is called a Participial phrase.
Ashish
MBA - ISB, GMAT - 99th Percentile
GMAT Faculty @ EducationAisle
www.EducationAisle.com

Sentence Correction Nirvana available at:

a) Amazon: Sentence Correction Nirvana

b) Flipkart: Sentence Correction Nirvana

Now! Preview the entire Grammar Section of Sentence Correction Nirvana at pothi

• Page 1 of 1