BREAKING: Target Test Prep releases Brand New 2026 On Demand GMAT prep course
Redeem
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
Speed limit - long one!
I was tempted to choose B because it has the correct modifier. But ended up with E in the end because it is in active voice, and B is in passive voice. Took me around 2 minutes though 
Looking at the answer choices helped me to figure out that the error was the modifier.
Looking at the answer choices helped me to figure out that the error was the modifier.What is the correct answer to this question? Where do I find that? According to me, the answer is option E.
D - places the subject ("fight") first and eliminates "measure", which is superfluous, due to the existence of "legislature". D is the most terse, and arranged in a proper "order of understanding".
CraigK
Hi Dana.DanaJ wrote:So the OA here is E!
@uwhusky: just stumbled upon it in the Beat The GMAT Practice Questions... While I don't have a specific set of questions with modifiers, I have seen quite a few in this resource, especially one really tough one with Italians and Slavs... If I find it again, I'll post it!
Anyway, here's my take on this question:
So the way it's structured right now, the modifier is incorrectly placed (as many of you have noticed). It's not the "fight over the speed limit" that's meddlesome or a conserver of life and energy, it's the speed limit itself. We need to find the answer choice that correctly attaches the modifier ("Regarded by opponents as ineffective and meddlesome and by supporters as a conserver of life and energy") to its correct noun ("speed limit"). This way, we can eliminate A for sure. D is also wrong because of the same reason: incorrectly placed modifier.
C is wrong because there's no parallelism between "ineffective meddling" (verb) and "the conservation of life and energy" (noun). Also, the use of "the" in bold is unnecessary. "The" suggests that the speed limit is "the one and only" (to quote a song) saver of energy and life, which is obviously not the case - I can think of a million other things that can save more lives and energy
Now, you guys have successfully narrowed it down to B and E... E is better here because of the use of the passive voice in B. In general, you should avoid the passive voice in the GMAT, because it's considered wordy. "To be fought over" is also pretty vague - who fights over it? The official explanation also cites "a pile-up of prepositions" in "to be fought over in".
Great job getting it down to B and E.
However, E is also marred with the same inaccuracy of incorrectly placed modifiers. IMO, B, although passive, is correct. It attaches the modifiers directly to the speed limit and not to the fight.
Let me know your thoughts.
Thanks
Clearly (E). The rest are complete and utter trainwrecks.DanaJ wrote:Regarded by opponents as ineffective and meddlesome and by supporters as a conserver of life and energy, the fight over the speed limit continues in our legislatures and on our freeways.
A. Regarded by opponents as ineffective and meddlesome and by supporters as a conserver of life and energy, the fight over the speed limit continues in our legislatures and on our freeways.
B. Regarded by opponents as ineffective and meddlesome and by supporters as a conserver of life and energy, the speed limit continues to be fought over in our legislatures and on our freeways.
C. Regarded by opponents as ineffective meddling and by supporters as the conservation of life and energy, the speed limit continues to be fought over in our legislatures and on our freeways.
D. The fight over the speed limit, regarded by opponents as ineffective and meddlesome and by supporters as a conserver of life and energy, continues in our legislatures and on our freeways.
E. The fight over the speed limit, a measure regarded by opponents as ineffective and meddlesome and by supporters as a conserver of life and energy, continues in our legislatures and on our freeways.
OA after some replies!
In (A), the clause "[r]egarded by opponents as ineffective and meddlesome and by supporters as a conserver of life and energy" is illogically modifying the fight over speed limits, rather than the speed limits themselves.
In (B), the sentence illogically states that speed limits themselves are being fought over, rather than the necessity of them.
In (C), "and by supporters as the conservation of life and energy" makes zero sense - speed limits are the conservation of life and energy?!? No, they are conservers of life and energy.
In (D), the placement of the modifying clause creates ambiguity - is it modifying speed limits (as it should) or is it erroneously modifying the fight over them.
(E) is the only choice that's both grammatically and logically correct.
800 or bust!
It is clearly either B or E.
However, a number of you chose E because the passive voice in B is considered too wordy for the GMAT - when actually it is less wordy (1 less word to be exact)
The response above me eliminated B saying "the sentence illogically states that speed limits themselves are being fought over, rather than the necessity of them. " But in this regard B and E are identical so that is not a valid reason for elimination.
Wouldn't E need parentheses to be correct? Else it is saying that 'the fight over speed limit' is regarded as ineffective rather than the speed limit itself?
I chose B.
Will they post the correct answer at some point?
However, a number of you chose E because the passive voice in B is considered too wordy for the GMAT - when actually it is less wordy (1 less word to be exact)
The response above me eliminated B saying "the sentence illogically states that speed limits themselves are being fought over, rather than the necessity of them. " But in this regard B and E are identical so that is not a valid reason for elimination.
Wouldn't E need parentheses to be correct? Else it is saying that 'the fight over speed limit' is regarded as ineffective rather than the speed limit itself?
I chose B.
Will they post the correct answer at some point?
