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SC-larry

by virgo80 » Sat Apr 25, 2009 5:04 pm
44. The first time that Larry walked down the ramp, laden with packages, he tripped and nearly dislocated his shoulder.

(A) Larry walked down the ramp, laden with packages,
(B) Larry walked, laden with packages, down the ramp
(C) Larry walked down the ramp, with laden packages,
(D) Larry, laden with packages, walked down the ramp
(E) Larry, laden with packages, had walked down the ramp,
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by lilu » Sat Apr 25, 2009 8:40 pm
D
Larry was the one laden with packages and D modifies that correctly

E uses HAD when past perfect is not really needed because Larry fell down while he was walking,so one can't tell for sure which action happened first, second, third. They all happened simultaneously.
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by 4seasoncentre » Sat Apr 25, 2009 10:28 pm
IMO B
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Re: SC-larry

by rahulg83 » Sat Apr 25, 2009 11:01 pm
virgo80 wrote:44. The first time that Larry walked down the ramp, laden with packages, he tripped and nearly dislocated his shoulder.

(A) Larry walked down the ramp, laden with packages,
(B) Larry walked, laden with packages, down the ramp
(C) Larry walked down the ramp, with laden packages,
(D) Larry, laden with packages, walked down the ramp
(E) Larry, laden with packages, had walked down the ramp,
laden with packages in D correctly modifies Larry...
As for B, we don't need the verb before modifier..
What's the OA virgo80??
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by nervesofsteel » Sat Apr 25, 2009 11:21 pm
One more for D

as Laden with packages .. modifies Larry..
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by vertigo05 » Sun Apr 26, 2009 6:04 am
i think its "B".
OA?
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by virgo80 » Sun Apr 26, 2009 10:11 am
The OA is D but I am not if thats the correct answer. In D, don't we need a comma after "ramp" ?

(D) Larry, laden with packages, walked down the ramp
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by gmatpill » Tue Apr 28, 2009 11:39 am
The first time that Larry walked down the ramp, laden with packages, he tripped and nearly dislocated his shoulder.

(A) Larry walked down the ramp, laden with packages,
(B) Larry walked, laden with packages, down the ramp
(C) Larry walked down the ramp, with laden packages,
(D) Larry, laden with packages, walked down the ramp
(E) Larry, laden with packages, had walked down the ramp,

Yes, D is correct. The comma at the end of (D) is not necessary--even if you are not sure about that, you should still guess (D). The GMAT usually does not test you on whether there should be a comma in a specific place. Sometimes they do--but usually there are other things more important to which you should pay attention..

Remember you do not want to alter the meaning of the original statement which states two things:
1) Larry walked down the ramp
2) Larry was laden with packages

(D) and (E) keep this meaning, but (E) complicates it further with a "past-past" tense phrase "had walked"...there is no change in timing so no change in tense needed..(D)

When would you use "had walked" some of you might ask? Well, if the sentence said something like "When Larry walked down the ramp, he remembered he had tripped at this same spot 5 years ago"....
Here with the word "remembered"--it suggests a transition to the past...therefore you use the "past-past tense"..

But with this question "The first time"--does not do the same and so does not require "past-past" tense.
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Re: SC-larry

by kanha81 » Tue Apr 28, 2009 4:04 pm
virgo80 wrote:44. The first time that Larry walked down the ramp, laden with packages, he tripped and nearly dislocated his shoulder.

(A) Larry walked down the ramp, laden with packages,
(B) Larry walked, laden with packages, down the ramp
(C) Larry walked down the ramp, with laden packages,
(D) Larry, laden with packages, walked down the ramp
(E) Larry, laden with packages, had walked down the ramp,
[spoiler][D][/spoiler]
A- ramp is modifiying laden with packages. It should be Larry laden with packages
B- walked is modifiying laden with packages. It should be Larry laden with packages
C- Similar kind of issue
D- Now D could have been cleanest answer with a comma after with a "comma"; however given of all the choices this is the best answer choice.
E- This is a contender with D, but "had walked" past perfect is not required since in the earlier part it is "laden with packages". A simple past walked would have worked and made this an ABSOLUT answer choice.
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by ov25 » Sun Nov 21, 2010 4:30 pm
I agree 'comma' is warranted...however, D is the best among
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by Jim@Grockit » Sun Nov 21, 2010 10:16 pm
Interesting sentence. Thanks for giving the OA; I'm interested to know why they consider A wrong. I'll guess that it's the position of "laden with packages" after "ramp", but grammatically, if you wanted to indicate that it was the ramp that was laden with packages, you would write:

The first time that Larry walked down the ramp laden with packages, he tripped and nearly dislocated his shoulder.

Note that without the comma, "laden" has no choice but to modify "ramp." With the comma, it takes the same form as innumerable opening modifying phrases in GMAT SC and can modify the subject of the main clause.

The sentence as written takes the form [time phrase],[adjective phrase modifying the subject of the sentence],[main clause]. It could just as easily have said Yesterday, laden with packages, he tripped and nearly dislocated his shoulder.

So . . . yeah. Where is this one from?
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by ov25 » Mon Nov 22, 2010 4:14 am
Also Jim, see how D and E are almost the same and just that E has past participle?

The reason OA is D, is it that past participle is implicit?
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by arora007 » Sun Feb 06, 2011 7:20 am
for me this was a D vs E, rest of the choices marked out because of modifier issues.

Looking at the sequence of events...

Was had walked not correct? he walked--> then he tripped and dislocated his shoulder....rite?

is there weight in lilu's words to say: that if chronology is not definite, its justified to avoid past participle?

"Larry fell down while he was walking,so one can't tell for sure which action happened first, second, third. They all happened simultaneously"

Or is it that as gmatpill seems to suggest that - "A timegap is necessary" between the two events?
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