BREAKING: Target Test Prep releases Brand New 2026 On Demand GMAT prep course

Redeem
TTP OnDemand GMAT Video Course
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
Start Free 5-Day Trial Read 559 Reviews →

800 bob

Expert replies
Post new topic Locked
Previous Topic Next Topic
Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts
Posts: 95
Joined: Wed Mar 10, 2010 3:23 amFollowed by: 1 member
Thanked: 1 times
by clammiestqasar » Thu Jun 17, 2010 9:33 pm
15. Believed to originate from a small area on their foreheads, elephants emit low-frequency sounds that may be used as a secret language to communicate with other members of the herd.

(A) Believed to originate from a small area on their foreheads, elephants emit low-frequency sounds that may be used
(B) Elephants emit low-frequency sounds that are believed to originate from a small area on their foreheads, and they may use this
(C) Elephants emit low-frequency sounds, believed to originate from a small area on their foreheads, that they may use
(D) Originating, it is believed, from a small area on their foreheads; elephants emit low-frequency sounds they may use
(E) Originating, it is believed, from a small area on their foreheads, low-frequency sounds are emitted by elephants that may be used

IS there a problem with B?
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
Source: — Sentence Correction |
Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts
Posts: 38
Joined: Fri Aug 21, 2009 4:28 am
GMAT Score:710

by andrey_tsi » Thu Jun 17, 2010 10:30 pm
B - wrong - because "this" refer to "sounds" but there is no sing-plural agreement

Elephants emit low-frequency sounds that are believed to originate from a small area on their foreheads, and they may use this

For more explanations see:
https://www.beatthegmat.com/q174-sc1000-t17591.html
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
User avatar
Legendary Member
Posts: 535
Joined: Fri Jun 08, 2007 2:12 amFollowed by: 5 members
Thanked: 87 times
GMAT Score:730

by hardik.jadeja » Thu Jun 17, 2010 10:32 pm
IMO C.

Yes there is a pronoun issue with B. Elephants use "low frequency sounds" (plural) to communicate and "this" at the end of option B doesnt agree with plural noun.

Hope that helps..
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
User avatar
Legendary Member
Posts: 1893
Joined: Sun May 30, 2010 11:48 pmFollowed by: 7 members
Thanked: 215 times

by kvcpk » Fri Jun 18, 2010 1:43 am
IMO C.
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
User avatar
Legendary Member
Posts: 1309
Joined: Wed Mar 17, 2010 11:41 pmFollowed by: 5 members
Thanked: 33 times

by pradeepkaushal9518 » Fri Jun 18, 2010 2:27 am
yes b is having pronoun issue which is cleared in C by using that.

what is oa and source
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 364
Joined: Tue Apr 20, 2010 5:13 amFollowed by: 3 members
Thanked: 31 times

by FightWithGMAT » Fri Jun 18, 2010 8:14 am
clammiestqasar wrote:15. Believed to originate from a small area on their foreheads, elephants emit low-frequency sounds that may be used as a secret language to communicate with other members of the herd.

(A) Believed to originate from a small area on their foreheads, elephants emit low-frequency sounds that may be used
(B) Elephants emit low-frequency sounds that are believed to originate from a small area on their foreheads, and they may use this
(C) Elephants emit low-frequency sounds, believed to originate from a small area on their foreheads, that they may use
(D) Originating, it is believed, from a small area on their foreheads; elephants emit low-frequency sounds they may use
(E) Originating, it is believed, from a small area on their foreheads, low-frequency sounds are emitted by elephants that may be used

IS there a problem with B?
In C,

what "believed" refers to???
It should refer to the subject.....experts please explain this.
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
User avatar
Legendary Member
Posts: 535
Joined: Fri Jun 08, 2007 2:12 amFollowed by: 5 members
Thanked: 87 times
GMAT Score:730

by hardik.jadeja » Fri Jun 18, 2010 9:18 am
FightWithGMAT wrote: In C,

what "believed" refers to???
It should refer to the subject.....experts please explain this.
"believed to originate..." is a modifier modifying the noun "sounds".

As in "sounds originating from a small area on the Elephant's forehead"
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
Junior | Next Rank: 30 Posts
Posts: 18
Joined: Tue Jun 08, 2010 8:07 am
Location: New York
Thanked: 3 times
GMAT Score:770

by Erfun_GMATCompass » Mon Jun 21, 2010 2:12 pm
The word "this" is a demonstrative pronoun. It must ALWAYS be followed by a concrete noun. If there's no noun after THIS, you can immediately eliminate the choice.
clammiestqasar wrote:15. Believed to originate from a small area on their foreheads, elephants emit low-frequency sounds that may be used as a secret language to communicate with other members of the herd.

(A) Believed to originate from a small area on their foreheads, elephants emit low-frequency sounds that may be used
(B) Elephants emit low-frequency sounds that are believed to originate from a small area on their foreheads, and they may use this
(C) Elephants emit low-frequency sounds, believed to originate from a small area on their foreheads, that they may use
(D) Originating, it is believed, from a small area on their foreheads; elephants emit low-frequency sounds they may use
(E) Originating, it is believed, from a small area on their foreheads, low-frequency sounds are emitted by elephants that may be used

IS there a problem with B?
Erfun Geula
GMAT Compass
gmattutornyc.com/
gretutornyc.com/

Serious about helping you beat the GMAT!
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 268
Joined: Wed Mar 17, 2010 2:32 am
Thanked: 17 times

by this_time_i_will » Mon Jun 21, 2010 5:26 pm
I have problem accepting C as the answer. First, how to make sure that the modifier
believed to originate... is modifying sounds and not Elephants. Second, i find that ambiguous.
i think A looks better. anyone?
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts
Posts: 1
Joined: Thu Jun 17, 2010 10:10 am

by ameetsrv » Tue Jun 22, 2010 6:34 pm
The problem with A is that it sounds as if elephants originate from a small area on their forehead.
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
Junior | Next Rank: 30 Posts
Posts: 11
Joined: Fri Sep 09, 2011 3:31 pm
Thanked: 1 times

by hilbert » Sun Sep 11, 2011 5:30 pm
Believed to originate from a small area on their foreheads, elephants emit low-frequency sounds that may be used as a secret language to communicate with other members of the herd.

(A) Believed to originate from a small area on their foreheads, elephants emit low-frequency sounds that may be used

The starting modifier "Believed to originate from a small area on their foreheads" is incorrectly modifying elephants. Elephants are not believed to originate for a small area on their foreheads.

(B) Elephants emit low-frequency sounds that are believed to originate from a small area on their foreheads, and they may use this

This answer choice was a bit trickier as it is correct until the last word. "Sounds"=Plural Noun and it is being reference by "this", a singular relative pronoun, in the sentence. It should be replaced by "these". "these (sounds) ...."

(C) Elephants emit low-frequency sounds, believed to originate from a small area on their foreheads, that they may use

Elephants emit low-frequency sounds that they (the elephants) may use .... This sentence is correct.
Don't confuse yourself if you thought "that" was referring to foreheads. "that" is referring to "sounds", despite the modifier in the middle.

(D) Originating, it is believed, from a small area on their foreheads; elephants emit low-frequency sounds they may use

The semicolon can only be used if we have to independent clauses. (clause 1);(clause 2). Each clause must be a complete sentence. "Originating, it is believed, from a small area on their foreheads" is not a complete clause that can stand on its own. It abruptly ends with the usage of semicolon.

(E) Originating, it is believed, from a small area on their foreheads, low-frequency sounds are emitted by elephants that may be used

When using an -ing verb as an intitial modifier in the sentence, it immedialy refers to the subject of the sentence, which in this choice is "sounds". Can sounds originate from a small area on the sound's forehead?? I don't think so.
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 125
Joined: Fri Aug 12, 2011 6:11 pm
Thanked: 8 times

by crick » Sun Sep 11, 2011 6:18 pm
+1 for C.

Crick
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
Post new topic Locked
• Page 1 of 1