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by enniguy » Sat Aug 08, 2009 5:10 am
This question has come up before in the forum but I have a different query regarding this question.

Originally developed for detecting air pollutants, a technique called proton-induced x-ray emission, which can quickly analyze the chemical elements in almost any substance without destroying it, is finding uses in medicine, archaeology, and criminology.

(A) Originally developed for detecting air pollutants, a technique called proton-induced x-ray emission, which can quickly analyze the chemical elements in almost any substance without destroying it,

(B) Originally developed for detecting air pollutants, having the ability to analyze the chemical elements in almost any substance without destroying it, a technique called proton induced x-ray emission

(C) A technique originally developed for detecting air pollutants, called proton-induced x-ray emission, which can quickly analyze the chemical elements in almost any substance without destroying it,

(D) A technique originally developed for detecting air pollutants, called proton-induced x-ray emission, which has the ability to analyze the chemical elements in almost any substance quickly and without destroying it,

(E) A technique that was originally developed for detecting air pollutants and has the ability to analyze the chemical elements in almost any substance quickly and without destroying the substance, called proton-induced x-ray emission,

[spoiler]OA:A. In the OG explanation for option C, they say that, relative clause introduced by which incorrectly and illogically modifies emission.
I find this to be true with Option A too.
[/spoiler]
Could someone please clarify?
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by gmat740 » Sat Aug 08, 2009 9:16 am
Here are some problems with C

(C) A technique originally developed for detecting air pollutants, called proton-induced x-ray emission, which can quickly analyze the chemical elements in almost any substance without destroying it,

1. Please check the Bold Part.
Since Which usually modifies the nearest noun, so emissions is modified instead of technique. Moreover, when two nouns are there, we can't actually figure out perfectly which one is the antecedent.

2. Please check the italics part. for detecting air pollutants, called proton-induced x-ray. I feel that there has to be a relative pronoun after the comma,otherwise this makes the entire sentence awkward.It sounds like air pollutants are called X-Ray :D

Hope this Helps
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Thanks

by enniguy » Mon Aug 10, 2009 9:35 pm
gmat740 wrote:Here are some problems with C

(C) A technique originally developed for detecting air pollutants, called proton-induced x-ray emission, which can quickly analyze the chemical elements in almost any substance without destroying it,

1. Please check the Bold Part.
Since Which usually modifies the nearest noun, so emissions is modified instead of technique. Moreover, when two nouns are there, we can't actually figure out perfectly which one is the antecedent.

2. Please check the italics part. for detecting air pollutants, called proton-induced x-ray. I feel that there has to be a relative pronoun after the comma,otherwise this makes the entire sentence awkward.It sounds like air pollutants are called X-Ray :D

Hope this Helps
Thanks Karan.
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by goelmohit2002 » Tue Aug 11, 2009 2:22 am
IMO

A is the following setup...

blah blah...Technique <modifier>, which

Thus which modifies Technique in A.

C has following setup:

Technique <modifier1>, <modifier2>, which....

so which cannot farther then the imediate modifier to modify technique.....basically relative pronoun are there for something just before the comma....here <modifier2>...so which has to modify something in <modifier 2> only
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by vineetbatra » Mon Sep 07, 2009 3:32 pm
In the OG says as follows

A) "finally the non-restrictive clause which... destroying it is correclty placed next to emmission and set off from rest of the sentence by a pair of commas."

C) relative clause which incorrectly and illogically modifies emission.

In both A and C, which is modifying emission, even OG says that, so why is C incorrect, just for which.
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Found it elsewhere!

by enniguy » Tue Sep 08, 2009 8:31 pm
I found Stacey's reply elsewhere which was convincing. Please refer to this:
https://www.manhattangmat.com/forums/og- ... t1277.html
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by bharathh » Tue Sep 08, 2009 10:19 pm
Ugh.. I chose C as well. Don't really understand the difference between A and C. Hope I don't get something like this on the first few questions of the actual test!
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by ashish2104 » Fri Jul 23, 2010 6:27 am
I have a question here.
What does 'it' actually refer here?

I thought it was ambigious as it could refer to chemical elements or substance.
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by uwhusky » Fri Jul 23, 2010 7:11 am
Wow, the explanation from Ron and Stacey are some good subtle stuffs that they don't write in books! Great dig!
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by arora007 » Wed Jul 28, 2010 4:00 am
Thanks karan.... I somehow never saw this pattern and chose C.

also enniguy.... U were great to dig this post of RON out....

For example: "The picture above my fireplace, which was taken last year in Mexico, is one of my favorites."

which is modifying picture and not the fireplace, correctly.

wow.... each time I see rules of English grammar... they keep on Evolving....
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by tanviet » Tue Jan 08, 2013 8:51 pm
this question teach us that "which clause " modifying a noun should be placed as closely as possible to the noun. "which clause" modifying the noun can be far from that noun but this case is considerer inferior and we should eliminate this far modification if there is a better choice which use nearer modification.

even e-gmat write an artile on "slightly far noun" on gmatclub, detailing the acceptability of this far modification, this far modification is considered inferior. The evidence for the inferior is that the question 48 og13 considered the far modification an error.

choice A is correct because the modification is closest to the noun but remember if we have better choice, A can be considerer wrong.

consider the question 48 og13, in which A and B is considered wrong though the modification is closer to the noun than the modification in choice A in above problem.

It is called a sea, but the landlocked Caspian is
actually the largest lake on Earthf whichcovers more
than four times the surface area of its closest rival in
size, North America's Lake Superior.
(A) It is called a sea, but the landlocked Caspian is
actually the largest lake on Earth, which covers
(B) Although it is called a sea, actually the
landlocked Caspian is the largest lake on Earth,
which covers
(C) Though called a sea, the landlocked Caspian is
actually the largest lake on Earth, covering
(D) Though called a sea but it actually is the largest
lake on Earth, the landlocked Caspian covers
(E) Despite being called a sea, the largest lake on
Earth is actually the landlocked Caspian, covering

the point I want to make is that FAR MODIFICATION IS NOT ABSOLUTE ERROR.

pls commen, is my thinking correct.
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