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

Redeem

Japanese researchers!!

This topic has expert replies
Post new topic Locked
Previous Topic Next Topic
User avatar
Legendary Member
Posts: 1083
Joined: Wed Feb 24, 2010 9:38 pm
Thanked: 127 times
Followed by:14 members

Japanese researchers!!

by gmat_perfect » Tue Jun 08, 2010 8:58 pm
Japanese researchers are producing a series of robots that can identify human facial expressions, to which they will then respond; their goal is primarily creating a robot that will empathize with us.

(A) expressions, to which they will then respond; their goal is primarily creating
(B) expressions, then responding to them; primarily to create
(C) expressions and then respond to them; the researchers' primary goal is to create
(D) expressions as well as giving a response to them; their primary goal is creation of
(E) expressions and responding to them; primarily, the researchers' goal is creating

OA: Later
Top
Source: — Sentence Correction |
Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts
Posts: 38
Joined: Fri Aug 21, 2009 4:28 am
GMAT Score:710

by andrey_tsi » Tue Jun 08, 2010 10:35 pm
Answer: C
Top
Legendary Member
Posts: 2326
Joined: Mon Jul 28, 2008 3:54 am
Thanked: 173 times
Followed by:2 members
GMAT Score:710

by gmatmachoman » Wed Jun 09, 2010 12:25 am
gmat_perfect wrote:Japanese researchers are producing a series of robots that can identify human facial expressions, to which they will then respond; their goal is primarily creating a robot that will empathize with us.

(A) expressions, to which they will then respond; their goal is primarily creating
(B) expressions, then responding to them; primarily to create
(C) expressions and then respond to them; the researchers' primary goal is to create
(D) expressions as well as giving a response to them; their primary goal is creation of
(E) expressions and responding to them; primarily, the researchers' goal is creating

OA: Later
"their": pronoun ambiguity

C rightly resolves it ! . Pick C.

C also introduces the adjective "primary" that modifies the noun "goal".
Top
Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 162
Joined: Thu Mar 18, 2010 5:43 am
Thanked: 6 times
Followed by:1 members

by RumpelThickSkin » Wed Jun 09, 2010 12:32 am
I picked C as well. Only because it was parallel and looked the best.

I have a question here:

Doesn't them (then respond to them) in Option C also represent pronoun ambiguity. them here can refer to emotions as well as the researchers can't it? Is pronoun ambiguity an absolute rule? Can someone shed light on this?
Top
Legendary Member
Posts: 995
Joined: Tue Apr 13, 2010 11:56 pm
Thanked: 31 times
Followed by:1 members

by paes » Wed Jun 09, 2010 1:20 am
Pronoun ambiguity is not an absolute rule.

Also in C :

expressions : object

responding to THEM : object

so them is referring to expressions.
Top
User avatar
GMAT Instructor
Posts: 1052
Joined: Fri May 21, 2010 1:30 am
Thanked: 335 times
Followed by:98 members

by Patrick_GMATFix » Wed Jun 09, 2010 11:23 pm
RumpelThickSkin wrote:I picked C as well. Only because it was parallel and looked the best.

I have a question here:

Doesn't them (then respond to them) in Option C also represent pronoun ambiguity. them here can refer to emotions as well as the researchers can't it? Is pronoun ambiguity an absolute rule? Can someone shed light on this?
If you declare Pronoun Ambiguity error whenever a pronoun is used after several nouns that it could technically refer to, you may find that the GMAT isn't as sensitive as you are (I've had that problem with ambiguity).

Ambiguity is a meaning issue; Only declare Pronoun Ambiguity when the ambiguity is so blatant as to distract from the meaning of the sentence. For example: "The girl and her mother arrived together, but she left alone."

If the meaning can be very easily determined, don't use Ambiguity to eliminate that answer unless you've done as much else as you can and you're still stuck between choices.

Good luck RumpelThickSkin
-Patrick
  • Ask me about tutoring.
Top
Post new topic Locked
• Page 1 of 1