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computer chip modifier

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computer chip modifier

by mparakala » Sat Feb 02, 2013 6:18 am
Embedded in the back cover, biometric data, electronic fingerprints, pictures of the holder, and a wireless RFID transmitter contained in a computer chip have been inserted in every new U.S. passport since 2007.

A) Embedded in the back cover, biometric data, electronic fingerprints, pictures of the holder and a wireless RFID transmitter contained in a computer chip have

B) A computer chip, embedded in the back cover, containing biometric data, electronic fingerprints, pictures of the holder, and a wireless RFID transmitter has

C) A computer chip embedded in the back cover and containing picture of the holder, biometric data and electronic fingerprints, and a wireless RFID transmitter have

D) Embedded in the back cover, a computer chip containing biometric data, electronic fingerprints, pictures of the holder, and a wireless RFID transmitter have

E) Embedded in the back cover, a computer chip containing biometric data, electronic fingerprints, pictures of the holder, and a wireless RFID transmitter has

I chose B bu the OA is E. (Veritas)

Please explain how is that the right answer. Also, how should I tackle such questions in future?

Many thanks!
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by ceilidh.erickson » Sat Feb 02, 2013 7:58 am
Often, the most important starting place in an SC question is to identify the main subject and verb of the sentence. What are we really talking about here? The main subject is COMPUTER CHIP and the main verb is HAS BEEN INSERTED. Everything else is describing that chip - where it is and what it contains.

Start by looking for subject/verb agreement. Since COMPUTER CHIP is the only subject (biometric data, electronic fingerprints, etc, are all modifiers), the verb should be singular: HAS. You can eliminate any answer choices with the plural HAVE. Eliminate A, C and D.

Looking at B and E, the difference is PARALLELISM. In B, it starts off by saying A computer chip, embedded..., containing...
We would expect this to be a list of participles: embedded, containing, and possessing or something. Instead, our list switches to a list of nouns: containing biometric data, ... fingerprints, pictures... etc. We can switch from a list of modifiers to a list of nouns.

In E, the modifier "embedded in the back cover" is placed at the beginning of the sentence, so that the modifier "containing ... data, fingerprints, pictures, and a transmitter" can make sense as a list of nouns.

Start by finding the main subject and verb, then ask yourself how everything else is working to modify them. Be aware that any time you have a list, you should be checking to see if the list is parallel.
Ceilidh Erickson
EdM in Mind, Brain, and Education
Harvard Graduate School of Education
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by cg0588 » Thu Jun 18, 2015 1:01 pm
I thought the question was saying that the biometric data, eletronic fingerprints, and pictures of the passport holder were embedded in the back cover of US passports but only the wireless RFID transmitter was contained in the chip. Can the question be interpreted this way?
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by kutlee » Thu Jun 18, 2015 9:56 pm
in B, the modifier containing a,b,c and d should modify the chip. The usage containing a,b,c and d is correct because and is no other way to write it in this particular choice. But E is a better choice.
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