BellTheGMAT wrote:The Ultramodern Museum's curator selected mostly contemporary paintings, but augmenting its collection of surrealist, pop, and anime canvases with some sculpture and new media pieces.
A - but augmenting
B - and had augmented
C - but he augmented
D - and even though he augmented
E - but with augmentation of

OA after some discussion...

Know the rule of COMMA + FANBOYS:

COMMA + FANBOYS: is used in the following cases:

1. Clause + COMMA + FANBOYS + Clause.

Example:

They were playing football, but I was doing my work.
We are taking our breakfast, and they are taking their lunch.

2. In case of list of more than two items, COMMA + FANBOYS + The last item.

Example:

I have bought X, Y, and Z.
They have done the work, won the prize, and gone to the national festivals.

Now, look at the sentence:

Before "COMMA + BUT", there is a clause; therefore, we should follow the rule no.1.

==> We should look at the option that has "BUT + CLAUSE".

MIND: A clause MUST have a subject and Verb.


A - but augmenting

==> We need a subject and a verb. augmenting is not a verb; it is a a gerund.

B - and had augmented

=> It has a verb "had augmented", but it does not have a subject. So, it is NOT a clause.

C - but he augmented

==> Is has a subject and a verb.

D - and even though he augmented

=> "and + even though" has made it subordinate. We need an independent clause after BUT.

E - but with augmentation of

==> There is no subject and verb.

Answer: C

Know about FANBOYS:

F ==FOR

A == AND

N == NOR

B == BUT

O == OR

Y == YET

S == SO

Sentence structure Q.

You can join 2 independent clauses (a clause that has a subject and a verb and can stand alone as a sentence) in these 3 ways only:

1) using a semicolon between the two clauses
2) using , fanboys. fanboys stands for (for,and,nor,but,or,yet,so).For eg ,and.
3) Turning one of the clauses into a dependent clause by using words such as Because,although,even though before one of the independent clauses.

Note: You can also use period,but since this is Gmat,you wont see such a situation.

Back to the question

Note the differences in answer choices.

two answer choices use and and 3 answer choices use but. So this is an indication that either an independent clause or an item in them list is going to follow.

Since we have no list here,we have then got to determine that the second clause,like the first clause,is an independent one.

A) lacks main verb and subject.Note: participles on their own cannot stand as a verb.You need an auxiliary verb/helping verb such as is,was,were etc. its collection of... pieces is the object (there is no doer of this action).Who augmented its collection of...pieces?

B) There are 2 errors : past perfect tense of the verb (we need simple past (selected),because selected and augmented happen at same time).There is no indication in the sentence that one took before the other.Another error is the lack of subject.It also uses incorrect conjunction (and) when the original sentence uses but to indicate contrast.

eg: I am old,but I am active is totally different from I am old,and I am active.

Do you get it?

C) it has a subject (he,which refers to the subject position of the previous independent clause(the curator)) and a verb in simple past tense(augmented)

D) D introduces two errors :and and turns the Independent clause into dependent clause by using even though.

B) but is joining a preposition phrase to an IC.this is wrong.

gmat_perfect wrote:Know about FANBOYS:

F ==FOR

A == AND

N == NOR

B == BUT

O == OR

Y == YET

S == SO

thats a great insight. can you kindly relate the same with the question below -

Ques - New items developed for automobiles in the 1997 model year included a safer air bag , which, unlike previous air bags, eliminated the possibility that a burst of smoke would appear when the bag inflated, and making an already terrified passenger think the car was on fire.
A. inflated, and making.
B. Inflated, so that it could make.
C. Inflated and made.
D. Inflated and make.
E. Inflated to make.


OA is D

New items developed for automobiles in the 1997 model year included a safer air bag, which, unlike previous air bags, eliminated the possibility that a burst of smoke would appear when the bag inflated, and making an already terrified passenger think the car was on fire.

A. inflated, and making.
B. Inflated, so that it could make.
C. Inflated and made.
D. Inflated and make.
E. Inflated to make.

In this sentence, the FANBOYS formula does not apply. Here, the trick is "MODAL + Base form of Verb".
The structure is as follows:

Would appear and + Base of Verb.

=> Would appear and would make
=> Would appear and make. [Would is understood]

Now, look at the options, only D matches "make".

If you have any other question, you can ask me.
thanks.