Help on a SC question

[srinivasapriyan.r]

[rakeshd347]

I think the answer should be B

C and D can be eliminated because they don't even complete the sentence and they are just fragment.
E is out because tiny flecks is plural and burns up is singular.
Between A and B I chose B because in A...grains of sand or of pebbles means grains of sand or grain of pebbles....this looks wrong to me. You don't need another "of" after or.
So final answer B

[theCodeToGMAT]

+1 for [spoiler]{B}
[/spoiler]
{A} - INCORRECT; we need "while" to maintain the meaning.
{B} - CORRECT
{C} - INCORRECT; we need verb instead of "which "
{D} - INCORRECT; we need verb instead of "which "
{E} - INCORRECT; "burns" is incorrect

[ceilidh.erickson]

Posters - please do not just post a question without commentary, or without listing the correct answer. It's hard to reply if we don't know what your question is!

In response to Rakesh... the extra "of" in A is not wrong. It's equally parallel to say "grains of sand or pebbles" or "grains of sand or of pebbles." This is true of many parallel structures with just a one-part parallel marker like "and" or "or."
Infinitives: we could say "I like to eat and to drink" or "I like to eat and drink."
Compound verb tenses: "I will try and succeed" = "I will try and will succeed" = "I will try, and I will succeed."

The problem with A was meaning. "burn up speeding" implies that the thing being burned is "speeding" itself. This doesn't make sense. The "while" in B fixes the meaning.

[ceilidh.erickson]

For more on this parallelism rule, see:
https://www.beatthegmat.com/survey-paral ... tml#557998
https://www.beatthegmat.com/reptiles-t249191.html#662695

[kevincanspain]

Pebbles are small rocks,so we would write
Pebbles or grains of sand. OR grains of sand or pebbles

Would you like a cup of tea or a soft drink?

However, take what I say with a grain of salt lol