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Competition

by akhpad » Thu Nov 11, 2010 4:32 am
Source : GMAT Prep

Competition in the mid-nineteenth century by large western farms gradually caused farmers in Pennsylvania to turn to livestock raising, but before that it was predominantly grain-producing.

A. Competition in the mid-nineteenth century by large western farms gradually caused farmers in Pennsylvania to turn to livestock raising, but before that it was predominantly grain-producing.

B. Once predominantly a grain-producing state, competition in the mid-nineteenth century from large western farms gradually was causing Pennsylvania's farmers to turn to livestock raising.

C. Pennsylvania's farmers were gradually caused to turn to livestock raising by competition from large western farms in the mid-nineteenth century, but before that it was predominantly a grain-producing state.

D. It was once predominantly grain-producing, but competition in the mid-nineteenth century by large western farms was gradually causing Pennsylvania's farmers to turn to livestock raising.

E. Pennsylvania was once a predominantly grain-producing state, but competition in the mid-nineteenth century from large western farms gradually caused the state's farmers to turn to livestock raising.

OA: E

I couldn't able to proceed.
Grammatical explanation please
Last edited by akhpad on Thu Nov 11, 2010 10:56 am, edited 1 time in total.
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by kapur.arnav » Thu Nov 11, 2010 6:24 am
akhpad wrote:Source : GMAT Prep

Competition in the mid-nineteenth century by large western farms gradually caused farmers in Pennsylvania to turn to livestock raising, but before that it was predominantly grain-producing.

A. Competition in the mid-nineteenth century by large western farms gradually caused farmers in Pennsylvania to turn to livestock raising, but before that it was predominantly grain-producing - it should refer back to Pennsylvania, however in this case doesnt refer to Pennsylvania... it is not clear what does it refer to.. ambiguous

B. Once predominantly a grain-producing state, competition in the mid-nineteenth century from large western farms gradually was causing Pennsylvania's farmers to turn to livestock raising. - modifier error...

C. Pennsylvania's farmers were gradually caused to turn to livestock raising by competition from large western farms in the mid-nineteenth century, but before that it was predominantly a grain-producing state - Pennsylvania is absent..

D. It was once predominantly grain-producing, but competition in the mid-nineteenth century by large western farms was gradually causing Pennsylvania's farmers to turn to livestock raising - Pennsylvania is absent.. it was should refer back to Pennsylvania

E. Pennsylvania was once a predominantly grain-producing state, but competition in the mid-nineteenth century from large western farms gradually caused the state's farmers to turn to livestock raising - correct
Answer is E... reasons given above.. hope it helps..
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by AndyB » Thu Nov 11, 2010 7:31 am
Thanks Akhpad.
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by tintinusa » Thu Nov 11, 2010 8:10 am
E, clear and concise.
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by uwhusky » Thu Nov 11, 2010 9:07 am
I'll point out what has not already been said.
A. Competition in the mid-nineteenth century by large western farms gradually caused farmers in Pennsylvania to turn to livestock raising, but before that it was predominantly grain-producing.
Competition "by" is the first red flag for me.
C. Pennsylvania's farmers were gradually caused to turn to livestock raising by competition from large western farms in the mid-nineteenth century, but before that it was predominantly a grain-producing state.
Definitely awkward here. Subject can cause something to happen, but I do not believe you can use it in a passive voice, like something "was caused" upon you.
Yep.
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by akhpad » Thu Nov 11, 2010 9:16 am
Any expert explanation Please
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by uwhusky » Thu Nov 11, 2010 9:21 am
akhpad wrote:Any expert explanation Please
So what exactly are you not satisfied with? You can always message an expert for opinion, but when others are providing their opinions to help, it is quite rude to disregard everything said with a statement such as the one above.
Yep.
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by David@VeritasPrep » Thu Nov 11, 2010 10:37 am
The line between "expert" and not expert is a pretty fine one on BTG. There are people who don't have the "expert" by their names because they don't do this for a living, but who have high scores, lots of experience and write some very thorough postings. I have found some great explanations in the verbal section lately from "regular" members (of course these people are not regular but pretty special) . I like it because I can come in and maybe make a general point because the question has already been explained very well, I also like it because I can often learn something... Other people may just be getting started and trying to make a nice explanation to see if others agree. In either case it is the members who make the constant postings to help others are really the backbone of BTG. I mean, the experts are making a living... these other members are really just trying to help.

I would love to address any specific question that you still had about this particular question. Otherwise I defer to the explanations above.
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by aji12 » Sun May 07, 2017 8:04 pm
Hi,

Can we eliminate A and D, without using pronoun ambiguity?

Regards,
Ajitesh
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by Ali Tariq » Mon May 08, 2017 10:35 pm
A. Competition in the mid-nineteenth century by large western farms gradually caused farmers in Pennsylvania to turn to livestock raising, but before that it was predominantly grain-producing.
that period would have been much better[1].

Secondly,GMAC prefers specific writing when you have the choice between specific and non specific one.
it was predominantly grain-producing-->non specific.
it was predominantly grain-producing state--> specific and thus much better.

D. It was once predominantly grain-producing, but competition in the mid-nineteenth century by large western farms was gradually causing Pennsylvania's farmers to turn to livestock raising.
It is downright incorrect.
You can have a pronoun used before the noun(antecedent) itself.
However, the situation is typically initial modifier( phrase or dependent clause) in which antecedent itself is the first word(noun) of main clause.

-------------------------
[1] You, probably, are contrasting it with that in the following official SC.
Hurricanes at first begin traveling from east to west, because that direction is the way the prevailing winds in the tropics blow, but they then veer off toward higher latitudes, in many cases changing direction toward the east before dissipating over the colder, more northerly waters or over land.

(A) Hurricanes at first begin traveling from east to west, because that direction is the way the prevailing winds in the tropics blow, but
(B) At first, hurricanes travel from east to west, because that is the direction of the prevailing winds in the tropics, but
(C) While hurricanes travel from east to west at first, the direction of the prevailing winds blowing in the tropics, and
(D) Because hurricanes at first travel from east to west, since it is the direction of the prevailing winds in the tropics,
(E) Hurricanes, beginning by traveling from east to west, because this is the direction of the prevailing winds in the tropics,
OA B
However, note that that direction would have been redundant here (unlike the case in SC under discussion) :
because that direction is the direction of the prevailing winds in the tropics.
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by Anaira Mitch » Mon Aug 14, 2017 5:14 am
This question test: pronoun + meaning.
Pronoun "it" does not have any logical antecedent in choice A, C, and D. that leave choice B and E
the use of "Once predominantly a grain-producing state" to modify "competition in nineteenth centuries" is nonsense. Hence, choice B is out
Leave us with choice E.
E is correct answer.
Split 1:- Improper modification
Eliminate B (Once .... state modifies competition)
Eliminate D

Split 2:- Incomplete clause
Eliminate A ( predominantly grain-producing --> should include state to complete the clause)

Split 3:- Wrong antecedent
Eliminate C. While the sentence talk about Pennsylvania's farmer the contrast clause uses it instead of them. There is one more error that the contrast clause (but ....) is modifying Pennsylvania as it specifies state in the end while we are talking about Pennsylvania's farmer.
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