For members of the seventeenth-century Ashanti nation in Africa, animal-hide shields with wooden frames were essential items of military equipment, a method to protect warriors against enemy arrows and spears.
(A) a method to protect
(B) as a method protecting
(C) protecting
(D) as a protection of
(E) to protect
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Ashanti military equipment
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Patrick_GMATFix
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Since the underlined portion attempts to explainhow the shield were essential, a modifier beginning with -ing verb or with a noun should be used. The answer is C. I go through the question in detail in the full solution below (taken from the GMATFix App).
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Bill@VeritasPrep
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Since the modifying phrase at the end is describing the subject (animal-hide shields), we should use a participial phrase. C is the correct option.
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swarnav999
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Hi Bill,
Can you please tell me how to eliminate E. Actually I am always stuck up with these type of questions, where at the end the to use -ing, or not! Beacause, it is a rule to avoid -ing answers on the GMAT. Based on this I eliminated D. Please help me.
Thankyou!
Can you please tell me how to eliminate E. Actually I am always stuck up with these type of questions, where at the end the to use -ing, or not! Beacause, it is a rule to avoid -ing answers on the GMAT. Based on this I eliminated D. Please help me.
Thankyou!
Bill@VeritasPrep wrote:Since the modifying phrase at the end is describing the subject (animal-hide shields), we should use a participial phrase. C is the correct option.
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[email protected]
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Hi swarnav999,
The GMAT often uses "-ing verbs" to define an action that took place at more than one point in time.
For example, "Scientists discovered an asteroid HURTLING through space."
Even though the scientists made their discovery in the past, the asteroid has been hurtling through space, so it's activity has occurred at more than one point in time.
This sentence refers to "members of the seventeenth-century....nation" and how they used shields. The members likely used the shields at more than one point in time, so the word "protecting" is appropriate.
GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
The GMAT often uses "-ing verbs" to define an action that took place at more than one point in time.
For example, "Scientists discovered an asteroid HURTLING through space."
Even though the scientists made their discovery in the past, the asteroid has been hurtling through space, so it's activity has occurred at more than one point in time.
This sentence refers to "members of the seventeenth-century....nation" and how they used shields. The members likely used the shields at more than one point in time, so the word "protecting" is appropriate.
GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
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Bill@VeritasPrep
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If you're trying to describe the subject with a modifying phrase at the end of the sentence, a participial phrase (starting with an -ing or -ed verb form, usually) is the only way to do it. Relative clauses and appositive phrases are much more limited in terms of what they can modify.swarnav999 wrote:Hi Bill,
Can you please tell me how to eliminate E. Actually I am always stuck up with these type of questions, where at the end the to use -ing, or not! Beacause, it is a rule to avoid -ing answers on the GMAT. Based on this I eliminated D. Please help me.
Thankyou!Bill@VeritasPrep wrote:Since the modifying phrase at the end is describing the subject (animal-hide shields), we should use a participial phrase. C is the correct option.
The thing that tends to throw people off, as Rich noted, is the -ing form. However, it does not create a tense issue because it is being used as an adjective, not a verb.
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swarnav999
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Thanks a lot Rich and Bill for the explanations!
[email protected] wrote:Hi swarnav999,
The GMAT often uses "-ing verbs" to define an action that took place at more than one point in time.
For example, "Scientists discovered an asteroid HURTLING through space."
Even though the scientists made their discovery in the past, the asteroid has been hurtling through space, so it's activity has occurred at more than one point in time.
This sentence refers to "members of the seventeenth-century....nation" and how they used shields. The members likely used the shields at more than one point in time, so the word "protecting" is appropriate.
GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
