Dear Friends,
Here is a detailed explanation to this question-
perfectstranger wrote:
More than 30 years ago, Dr. Barbara McClintock, the Nobel Prize winner, reported that genes can "jump," as pearls moving mysteriously from one necklace to another.
(A) as pearls moving mysteriously from one necklace to another
(B) like pearls moving mysteriously from one necklace to another
(C) as pearls do that move mysteriously from one necklace to others
(D) like pearls do that move mysteriously from one necklace to others
(E) as do pearls that move mysteriously from one necklace to some other
Choice A: In Option A the word "as" is used to draw a comparison between the nouns "genes" and "pearls"; this is an inappropriate use of the word "as" because "as" can only be used to compare clauses. Thus, Option A is incorrect.
Choice B: Option B correctly uses "like" to refer to a noun, avoids pronoun ambiguity, conveys the intended meaning of the sentence, and is quite concise. Thus, Option B is correct.
Choice C: Option C suffers from a case of pronoun ambiguity, due to the use of the pronoun "others”; in this sentence, it is not clear what "others" refers to. The meaning of this clause, a comparison to pearls moving mysteriously between different necklaces, is obscured. Moreover, in Option C, "that" is incorrectly modifying "do" rather than "pearls". Thus, Option C is incorrect.
Choice D: Option D repeats the errors found in Option C and uses "like" to refer to a clause. Thus, Option D is incorrect.
Choice E: In Option E, the use of the phrase "to some other one" is unidiomatic and awkward’; ”some other one” uses three words to convey the same information that “another” conveys in just one word. Thus, Option E is incorrect.
One important thing to note here is that the phrase "pearls moving mysteriously from one necklace to another" is not a full clause, as it cannot stand on its own as a sentence. "moving mysteriously" is not an acting verb; it is a participle. The full phrase does not depict a noun taking an action; rather it shows a noun that is modified by the description of an action. As an example, consider the phrase "The new car, driven recklessly by Mike"; this phrase is not a full clause, as there is no acting verb. "driven recklessly by Mike", simply describes an attribute of "the new car". Now, let us extend the phrase a little. "The new car, driven recklessly by Mike, soon began to fall apart." Now we have a full clause, as we have a verb that refers to action taken by the subject of the sentence.
Additionally, this sentence is a good example of the type of complexity that one often finds in the English language. The intended meaning of this sentence is to compare the actions of two things, the "jumping" of the genes and the mysterious movement of the hypothetical pearls. However, from a strictly grammatical point of view, what we are actually comparing are the two nouns, themselves.
Hence, B is the best answer choice.To understand the concept of "Like v/s As on GMAT”, you may want to watch the following video (~1 minute):
To understand the concept of “Avoiding Pronoun Ambiguity on GMAT”, you may want to watch the following video (~1 minute):
All the best!
Experts' Global Team
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