Can someone explain this question? what concepts are tested?

Hi All,

Like the grassy fields and old pastures that the upland sandpiper needs for feeding and nesting when it returns in May after wintering in the Argentine Pampas, the sandpipers vanishing in the northeastern United States is a result of residential and industrial development and ochanges in farming practices.

Meaning Analysis:

This sentence presents comparison. It compares the grassy fields and old pastures and the sandpipers. Both have been compared because both are disappearing in the northeastern United States because of residential and industrial development and changes in farming practices.

Error Analysis:

Verb-ing modifier “vanishing…” is placed next to “the sandpipers” without a comma before it. Hence, it modifies “the sandpipers”. But that’s just the modifier. The core of the sentence says “The sandpipers … is a result of…” Here the SV do not agree in number and also do not make sense with each other.

PoE:

A) the sandpipers vanishing in the northeastern United States is a result of residential and industrial development and of changes in: Incorrect for the reason stated above.

(B) the bird itself is vanishing in the northeastern United States as a result of residential and industrial development and of changes in: Correct.

(C) that the birds themselves are vanishing in the northeastern United States is due to residential and industrial development and changes to: Incorrect.
1. This choice presents illogical comparison. “the grassy fields and old pastures” have been compared to “that”
2. Use of preposition “to” is not correct.

(D) in the northeastern United States, sandpipers’ vanishing due to residential and industrial development and to changes in: Incorrect.
1. This choice presents illogical comparison. “the grassy fields and old pastures” have been compared to “sandpipers’ vanishing”.
2. There is no verb in this sentence. It is fragment.

(E) in the northeastern United States, the sandpipers’ vanishing, a result of residential and industrial development and changing: Incorrect.
1. This choice presents illogical comparison. “the grassy fields and old pastures” have been compared to “sandpipers’ vanishing”.
2. There is no verb in this sentence. It is fragment.

This sentence tests the concepts of idiom - comparison, modifier, and SV agreement.
At e-gmat, we cover all these concepts in great details with many practice questions. Also the Verb-ing modifier can be learnt just be registering at e-gmat.com for free. This concepts, with many others, feature in pur free concepts Level 1 Preview Level.

Hope this helps.
Thanks.
Shraddha
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