honchos wrote:
My Fault mike I forget to mention the question Number.
Q#121, OG13.
Here is the question-
New theories propose that catastrophic impacts of asteroids and comets may have caused reversals in the Earth’s magnetic field, the onset of ice ages, splitting apart continents 80 million years ago, and great volcanic eruptions.
(A) splitting apart continents
(B) the splitting apart of continents
(C) split apart continents
(D) continents split apart
(E) continents that were split apart
and this is you tube link-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cL3scXfuou4 Dear
Honchos,
First of all, look at
(B). The
-ing verb form has "
the" in front of it. That's a dead-giveaway that the form in
(B) is a gerund. In fact, it is what
MGMAT calls a
complex gerund, because it has the definite article "
the". Only complex gerunds can be in parallel with other non-gerund nouns. That's why
(B) is correct.
Now, look at the form in
(A), "
splitting apart continents". This could be
part of a progressive-tense verb ---
Asteroids and comets are splitting apart continents.
More likely, it could be a
participial phrase modifying the subject ----
Asteroids and comets hit the Earth, splitting apart continents.
Either way, it cannot be in parallel with long string of nouns.
Honchos, I have a hard question for you: how much do you read? Not counting GMAT RC and stuff you read for the GMAT specifically, how much do you read? From the nature of your questions, my sense is that you must read a great deal to get yourself in shape for the GMAT Verbal. I would strongly recommend reading at least a hour a day every day, over and above any GMAT work you do. Here's a blog about what to read:
https://magoosh.com/gmat/2012/gmat-reading-list/In particular, I would recommend reading the
Economist magazine cover-to-cover every week. That will make you very informed about the business world you are planning to enter, and it will accustom your ear to a high level of English usage. You can't learn grammar purely as a system of isolated rules. You have to learn it in context, in the context of the language used at a high level of sophistication.
Does all this make sense?
Mike
_________________
Mike McGarry
Magoosh Test PrepEducation is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire. — William Butler Yeats (1865 – 1939)