Demographers generally divide urban and suburban areas not into indivi

Thanks Shailesh and Pqhai....


I got confused with "Separated"after comma...

+1

Hi,
That was a nice explanation!!
Still i have one query. Would the option A be correct if it were "or" instead of "and" in "urban and suburban areas". Or would the meaning of the Sentence change if we use "or" instead of "and"

Thank You

Hi sharmaprashant19

We cannot replace "and" by "or". It will change the intended meaning. The intended meaning is:

Demographers generally divide urban and suburban areas not into individual cities and towns...............

You can see the blue parts are parallel (urban areas vs individual cities) and the red parts are parallel too (suburban areas vs towns). Thus, we cannot use "or".

Hope it helps you a bit.

Got this one wrong since i was looking for the idiom "comprised of" only to realize later that comprises is equally correct.

Demographers generally divide urban and suburban areas not into individual cities and towns, separated by political boundaries, but into "metropolitan statistical areas," each of which comprises multiple cities and towns with interdependent economies.

A. divide urban and suburban areas not into individual cities and towns, separated by political boundaries, but into "metropolitan statistical areas," each of which comprises multiple cities and towns with

B. do not divide urban or suburban areas into individual cities and towns, which are separated by political boundaries, but instead into "metropolitan statistical areas," each of which comprise multiple cities and towns having

C. do not divide urban and suburban areas into individual cities and towns, separated according to political boundaries, but instead group them into "metropolitan statistical areas," each of which having multiple cities and towns with

D. divide urban and suburban areas not into individual cities and towns that are separated by political boundaries, and instead into "metropolitan statistical areas," each comprising multiple cities and towns that have

E. divide urban or suburban areas not into individual cities and towns, separating them according to political boundaries; instead, they group them into "metropolitan statistical areas," each made up of multiple cities and towns having

Demographers generally divide urban and suburban areas not into individual cities and towns, separated by political boundaries, but into "metropolitan statistical areas," each of which comprises multiple cities and towns with interdependent economies.

(A) divide urban and suburban areas not into individual cities and towns, separated by political boundaries, but into "metropolitan statistical areas," each of which comprises multiple cities and towns with
- correct as is

(B) do not divide urban or suburban areas into individual cities and towns, which are separated by political boundaries, but instead into "metropolitan statistical areas," each of which comprise multiple cities and towns having
- "do not...but instead into" = not correct b/c you don't need "instead" (redundant). also, "each compriseS" (b/c "each" = singular)

(C) do not divide urban and suburban areas into individual cities and towns, separated according to political boundaries, but instead group them into "metropolitan statistical areas," each of which having multiple cities and towns with
- "each of which having" needs a verb. also "but instead" = no good, again "instead" = redundant.

(D) divide urban and suburban areas not into individual cities and towns that are separated by political boundaries, and instead into "metropolitan statistical areas," each comprising multiple cities and towns that have
- "not into...and instead" = incorrect (need to be "but instead" instead of "and instead").

(E) divide urban or suburban areas not into individual cities and towns, separating them according to political boundaries; instead, they group them into "metropolitan statistical areas," each made up of multiple cities and towns having
- when there is a ; make sure that phrases before & after can stand on their own (are independent)

Kudos please if you find this helpful

I have highlighted what is incorrect in all the remaining options

OFFICIAL EXPLANATION

According to the sentence, demographers prefer to divide urban and suburban areas according to "metropolitan statistical areas" rather than along city and town boundaries. These two methods should appear in a parallel structure, with proper transitions to convey the idea that demographers largely use one method and not the other. Like any other sentence, this sentence must be grammatically and idiomatically correct; it also must use modifiers that convey the proper meaning.

(A) CORRECT. The two ways in which demographers could potentially divide urban areas are properly expressed in parallel, using the transitions not and but. In addition, the modifier "separated by political boundaries" is properly used to modify "cities and towns", and the modifier "with interdependent economies" is properly used to describe the second instance of "cities and towns".

(B) This version lacks proper parallelism: the parallel marker not is followed by a verb phrase (divide...), but its counterpart but is followed only by a prepositional phrase. The use of or to connect urban and suburban areas is inappropriate, as it is clear from context that demographers consider urban and suburban areas, together, in determining metropolitan statistical areas. The singular subject each of which does not agree with the plural verb comprise. Finally, the participial modifier "having" illogically suggests a temporary state; in context, it should be understood that the economies of the cities and towns in a single metropolitan statistical area are interdependent, in a way that is essentially permanent.

(C) The parallel structure do not divide urban and suburban areas ... but (instead) group them ... is properly constructed, but conveys the wrong meaning: the parallel structure suggests that "them" refers to urban and suburban areas, but demographers do not group entire urban and suburban areas; they group interconnected cities and towns. Additionally, the relative pronoun each of which must be the subject of a verb; here, it is followed only by a modifier ("having..."), making this version a fragment.

(D) The construction not ... and ... is unidiomatic, and also fails to convey the contrast between demographers' use of one method and their lack of use of the other. The modifier that are separated... (an essential modifier) wrongly implies that only some cities and towns are separated by political boundaries; this modifier describes something that is universally true of cities and towns, and so should be written as a nonessential modifier.

(E) Here, the portion preceding the semicolon is not a properly constructed clause: If not is used without a parallel structure, then it must modify a verb. If not is used as it is here, to modify a prepositional phrase, then it must appear in parallel to something else. The parallel structure do not divide urban or suburban areas ... but (instead) group them ... is properly constructed, but conveys the wrong meaning: the parallel structure suggests that "them" refers to urban [and] suburban areas, but demographers do not group entire urban and suburban areas; they group interconnected cities and towns. In addition, the use of or to connect urban and suburban areas is inappropriate, as it is clear from context that demographers consider urban and suburban areas, together, in determining metropolitan statistical areas. Finally, the participial modifier "having" illogically suggests a temporary state; in context, it should be understood that the economies of the cities and towns in a single metropolitan statistical area are interdependent, in a way that is essentially permanent.

Hi experts.
In the original sentence "Demographers generally *divide urban and suburban areas not into individual cities and towns, separated by political boundaries, but into "metropolitan statistical areas," each of which comprises multiple cities and towns with* interdependent economies."

Can you please help me understand how the clauses here are connected properly?
Clause 1. Demographers(subject) Divide(verb)
Clause 2. Each of which(subject) comprises(verb)

Why these two independent clauses are neither connected via semicolon nor connected by FANBOYS. ?
Or am I missing something??
Thanks in advance.

Clause 2 is NOT an independent clause; it is a dependent clause having a relative pronoun ("each of WHICH") as the subject.

When you consider the second clause in isolation, you get an incomplete sentence, and hence it cannot be an independent clause. ("Each if which comprises..." is an incomplete sentence.)

this is a high quality question b/c the question contains many important grammar issue.
The question may not be long, but ones can spend much time on a question if the person does not remember the gmat verbal rules.

Is the use of "but instead" in answer choice B and C redundant?

Can someone help me explain why this part of comprises and not comprise? I actually selected A as the answer, but was confused why "each" is "comprises"

Demographers generally divide urban and suburban areas not into individual cities and towns, separated by political boundaries, but into "metropolitan statistical areas," each of which comprises multiple cities and towns with interdependent economies.

I though that idioms are correct -
Not ...., but ...
Not ...., but rather
Not ...., but instead
as per context. But most explanations here say that instead is redundant.
Can you please advise on the proper usage incase this appears in other questions?

I thought the second clause starts at -> comma + but. But this is part of the parallel structure? I'm confused. I though comma + but always sets off a second clause.

Edit: Oh wait, the comma is there to separate the modifier.. Right?

I think all the three are similar in meaning, but the later two (Not ...., but rather & Not ...., but instead) are used when one wants to emphasise the contrast.

Hi sayantanc2k and daagh
In the official explanation of C, which is

(C) The parallel structure do not divide urban and suburban areas ... but (instead) group them ... is properly constructed, but conveys the wrong meaning: the parallel structure suggests that "them" refers to urban and suburban areas, but demographers do not group entire urban and suburban areas; they group interconnected cities and towns. Additionally, the relative pronoun each of which must be the subject of a verb; here, it is followed only by a modifier ("having..."), making this version a fragment.

Why are we referring to C as a fragment. Do dependent clauses also need to have a subject and a verb?
Thanks for help.