A group of FBI investigators, in connection with the 1975 disappearanc

Question

A group of FBI investigators, in connection with the 1975 disappearance of Teamsters leader Jimmy Hoffa, are searching a small area of a rural Milford Township horse farm.

A. A group of FBI investigators, in connection with the 1975 disappearance of Teamsters leader Jimmy Hoffa, are searching a small area of a rural Milford Township horse farm.

B. A group of FBI investigators, in connection with the 1975 disappearance of Teamsters leader Jimmy Hoffa, is searching a rural Milford Township horse farm, a small area within.

C. A group of FBI investigators, searching a small area of a rural Milford Township horse farm, is connected with the 1975 disappearance of Teamsters leader Jimmy Hoffa.

D. A group of FBI investigators, in connection with the 1975 disappearance of Teamsters leader Jimmy Hoffa, is searching a small area of a rural Milford Township horse farm.

E. A small area of a rural Milford Township horse farm is being searched by a group of FBI investigators in connection with the 1975 disappearance of Teamsters leader Jimmy Hoffa

BillyZ · Accepted Answer

From Ron (Manhattan Prep)

The modifier placement is better in choice (E) than in the other choices.

The modifier " in connection... " describes the searching of the farm, not the group of investigators, and so should be attached to the words describing the act of searching. Choice E is the only choice in which this modifier is placed in a sensible location.

There's no problem with " is being searched... ".

The sentence could also be written in the active voice ─ "a group of investigators is searching xxxxxx in connection with yyyyy..." ─ but that doesn't mean anything is actually wrong with the passive construction.

In 1993, I graduated from Manual High School. 
--> Here, the modifier applies to the stuff that comes after it ─ because nothing comes before it.

This is not a principle that applies to modifiers sandwiched between two commas. In most of those cases, the modifier will describe the stuff that comes before it (as do most english modifiers).

e.g. 
Manual High School, in central Louisville, is a " magnet school " that enrolls students from all areas of the city. 
--> This is a perfectly respectable sentence, in which " in central Louisville " describes the school.

In fact, if you see a  prepositional phrase  that's right after a noun (like that one), then its purpose is almost always to describe the noun and NOT the following stuff.

If you wanted the phrase to be adverbial, you'd throw it at the start of the sentence instead.

i.e.

If you have NOUN, in connection with xxxxxx, VERB..., then " in connection with xxxxx " should, ideally,  describe the NOUN .

If you wanted this  modifier  to  describe the action , that would be better written as " In connection with xxxxxx,  NOUN VERB  ... " ─ a construction in which the adverbial nature of the modifier is not debatable.

GMATNinja , Could you help to explain the usage of " being " in answer choice (E)?

daagh · Answer

Logically we are aware that if a modifier when removed disturbs the meaning of the intended clause, then it turns an essential modifier and should not be encased between commas. Choices A through D have non-essential modifier intercepting the clause between the subject and the verb. When the parenthetical element is masked, you find the sentences missing the original intent. Therefore, the modification is defective in all these four choices. This leaves us with only E, which has no such blatant error.

getgyan · Answer

+1E

A group is singular, in connection with wrongly modifies investigators, eliminate A
“A small area within” is unnecessarily wordy, in connection with wrongly modifies investigators, eliminate B
Group of investigators is not connected with the 1975 disappearance, eliminate C. Changes the meaning
in connection with wrongly modifies investigators, eliminate D

:-D

hermit84 · Answer

Should be D.
A - "are" doesn't go with "A group of investigators" WRONG
B- "searching a rural Milford Township horse farm, a small area within" awkward construction WRONG
C- Changes the meaning of the original sentence WRONG
D- CORRECT 
E- has several problems, use passive voice and also use of "being", which is not preferred. WRONG

IndianExpress · Answer

E for me too.

I initially rejected it because of the passive voice, but none of the other choices make sense. The first criteria should be singular / plural, this eliminates A.. C basically means that the team is responsible for the crime, thus modifying the meaning.
The problem with B and D is that they both put a necessary information within double commas. I also agree with the concision point mentioned by getgyan.

Would be happy to see some more comments.

souvik101990 · Answer

https://www.manhattangmat.com/forums/post72727.html souvik1225 is me btw

hermit84 · Answer

Thanks for sharing.
This a MGMAT question whose OA is wrong. 
This means MGMAT might not have used the same set of options otherwise. I think in the light of GMAT, question itself is flawed.

bhat23 · Answer

A. A group of FBI investigators, in connection with the 1975 disappearance of Teamsters leader  Jimmy Hoffa, are searching  a small area of a rural Milford Township horse farm.....misplaced modifiers
B. A group of FBI investigators, in connection with the 1975 disappearance of Teamsters leader  Jimmy Hoffa, is searching  a rural Milford Township horse farm, a small area within......misplaced modifiers
C. A group of FBI investigators, searching a small area of a rural Milford Township  horse farm, is connected  with the 1975 disappearance of Teamsters leader Jimmy Hoffa......misplaced modifiers
D. A group of FBI investigators, in connection with the 1975 disappearance of Teamsters leader  Jimmy Hoffa, is searching  a small area of a rural Milford Township horse farm......misplaced modifiers
E. A small area of a rural Milford Township horse farm is being searched by a group of FBI investigators in connection with the 1975 disappearance of Teamsters leader Jimmy Hoffa ...concise  correct answer E

GMATNinja · Answer

Whenever you see a form of "to be" before an "-ing" word, then the "-ing" word is a verb. (It's also the  only  situation in which an "-ing" word is a verb. For anybody wondering about the many uses of "-ing" words, check out  this Topic of the Week thread .)

In this specific situation, "is being" is a verb, and there's no reason why that would be incorrect, as long as it makes logical sense to use that particular verb tense in the sentence (present progressive tense, if you like jargon -- used to indicate an ongoing action in the present). In general, there's nothing wrong with using "being" as a verb, as long as it's preceded by some form of "to be."

We've had a few requests to talk about "being" in an upcoming Topic of the Week, so keep an eye out for that, too.

Temurkhon · Answer

Chose E because intended meaning is to make accent on case, but not on scenery

arvind910619 · Answer

The answer is E as all the modifiers are placed correctly and meaning is very clear .
Rest all the options have meaning error .

sanpreetsingh · Answer

A - S-V issue 
B,D - Distorts,"is searching" implies they are searching right now. 
C - Distort the meaning, Indicates that the group is related to the disappearance.

Hence, E is the Answer.

Skywalker18 · Answer

MGMAT staff explanation-

There are several different styles of modifier constructions that are restricted. You're hopefully familiar with modifier constructions that begin with "which", "where", or "who"; these constructions must be clauses (they must contain a verb inside the modifier itself) and they must modify a noun.

Prepositional phrase modifiers are not restricted in this way. They can modify just about anything: nouns, verbs, or even whole sentences. ("I am writing this response at my computer." "At my computer" does not describe "response"; it describes where I am doing the writing.)

So with these types of modifiers, since there isn't a rule, the decision boils down to meaning. If you decide to make the "in connection with ..." modify the nouns "group" or "investigators" then you are literally describing the location of the group or the location of the investigators. This doesn't make sense: the group is not "in" any location that is a "connection".

In answer D, when you use the modifier with the active voice clause, the "in connection with..." describes how the group is searching the area. In answer E, when you use the modifier with the passive voice clause, "in connection with..." describes why the area is being searched.

Answer choice E preserves a more sensible meaning.

Consider these two examples:
1. The dog in the yard is barking. "In the yard" describes the location of the dog. 
vs
2. The dog is barking in the yard. "In the yard" describes where the dog is doing the barking.

It's a subtle difference, but it is a difference.

shahidomer77 · Answer

I would go with C . I would like to know why it is wrong?

Sneha2103 · Answer

A group of FBI investigators, in connection with the 1975 disappearance of Teamsters leader Jimmy Hoffa, are searching a small area of a rural Milford Township horse farm.

A. A group of FBI investigators, in connection with the 1975 disappearance of Teamsters leader Jimmy Hoffa, are searching a small area of a rural Milford Township horse farm.

B. A group of FBI investigators, in connection with the 1975 disappearance of Teamsters leader Jimmy Hoffa, is searching a rural Milford Township horse farm, a small area within.

C. A group of FBI investigators, searching a small area of a rural Milford Township horse farm, is connected with the 1975 disappearance of Teamsters leader Jimmy Hoffa.

D. A group of FBI investigators, in connection with the 1975 disappearance of Teamsters leader Jimmy Hoffa, is searching a small area of a rural Milford Township horse farm.

E. A small area of a rural Milford Township horse farm is being searched by a group of FBI investigators in connection with the 1975 disappearance of Teamsters leader Jimmy Hoffa

arya251294 · Answer

Option C incorrectly tries to say that the group of FBI investigators is involved in disappearance, but that is not the intended meaning of the sentence.
The sentence here is trying to say that the group of FBI investigators are searching X in connection of Y.

VerbalBot · Answer

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A group of FBI investigators, in connection with the 1975 disappearanc

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A group of FBI investigators, in connection with the 1975 disappearanc

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