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30 Dec 2020, 00:56
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C
Be sure to select an answer first to save it in the Error Log before revealing the correct answer (OA)!
Difficulty:
45%
(medium)
Question Stats:
45% (00:51) correct
55%
(00:51)
wrong
based on 488
sessions
History
Date
Time
Result
Not Attempted Yet
A majority of society argues that neither technology nor genetics is to blame for rampant childhood obesity in society.
A) argues that neither technology nor genetics is to
B) argue that neither technology nor genetics are to
C) argues that neither technology nor genetics are to
D) argue that neither technology or genetics is to
E) argues that neither technology or genetics are to
30 Dec 2020, 00:59
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OFFICIAL EXPLANATION
Project SC Butler: Sentence Correction (SC2)
THE PROMPT
THE OPTIONS
• in the neither/nor construction, if one item is singular and the other is plural, the verb agrees with the noun closest to the verb
• genetics in this context is plural. We need . . . genetics are
• genetics, like statistics, can be singular or plural
→ SPOILER ALERT - a few official questions test "statistics."
My answer to one such question is here..
• genetics, singular: the field or study of genetics is singular
• genetics, plural: the genetic properties or features of an organism or organisms are plural
→ Do genetics determine height? (Yes, though nourishment and nutrition obviously play roles, too.)
→ Scientists have long suspected [that] genetics play a role in the onset of the disease.
Oxford Dictionary online, here, quoting the U.S. National Institute of Health, here.
[Science writers appear to disagree, though most would use a plural verb with genetics in this kind of sentence. A few, however, always use a singular verb with genetics.]
ELIMINATE A
ELIMINATE B
• argues, singular, agrees with majority of society, singular
• the word genetics in this context refers to the inherited characteristics kind of genetics, plural, and is correctly paired with the verb are
KEEP C
• the singular subject a majority of society does not agree with the plural verb argue
• genetics, plural, does not agree with is, singular
ELIMINATE D
• neither is always paired with nor (neither/or is incorrect)
ELIMINATE E
The answer is C.
NOTES
This question is beastly.
In retrospect, I also think it might be flawed, though I have no way to predict whether GMAC will accept a modern usage trend.
That is, until recently, in very formal writing, we did not couple the word majority with a non-count (collective) noun such as society.
On the other hand, many high-end publications have increasingly treated majority as a quantity or part word, similar to SANAM pronouns (some, any, none, all, more/most) and to words that convey fractions and percentages.
When you see that kind of "part" word, look at the noun in the OF phrase (i.e., at the object of the preposition) to figure out whether to use a singular or plural verb.
If the object of the preposition is singular, use a singular verb. If the object of the preposition is plural, use a plural verb.
→ Half of the pie has been eaten. (There is one pie. Half of that pie is gone.)
→ Half of the pies have been eaten. (There were six pies. Half of those pies are gone. Now there are three pies.)
Let's suppose, as MGMAT has done, that majority can be paired with a non-count noun.'
MGMAT uses these examples:
Majority, singular, noncount noun: In the Senate, the majority HAS coalesced into a unified voting block.
Majority, plural, count noun: The majority of the students ARE hard workers.
This SC sentence is similar to the first sentence.
→ We could write, "The majority of the Senate HAS coalesced into a unified voting block."
→ Similarly, "A majority of society argues XYZ."
Society is singular.
According to the writer of this question, a majority of society is also singular.
I agree.
Still, this question is controversial.
(The original OE writer, BTW, was clueless about neither/nor.
As I interpret that explanation, s/he thinks that neither/nor always requires a singular subject.
Nope. The correct rule states that when neither stands alone (without nor), neither always takes a singular subject.)
I am going to lock the topic for now. (Who knew I would ring in 2021 writing an OE?)
COMMENTS
Baps and ShashankRawat007 , welcome to SC Butler.
The answers are almost evenly split between (A) and (C).
Everyone who posted here gave a hard question a shot: good for you!
If I had to publish this sentence . . . well, I would rewrite it, but if I had to publish option A or option C, I would publish the latter.
Critical thinking and analysis in a few posts—both those with correct answers and those without—are especially good.
And everyone was brave.
Kudos to all.
Happy New Year, everyone
Project SC Butler: Sentence Correction (SC2)
THE PROMPT
Quote:
THE OPTIONS
Quote:
• in the neither/nor construction, if one item is singular and the other is plural, the verb agrees with the noun closest to the verb
• genetics in this context is plural. We need . . . genetics are
• genetics, like statistics, can be singular or plural
→ SPOILER ALERT - a few official questions test "statistics."
My answer to one such question is here..
• genetics, singular: the field or study of genetics is singular
• genetics, plural: the genetic properties or features of an organism or organisms are plural
→ Do genetics determine height? (Yes, though nourishment and nutrition obviously play roles, too.)
→ Scientists have long suspected [that] genetics play a role in the onset of the disease.
Oxford Dictionary online, here, quoting the U.S. National Institute of Health, here.
[Science writers appear to disagree, though most would use a plural verb with genetics in this kind of sentence. A few, however, always use a singular verb with genetics.]
ELIMINATE A
Quote:
• the singular subject a majority of society does not agree with the plural verb argue
ELIMINATE B
Quote:
• argues, singular, agrees with majority of society, singular
• the word genetics in this context refers to the inherited characteristics kind of genetics, plural, and is correctly paired with the verb are
KEEP C
Quote:
• the singular subject a majority of society does not agree with the plural verb argue
• genetics, plural, does not agree with is, singular
ELIMINATE D
Quote:
• neither is always paired with nor (neither/or is incorrect)
ELIMINATE E
The answer is C.
NOTES
This question is beastly.
In retrospect, I also think it might be flawed, though I have no way to predict whether GMAC will accept a modern usage trend.
That is, until recently, in very formal writing, we did not couple the word majority with a non-count (collective) noun such as society.
On the other hand, many high-end publications have increasingly treated majority as a quantity or part word, similar to SANAM pronouns (some, any, none, all, more/most) and to words that convey fractions and percentages.
When you see that kind of "part" word, look at the noun in the OF phrase (i.e., at the object of the preposition) to figure out whether to use a singular or plural verb.
If the object of the preposition is singular, use a singular verb. If the object of the preposition is plural, use a plural verb.
→ Half of the pie has been eaten. (There is one pie. Half of that pie is gone.)
→ Half of the pies have been eaten. (There were six pies. Half of those pies are gone. Now there are three pies.)
Let's suppose, as MGMAT has done, that majority can be paired with a non-count noun.'
MGMAT uses these examples:
Majority, singular, noncount noun: In the Senate, the majority HAS coalesced into a unified voting block.
Majority, plural, count noun: The majority of the students ARE hard workers.
This SC sentence is similar to the first sentence.
→ We could write, "The majority of the Senate HAS coalesced into a unified voting block."
→ Similarly, "A majority of society argues XYZ."
Society is singular.
According to the writer of this question, a majority of society is also singular.
I agree.
Still, this question is controversial.
(The original OE writer, BTW, was clueless about neither/nor.
As I interpret that explanation, s/he thinks that neither/nor always requires a singular subject.
Nope. The correct rule states that when neither stands alone (without nor), neither always takes a singular subject.)
I am going to lock the topic for now. (Who knew I would ring in 2021 writing an OE?)
COMMENTS
Baps and ShashankRawat007 , welcome to SC Butler.
The answers are almost evenly split between (A) and (C).
Everyone who posted here gave a hard question a shot: good for you!
If I had to publish this sentence . . . well, I would rewrite it, but if I had to publish option A or option C, I would publish the latter.
Critical thinking and analysis in a few posts—both those with correct answers and those without—are especially good.
And everyone was brave.
Kudos to all.
Edit: I accidentally deleted this answer. I had a copy of the text, which I reformatted, albeit rather hastily. This OE is almost identical to the one I deleted.
Happy New Year, everyone
DinoPen
Joined: 02 Jul 2019
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GMAT 2: 640 Q48 V28
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GMAT 2: 640 Q48 V28
Posts: 256
30 Dec 2020, 08:22
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A majority of society argues that neither technology nor genetics is to blame for rampant childhood obesity in society.
'A majority .. argues' = correct use of SV agreement since 'a majority' is singular. Take out B and D.
Neither X nor Y pairing: take out E
Neither is the second subject that is doing the action. Neither is singular; therefore, 'are' is incorrect. Take out C.
A
'A majority .. argues' = correct use of SV agreement since 'a majority' is singular. Take out B and D.
Neither X nor Y pairing: take out E
Neither is the second subject that is doing the action. Neither is singular; therefore, 'are' is incorrect. Take out C.
A
