A mountainous country subject to bitter cold during the winter, eighty

Question

A mountainous country subject to bitter cold during the winter,  eighty percent of which is not suitable for crop growth, North Korea cultivates staples such as rice, constituting the bulk of its agricultural land in the alluvial soil of valleys and coastal plains .

(A) eighty percent of which is not suitable for crop growth, North Korea cultivates staples such as rice, constituting the bulk of its agricultural land in the alluvial soil of valleys and coastal plains

(B) North Korea, eighty percent of which is not suitable for growing crops, cultivating staples such as rice in valleys and coastal plains that contain alluvial soil and constituting the bulk of its agricultural land

(C) eighty percent of North Korea is not suitable when growing staple crops such as rice, which is cultivated in valleys and coastal plains that contain alluvial soil and constitutes the bulk of its agricultural land

(D) eighty percent of which is not suitable for crop growth, which alluvial soil makes possible, North Korea cultivates staples such as rice in valleys and coastal plains, such areas constituting the bulk of its agricultural land

(E) the valleys and coastal plains of North Korea constitute the bulk of its agricultural land, where alluvial soil makes possible the cultivation of staples such as rice, though eighty percent of it is not suitable for crop growth

Source: TTP Beta Testing

shameekv1989 · Accepted Answer

- NK cultivates rice does not constitute the agricultural land

- A fragment sentence - No Verb

rice do not constitute the agricultural land. Additionally an incorrect usage of when indicating 80% is not suitable only when growing rice

Modifier + Modifier + IC, Noun + Noun modifier -> Each modifier modifying the last element (touching noun) correctly. North Korea becomes the Subject of the IC correctly as well. such areas (Noun - plains and valleys) + consituting the agricultural land (participle modifying such areas)

- Mountainous country has to be North Korea not the plains of NK

Answer - D

MartyTargetTestPrep · Answer

(A)  Incorrect.  The closing participial phrase “constituting the bulk of its agricultural land in the alluvial soil of valleys and coastal plains” takes as its agent the subject of the preceding independent clause, “North Korea.” However, it does not make sense to say that the country “North Korea” constitutes the bulk of its own agricultural land.

(B)  Incorrect.  Notice that there is no main verb in the sentence. The present participles “cultivating” and “constituting” are not main verbs. Without a main verb, there is no independent clause, and the sentence is not complete.

Furthermore, “cultivating” and “constituting” seem to take as their agent “North Korea,” and while it makes sense that North Korea is “cultivating staples such as rice,” it does not make sense that North Korea is “constituting the bulk of” its own agricultural land.

(C)  Incorrect.  The opening appositive phrase, “a mountainous country subject to bitter cold during the winter” incorrectly modifies “eighty percent of North Korea” instead of the entire country of North Korea.

Furthermore, “eighty percent of North Korea is not suitable when growing staple crops such as rice” is vague and doesn’t quite make sense. If this portion of the country “is not suitable,” then how are crops growing there? Not suitable for what, then? Or are the crops growing somewhere else? And could it be land itself, and not farmers, that is “growing staple crops,” as the phrasing seems to indicate?

Lastly, since “which” in “which is cultivated … and constitutes” refers to “rice, this version conveys the illogical meaning that rice constitutes the bulk of North Korea’s agricultural land. Rice is not a type of land, and so, rice cannot constitute the bulk of North Korea’s agricultural land. Logically, the valleys and coastal plains are what constitute the bulk of the agricultural land, and rice perhaps constitutes the bulk of the crops grown on that land.

(D)  Correct.  Notice that despite being separated from the noun it describes by two relative clauses (“eighty percent of which is not suitable for crop growth, which alluvial soil makes possible”), the opening appositive phrase “a mountainous country subject to bitter cold during the winter” still correctly modifies “North Korea.”

Furthermore, “eighty percent of which” clearly modifies “a mountainous country subject to bitter cold during the winter” and “which alluvial soil makes possible” clearly and logically modifies “crop growth.”

Lastly, “in valleys and coastal plains, such areas constituting the bulk of its agricultural land” makes clear that the valleys and coastal plans are what are “constituting the bulk” of the agricultural land in North Korea.

This version contains no grammatical errors and effectively conveys a logical meaning.

(E)  Incorrect.  The opening appositive phrase, “a mountainous country subject to bitter cold during the winter” incorrectly modifies “the valleys and coastal plains of North Korea” instead of “North Korea.”

Also, the use of “where” to refer to “land” does not make sense. “Where” should be used to refer to a location, not to a thing like “land.”

Answer: D

rheam25 · Answer

eighty percent of which = "A mountainous country", North Korea cultivates staples such as rice (this modifies the previous modifier 80% of which) - the sentence is correct so far.
 rice, constituting the bulk of its agricultural land ...    this is an comma + -ing modifier which means that it is referring back to the verb in the previous modifier which is wrong the "-ing" modifier should refer back to North Korea .

"North Korea" refers back to the mountainous country ( correct ), "eighty percent of which.." is modifying North Korea (correct), cultivating staples such as rice in valleys... (  North Korea is not cultivating anything this is wrong ) and constituting (refers back to North Korea but according to the original sentence it is supposed to refer back to Valleys)

eighty percent of North Korea... (  this means that only 80% of North Korea is a mountainous country , that's not what the sentence is trying to convey) crops such as rice, which is cultivated in valleys and coastal plains ... and   constitutes   rice does not bulk of its agricultural land.

eight percent of which...crop growth, which alluvial soil (which here is referring to crop growth - this is correct), North Korea cultivates..., such areas constituting the bulk ( referring back to Valleys) - this sentence has no errors and modifiers are placed correctly.

the first modifier - the valleys and coastal plains of North Korea  ( incorrect valleys are not a mountainous country) 
where alluvial soil makes possible.. (passive voice)

AliciaSierra · Answer

MartyTargetTestPrep  - Could you post official explanation of this SC.

CEdward · Answer

MartyTargetTestPrep  is there a squinting modifier in A)?

e.g. 80% of winter not suitable for crop growth versus 80% of North Korea not suitable for crop growth

AnkithaSrinivas · Answer

is it ok to have 2 modifiers in a row ?  daagh  Please help

MartyTargetTestPrep · Answer

Interesting question.

The meaning conveyed is a bit ambiguous isn't it.

That said, "eighty percent of which ..." has to modify a preceding noun.

So, what I wonder in reading that version is whether it's eighty percent of the winter or eighty percent of the mountainous country that's not suitable for crop growth. While it's more logical that it's eighty percent of the country, the winter could work.

So, I don't think the modifier is squinting, because it must modify one of the two nouns preceding it, not one before or one after, but its target is a bit ambiguous.

MartyTargetTestPrep · Answer

If you are referring to this in (D), "eighty percent of which is not suitable for crop growth, which alluvial soil makes possible," yes, it's fine, and it's really composed of a modifier within a modifier.

"which alluvial soil makes possible" is part of the larger modifier "eighty percent of which is not suitable for crop growth, which alluvial soil makes possible."

Crytiocanalyst · Answer

(A) eighty percent of which is not suitable for crop growth, North Korea cultivates staples such as rice, constituting the bulk of its agricultural land in the alluvial soil of valleys and coastal plains
The country in itself is not cultivating anything therefore out

(B) North Korea, eighty percent of which is not suitable for growing crops, cultivating staples such as rice in valleys and coastal plains that contain alluvial soil and constituting the bulk of its agricultural land
The country in itself is not cultivating anything in itself , the meaning is distorted therefore out

(C) eighty percent of North Korea is not suitable when growing staple crops such as rice, which is cultivated in valleys and coastal plains that contain alluvial soil and constitutes the bulk of its agricultural land
This gives us a meaning as though the soil becomes useless the moment it's cultivated which is not the intended meaning therefore out

(D) eighty percent of which is not suitable for crop growth, which alluvial soil makes possible, North Korea cultivates staples such as rice in valleys and coastal plains, such areas constituting the bulk of its agricultural land
The meaning is perfect therefore let us hang on to it

(E) the valleys and coastal plains of North Korea constitute the bulk of its agricultural land, where alluvial soil makes possible the cultivation of staples such as rice, though eighty percent of it is not suitable for crop growth
This gives us a meaning as though 80 % of alluvial soil is unsuitable for cultivation therefore out

Therefore IMO D

VerbalBot · Answer

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A mountainous country subject to bitter cold during the winter, eighty

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A mountainous country subject to bitter cold during the winter, eighty

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