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Here is a detailed explanation to this question-
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A new study suggests that the conversational pace of everyday life may be so brisk it hampers the ability of some children for distinguishing discrete sounds and words and, the result is, to make sense of speech.
(A) it hampers the ability of some children for distinguishing discrete sounds and words and, the result is, to make
(B) that it hampers the ability of some children to distinguish discrete sounds and words and, as a result, to make
(C) that it hampers the ability of some children to distinguish discrete sounds and words and, the result of this, they are unable to make
(D) that it hampers the ability of some children to distinguish discrete sounds and words, and results in not making
(E) as to hamper the ability of some children for distinguishing discrete sounds and words, resulting in being unable to make
Meaning is crucial to solving this problem:Understanding the intended meaning is key to solving this question; the intended core meaning of this sentence is that the conversational pace of everyday life may be so brisk that it hampers the ability of some children to distinguish discrete sounds and words and, as a result, hampers their ability to make sense of speech.
Concepts tested here: Meaning + Idioms + Verb Forms• “so A that B” is a correct, idiomatic usage that describes cause (A) and effect (B).
• "ability to" is generally preferred over "ability for".
• The introduction of the present participle ("verb+ing"- “resulting” in this case) after comma generally leads to a cause-effect relationship.
A: This answer choice alters the meaning of the sentence through the phrase "and, the result is, to make"; the construction of this phrase incorrectly implies that the conversational pace of everyday life may be so brisk that it hampers the ability of some children to distinguish discrete sounds and words and, as a result,
the children are able to make sense of speech; the intended meaning is that the conversational pace of everyday life may be so brisk that it hampers the ability of some children to distinguish discrete sounds and words and, as a result,
hampers their ability to make sense of speech. Further, Option A incorrectly uses the unidiomatic construction "so A ("brisk") B ("it hampers the ability...words")"; please remember, “so A that B” is a correct, idiomatic usage that describes cause (A) and effect (B). Additionally, Option A uses the construction "ability for"; please remember, "ability to" is generally preferred over "ability for".
B: Correct. This answer choice uses the phrase "and, as a result, to make", conveying the intended meaning - that the conversational pace of everyday life may be so brisk that it hampers the ability of some children to distinguish discrete sounds and words and, as a result,
the brisk pace also hampers their ability to make sense of speech. Further, Option B correctly uses the idiomatic construction "so A ("brisk") that B ("it hampers the ability...words")" to refer to the cause-effect relationship between the briskness of the conversational pace of everyday life and the fact that it hampers the ability of some children to distinguish discrete sounds and words. Additionally, Option B uses the preferred construction "ability to".
C: This answer choice subtly alters the meaning of the sentence through the clause "they are unable to make"; the construction of this clause incorrectly implies that the conversational pace of everyday life may be so brisk that it hampers the ability of some children to distinguish discrete sounds and words and, as a result,
the children are unable to make sense of speech; the intended meaning is that the conversational pace of everyday life may be so brisk that it hampers the ability of some children to distinguish discrete sounds and words and, as a result,
the brisk pace also hampers their ability to make sense of speech.
D: This answer choice alters the meaning of the sentence through the phrase "and results in not making"; the construction of this phrase leads to an incoherent meaning; the intended meaning is that the conversational pace of everyday life may be so brisk that it hampers the ability of some children to distinguish discrete sounds and words and, as a result, the brisk pace hampers their ability to make sense of speech.
E: This answer choice alters the meaning of the sentence through the phrase "resulting in being unable to make"; the construction of this phrase illogically implies that the conversational pace of everyday life may be so brisk that it hampers the ability of some children to distinguish discrete sounds and words and, as a result, the brisk pace
is unable to make sense of speech; the intended meaning is that the conversational pace of everyday life may be so brisk that it hampers the ability of some children to distinguish discrete sounds and words and, as a result,
the brisk pace also hampers their ability to make sense of speech; remember, the introduction of the present participle ("verb+ing"- “resulting” in this case) after comma generally leads to a cause-effect relationship. Additionally, Option E uses the construction "ability for"; please remember, "ability to" is generally preferred over "ability for".
Hence, B is the best answer choice.To understand the concept of "Comma + Present Participles for Cause-Effect Relationships" on GMAT, you may want to watch the following video (~3 minutes):
All the best!
Experts' Global Team