Last visit was: 19 Nov 2025, 06:00 It is currently 19 Nov 2025, 06:00
Home
GMAT
Messages
Tests
Schools
Events
Rewards
Chat
My Profile
Close
GMAT Club Daily Prep
Thank you for using the timer - this advanced tool can estimate your performance and suggest more practice questions. We have subscribed you to Daily Prep Questions via email.

Customized
for You

we will pick new questions that match your level based on your Timer History

Track
Your Progress

every week, we’ll send you an estimated GMAT score based on your performance

Practice
Pays

we will pick new questions that match your level based on your Timer History
Not interested in getting valuable practice questions and articles delivered to your email? No problem, unsubscribe here.
Go to My Error Log Learn more
Close
Request Expert Reply
Confirm Cancel
Back to Forum
Create Topic
User avatar
Bunuel
User avatar
Math Expert
Joined: 02 Sep 2009
Last visit: 19 Nov 2025
Posts: 105,388
Own Kudos:
778,215
 [5]
Given Kudos: 99,977
Products:
GMAT Club Tests Forum Quiz
Expert
Expert reply
Active GMAT Club Expert! Tag them with @ followed by their username for a faster response.
Posts: 105,388
Kudos: 778,215
 [5]
A spokesman for the organization says that Curt Gowdy, who was 86, die 09 Sep 2021, 03:32
Kudos
Add Kudos
5
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
00:00
Start Timer
Pause Timer
Resume Timer
Show Answer
Hide
Show
History
A
Be sure to select an answer first to save it in the Error Log before revealing the correct answer (OA)!

Difficulty:

15% (low)

Question Stats:

76% (01:08) correct 24% (01:13) wrong based on 413 sessions

History

Date
Time
Result
Not Attempted Yet
A spokesman for the organization says that Curt Gowdy, who was 86, died from leukemia recently in Palm Beach, Florida.

A. A spokesman for the organization says that Curt Gowdy, who was 86,
B. Curt Gowdy, a spokesman for the organization, who was 86,
C. A spokesman for the organization, who was 86, says that Curt Gowdy
D. A spokesman for the organization had said Curt Gowdy, who was 86,
E. A spokesman for the organization says that Curt Gowdy, who was 86, had
ShowHide Answer
Official Answer
A
User avatar
Konstantin1983
User avatar
Joined: 02 Dec 2014
Last visit: 08 Dec 2021
Posts: 298
Own Kudos:
319
Given Kudos: 353
Location: Russian Federation
Concentration: General Management, Economics
GMAT 1: 640 Q44 V33
WE:Sales (Telecommunications)
GMAT 1: 640 Q44 V33
Posts: 298
Kudos: 319
A spokesman for the organization says that Curt Gowdy, who was 86, die 09 Sep 2021, 10:11
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Bunuel
A spokesman for the organization says that Curt Gowdy, who was 86, died from leukemia recently in Palm Beach, Florida.

A. A spokesman for the organization says that Curt Gowdy, who was 86,
B. Curt Gowdy, a spokesman for the organization, who was 86,
C. A spokesman for the organization, who was 86, says that Curt Gowdy
D. A spokesman for the organization had said Curt Gowdy, who was 86,
E. A spokesman for the organization says that Curt Gowdy, who was 86, had
Show more

B and C are out because they change the meaning. D is wrong because of "had.' Between A and E I opted for the latter because of tense usage - Gowdy died before a spokesman announced this news so use of "had" is required.
avatar
ankitpal10
avatar
Joined: 03 Apr 2021
Last visit: 16 May 2022
Posts: 12
Own Kudos:
3
Given Kudos: 22
Posts: 12
Kudos: 3
A spokesman for the organization says that Curt Gowdy, who was 86, die 09 Sep 2021, 10:56
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
The answer should be A and the statement is correct in the usual form. This is a narrative of a spokesperson who talks about an event in the past, Between A & E:

Answer A positions this event as it occurred in the past and did not continue in the future, also there was no follow-up event that happened after this so we need not include the "Had + past" form here. What is the OE?
User avatar
rohit8865
User avatar
Joined: 05 Mar 2015
Last visit: 18 Nov 2025
Posts: 812
Own Kudos:
979
Given Kudos: 45
Products:
My Reviews
Posts: 812
Kudos: 979
A spokesman for the organization says that Curt Gowdy, who was 86, die 09 Sep 2021, 18:53
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Konstantin1983
Bunuel
A spokesman for the organization says that Curt Gowdy, who was 86, died from leukemia recently in Palm Beach, Florida.

A. A spokesman for the organization says that Curt Gowdy, who was 86,
B. Curt Gowdy, a spokesman for the organization, who was 86,
C. A spokesman for the organization, who was 86, says that Curt Gowdy
D. A spokesman for the organization had said Curt Gowdy, who was 86,
E. A spokesman for the organization says that Curt Gowdy, who was 86, had

B and C are out because they change the meaning. D is wrong because of "had.' Between A and E I opted for the latter because of tense usage - Gowdy died before a spokesman announced this news so use of "had" is required.
Show more

Hey Konstantin1983

i dont think that usage of "had" is correct..."says" is in present tense..

Hope u agree :)
User avatar
Konstantin1983
User avatar
Joined: 02 Dec 2014
Last visit: 08 Dec 2021
Posts: 298
Own Kudos:
319
Given Kudos: 353
Location: Russian Federation
Concentration: General Management, Economics
GMAT 1: 640 Q44 V33
WE:Sales (Telecommunications)
GMAT 1: 640 Q44 V33
Posts: 298
Kudos: 319
A spokesman for the organization says that Curt Gowdy, who was 86, die 13 Sep 2021, 08:28
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
rohit8865
Konstantin1983
Bunuel
A spokesman for the organization says that Curt Gowdy, who was 86, died from leukemia recently in Palm Beach, Florida.

A. A spokesman for the organization says that Curt Gowdy, who was 86,
B. Curt Gowdy, a spokesman for the organization, who was 86,
C. A spokesman for the organization, who was 86, says that Curt Gowdy
D. A spokesman for the organization had said Curt Gowdy, who was 86,
E. A spokesman for the organization says that Curt Gowdy, who was 86, had

B and C are out because they change the meaning. D is wrong because of "had.' Between A and E I opted for the latter because of tense usage - Gowdy died before a spokesman announced this news so use of "had" is required.

Hey Konstantin1983

i dont think that usage of "had" is correct..."says" is in present tense..

Hope u agree :)
Show more

Hey Rohit8865!
Makes sense of course. But i think both options may be correct)
avatar
saranshjain
avatar
Current Student
Joined: 22 Aug 2020
Last visit: 21 Jun 2022
Posts: 33
Own Kudos:
11
Given Kudos: 33
Location: India
Concentration: Finance, Operations
Schools: Merage (D) Terry (D) Mays (A$$) UC Riverside '24 (A$$) Alberta University (A) Simon '24 (S) Smeal (D)
GMAT 1: 640 Q47 V32
GMAT 2: 690 Q49 V35
GPA: 3.26
WE:Underwriter (Commercial Banking)
Schools: Merage (D) Terry (D) Mays (A$$) UC Riverside '24 (A$$) Alberta University (A) Simon '24 (S) Smeal (D)
GMAT 2: 690 Q49 V35
Posts: 33
Kudos: 11
A spokesman for the organization says that Curt Gowdy, who was 86, die 13 Sep 2021, 08:43
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
IMO A.

'says' is the present tense and 'had' indicates 2 actions in the past. The word 'recently' also suggests that the event occurred in the near present and thus, a simple past is ideal.
avatar
xxxpbxxx
avatar
Joined: 03 Jan 2021
Last visit: 21 Mar 2022
Posts: 8
Own Kudos:
1
Given Kudos: 111
Posts: 8
Kudos: 1
A spokesman for the organization says that Curt Gowdy, who was 86, die 13 Sep 2021, 21:12
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Bunuel
A spokesman for the organization says that Curt Gowdy, who was 86, died from leukemia recently in Palm Beach, Florida.

A. A spokesman for the organization says that Curt Gowdy, who was 86, -
B. Curt Gowdy, a spokesman for the organization, who was 86,
C. A spokesman for the organization, who was 86, says that Curt Gowdy
D. A spokesman for the organization had said Curt Gowdy, who was 86,
E. A spokesman for the organization says that Curt Gowdy, who was 86, had
Show more

IMO Answer is A:

A. A spokesman for the organization says that Curt Gowdy, who was 86,
who correctly references to the closest noun - Curt Cody
Verb-ed modifier after the comma, correctly refers to and modifies to the closest noun which is Curt Gowdy, and hence correctly implies the meaning "who died from Luekemia?" - Curt Gowdy died

B. Curt Gowdy, a spokesman for the organization, who was 86,
Incorrectly refers Curt Gowdy to be the spkesperson who was 86 and has died, and changes the meaning of the intended sentence.
However, I was a bit confused by this option since grammatically it seems concise and correct, so if someone has a better clarification for this, please suggest.

C. A spokesman for the organization, who was 86, says that Curt Gowdy
Incorrectly refers to spokesperson as 86 years old, and "who was 86 year old", meaning changes to- the spokesman was 86 years old? Now he is not? Or has he ceased to exist after 86 years old? Makes no sense to me

D. A spokesman for the organization had said Curt Gowdy, who was 86,
use of had is incorrect I feel, "had" takes the first action which occurred (someone can share their opinion on this)

E. A spokesman for the organization says that Curt Gowdy, who was 86, had
Double past "had" not required as "says" is in present tense, and does not denote 2 actions which occurred in past
User avatar
Fdambro294
User avatar
Joined: 10 Jul 2019
Last visit: 20 Aug 2025
Posts: 1,350
Own Kudos:
741
 [1]
Given Kudos: 1,656
Posts: 1,350
Kudos: 741
 [1]
A spokesman for the organization says that Curt Gowdy, who was 86, die 13 Sep 2021, 23:02
1
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Bunuel
A spokesman for the organization says that Curt Gowdy, who was 86, died from leukemia recently in Palm Beach, Florida.

A. A spokesman for the organization says that Curt Gowdy, who was 86,
B. Curt Gowdy, a spokesman for the organization, who was 86,
C. A spokesman for the organization, who was 86, says that Curt Gowdy
D. A spokesman for the organization had said Curt Gowdy, who was 86,
E. A spokesman for the organization says that Curt Gowdy, who was 86, had
Show more


The meaning provided by the original sentence is not necessarily dispositive. But looking at the other meanings, you can see that some are illogical. Other versions make errors of grammar.


In E, the past perfect is not needed. The spokesman “says” is in the present tense: we are discussing a fact that is true in the present. Therefore, only the simple past is needed to say that Curt “died.” There does not exist several past actions that require sequencing. The use of the past perfect seems unnecessary.

In D, the past perfect is used to describe the action of the spokesperson, whereas the simple present “died” is used to describe Curt’s death.

The structure of the sentence suggests that the spokesperson had said Curt died BEFORE Curt even died. This is illogical.

In C, we have the Relative Clause “who was 86” describing the spokesperson. The meaning suggests that the spokesperson was 86, but now he is no longer 86. This comes across as illogical.

In B, from a general style and sentence structure point of view, you have 2 nonrestrictive modifiers following each other. This makes the sentence come across “clunky” and not as concise as answer A.

More importantly, because of its placement, the nonrestrictive modifier “who was 86” could modify the prior noun phrase “a spokesman for the organization.”

Therefore, the meaning suggests by the sentence is that Curt Gowdy IS a spokesperson for the organization and WAS 86. Since the main clause of the sentence states that Curt died recently, the fact that he is a spokesperson for the organization seems illogical.

(*note* This is one way to read the meaning. At the very least, the meaning is ambiguous and the sentence structure, with two non restrictive noun modifiers back to back, isn’t as good as answer A’s sentence structure)

Answer A comes across clearer and without the grammar errors that are present in the other versions.

“A spokesman for the organization says that Curt Gowdy, who was 86, died from leukemia recently…”

Because the 1st clause “a spokesman for the organization says” has the reporting verb in the present tense, what the spokesman says is presented as a fact that is currently true. The sentence discusses what the spokesperson says in the present, not at a past time.

Since the spokesperson did not make the statement in the past, we do not have a “sequence of tenses” or “verb back shifting” issue.

If the sentence had been “the spokesperson said” in the simple past tense, then the fact that Curt died in the past would have had to be represented by the past perfect.

“The spokesperson said that Curt Gowdy had died…”

As it is, A is the best answer.

Posted from my mobile device
avatar
xxxpbxxx
avatar
Joined: 03 Jan 2021
Last visit: 21 Mar 2022
Posts: 8
Own Kudos:
1
Given Kudos: 111
Posts: 8
Kudos: 1
A spokesman for the organization says that Curt Gowdy, who was 86, die 14 Sep 2021, 04:58
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Fdambro294
Bunuel
A spokesman for the organization says that Curt Gowdy, who was 86, died from leukemia recently in Palm Beach, Florida.

A. A spokesman for the organization says that Curt Gowdy, who was 86,
B. Curt Gowdy, a spokesman for the organization, who was 86,
C. A spokesman for the organization, who was 86, says that Curt Gowdy
D. A spokesman for the organization had said Curt Gowdy, who was 86,
E. A spokesman for the organization says that Curt Gowdy, who was 86, had


The meaning provided by the original sentence is not necessarily dispositive. But looking at the other meanings, you can see that some are illogical. Other versions make errors of grammar.


In E, the past perfect is not needed. The spokesman “says” is in the present tense: we are discussing a fact that is true in the present. Therefore, only the simple past is needed to say that Curt “died.” There does not exist several past actions that require sequencing. The use of the past perfect seems unnecessary.

In D, the past perfect is used to describe the action of the spokesperson, whereas the simple present “died” is used to describe Curt’s death.

The structure of the sentence suggests that the spokesperson had said Curt died BEFORE Curt even died. This is illogical.

In C, we have the Relative Clause “who was 86” describing the spokesperson. The meaning suggests that the spokesperson was 86, but now he is no longer 86. This comes across as illogical.

In B, from a general style and sentence structure point of view, you have 2 nonrestrictive modifiers following each other. This makes the sentence come across “clunky” and not as concise as answer A.

More importantly, because of its placement, the nonrestrictive modifier “who was 86” could modify the prior noun phrase “a spokesman for the organization.”

Therefore, the meaning suggests by the sentence is that Curt Gowdy IS a spokesperson for the organization and WAS 86. Since the main clause of the sentence states that Curt died recently, the fact that he is a spokesperson for the organization seems illogical.

(*note* This is one way to read the meaning. At the very least, the meaning is ambiguous and the sentence structure, with two non restrictive noun modifiers back to back, isn’t as good as answer A’s sentence structure)

Answer A comes across clearer and without the grammar errors that are present in the other versions.

“A spokesman for the organization says that Curt Gowdy, who was 86, died from leukemia recently…”

Because the 1st clause “a spokesman for the organization says” has the reporting verb in the present tense, what the spokesman says is presented as a fact that is currently true. The sentence discusses what the spokesperson says in the present, not at a past time.

Since the spokesperson did not make the statement in the past, we do not have a “sequence of tenses” or “verb back shifting” issue.

If the sentence had been “the spokesperson said” in the simple past tense, then the fact that Curt died in the past would have had to be represented by the past perfect.

“The spokesperson said that Curt Gowdy had died…”

As it is, A is the best answer.

Posted from my mobile device
Show more

Thank you this really helped me with more clarification.
Is it an absolute no-no then? In GMAT, that two non restrictive modifiers placed back to back are incorrect or not preferred?
User avatar
Fdambro294
User avatar
Joined: 10 Jul 2019
Last visit: 20 Aug 2025
Posts: 1,350
Own Kudos:
741
 [1]
Given Kudos: 1,656
Posts: 1,350
Kudos: 741
 [1]
A spokesman for the organization says that Curt Gowdy, who was 86, die 17 Sep 2021, 10:35
1
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
No, I think there are very few absolute rules on the SC section. Maybe less preferred? I hate giving advice in terms of absolutes especially since I don’t have the “expert” tag.

When I first started, I truly believed the rules were black and white (I was ignorant). The further you get in your studying, the more you realize the goal really is to choose the absolute “best” answer out of the 5 in front of you.

The way I approach an SC question is as follows:

(1st) understand the original version as best I can - take note of any issues that pop out at me

(2nd) look for the more clear-cut violations of grammar: subject-verb agreement, lack of subject noun or finite verb, pronoun lacking a clear antecedent, etc.

(3rd) focus heavily on meaning with the remaining answer choices. Each phrase and/or word will make up “pieces” that fill “grammatical slots” within the sentence. In doing so, the phrase or word performs certain functions. The effect is that sometimes the meaning becomes either unclear or illogical.

In my opinion, these meaning issues are really the heart of what the SC section is testing: the ability to spot logical inconsistencies. I believe Grammar and Math are just vehicles used to test this skill.

Further, in my opinion, the 2nd issue in version B is the one I would focus on to confidently eliminate the answer choice.

(4th) finally, I’ll take account of “clunky” sentences, odd structure, or lack of concision. Also, before reaching this point, sentence structures such as “back to back non restrictive modifiers” appear as Red Flags that tell me, “stop for a second and take a closer look at this question.”

I hope it’s a bit helpful? The slight meaning differences contained in the upper level sentences become really difficult to parse.

My favorite explanation in the O.G. is still “the sentence is wordy.”




xxxpbxxx
Fdambro294
Bunuel
A spokesman for the organization says that Curt Gowdy, who was 86, died from leukemia recently in Palm Beach, Florida.

A. A spokesman for the organization says that Curt Gowdy, who was 86,
B. Curt Gowdy, a spokesman for the organization, who was 86,
C. A spokesman for the organization, who was 86, says that Curt Gowdy
D. A spokesman for the organization had said Curt Gowdy, who was 86,
E. A spokesman for the organization says that Curt Gowdy, who was 86, had


The meaning provided by the original sentence is not necessarily dispositive. But looking at the other meanings, you can see that some are illogical. Other versions make errors of grammar.


In E, the past perfect is not needed. The spokesman “says” is in the present tense: we are discussing a fact that is true in the present. Therefore, only the simple past is needed to say that Curt “died.” There does not exist several past actions that require sequencing. The use of the past perfect seems unnecessary.

In D, the past perfect is used to describe the action of the spokesperson, whereas the simple present “died” is used to describe Curt’s death.

The structure of the sentence suggests that the spokesperson had said Curt died BEFORE Curt even died. This is illogical.

In C, we have the Relative Clause “who was 86” describing the spokesperson. The meaning suggests that the spokesperson was 86, but now he is no longer 86. This comes across as illogical.

In B, from a general style and sentence structure point of view, you have 2 nonrestrictive modifiers following each other. This makes the sentence come across “clunky” and not as concise as answer A.

More importantly, because of its placement, the nonrestrictive modifier “who was 86” could modify the prior noun phrase “a spokesman for the organization.”

Therefore, the meaning suggests by the sentence is that Curt Gowdy IS a spokesperson for the organization and WAS 86. Since the main clause of the sentence states that Curt died recently, the fact that he is a spokesperson for the organization seems illogical.

(*note* This is one way to read the meaning. At the very least, the meaning is ambiguous and the sentence structure, with two non restrictive noun modifiers back to back, isn’t as good as answer A’s sentence structure)

Answer A comes across clearer and without the grammar errors that are present in the other versions.

“A spokesman for the organization says that Curt Gowdy, who was 86, died from leukemia recently…”

Because the 1st clause “a spokesman for the organization says” has the reporting verb in the present tense, what the spokesman says is presented as a fact that is currently true. The sentence discusses what the spokesperson says in the present, not at a past time.

Since the spokesperson did not make the statement in the past, we do not have a “sequence of tenses” or “verb back shifting” issue.

If the sentence had been “the spokesperson said” in the simple past tense, then the fact that Curt died in the past would have had to be represented by the past perfect.

“The spokesperson said that Curt Gowdy had died…”

As it is, A is the best answer.

Posted from my mobile device

Thank you this really helped me with more clarification.
Is it an absolute no-no then? In GMAT, that two non restrictive modifiers placed back to back are incorrect or not preferred?
Show more
User avatar
axeller
User avatar
Joined: 06 Jun 2022
Last visit: 18 Nov 2025
Posts: 17
Own Kudos:
13
Given Kudos: 416
Posts: 17
Kudos: 13
A spokesman for the organization says that Curt Gowdy, who was 86, die 04 Jan 2024, 02:55
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
From Manhatten Prep:-

The original is correct. Here, the modifying phrase, who was 86, correctly modifies Curt Gowdy. Such Modifiers descibe the first available preceding noun. The Verbs convey a logical meaning; the one past event uses the simple past died. The use of was 86 is correct, since this state of being was concurrent with Gowdy's death.

(A) CORRECT.

(B) This choice has a modifier error that changes the original meaning. Curt Gowdy was not the spokesman but in this choice the modifying phrase a spokesman for the organization refers to him. Modifying phrases must be next to the noun that they modify.

(C) This choice also has a modification error that changes the original meaning. Here, the relative clause, who was 86, describes the spokesman instead of Curt Gowdy. Relative clauses refer to the noun immediately before them.

(D) This answer has a tense problem. Had said, the past perfect, is incorrect because this is not earlier past event. Logically, Gowdy had to die first. The past perfect tense is only used to indicate the earliest of multiple past time periods in a sentence. Thus, said and had died would be correct, if the sentence were rewritten in the past tense.

(E) This answer has a tense problem. Had died is incorrect use of the past perfect because it is the only past event in the sentence. The simple past, died, would be correct. The past perfect is only used to indicate the earliest of multiple past time periods.
Moderators:
GMATNinja
GMAT Club Verbal Expert
7443 posts
GMATNinjaTwo
GMAT Club Verbal Expert
231 posts
miag
188 posts