According to the American Red Cross approximately 300,000 homes were

Question

Project SC Butler: Sentence Correction (SC1) 
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According to the American Red Cross,  approximately 300,000 homes were damaged or destroyed by Hurricane Katrina, the worst natural disaster in United States history.

A) approximately 300,000 homes were damaged or destroyed by Hurricane Katrina, the worst natural disaster in United States history.

B) Hurricane Katrina, the worst natural disaster in United States history, was responsible for the damage and destruction of approximately 300,000 homes.

C) approximately 300,000 homes were damaged or destroyed by Hurricane Katrina, which is considered as the worst natural dis¬aster in United States history.

D) approximately 300,000 homes were damaged and destroyed thanks to Hurricane Katrina, considered the worst natural dis¬aster in United States history.

E) Hurricane Katrina, which was the worst natural disaster in United States history, was also responsible for having damaged or destroyed something like 300,000 homes.

generis · Answer

OFFICIAL EXPLANATION

Project SC Butler: Sentence Correction (SC1)

THE PROMPT

THE OPTIONS  
 
• I do not see any errors
KEEP
 
• illogical
→ homes cannot be damaged  and  destroyed at the same time; the homes were damaged OR destroyed
GMAC tests this issue.
ELIMINATE B
 
• idiom problem
→  considered as  is not idiomatic (and GMAC tests this idiom quite often)
→ the correct idiom is  Consider X, Y  or, much more rarely,  Consider X to be Y 
(I know. Most of you have been taught that Consider X to be Y is not idiomatic. Recent official questions contradict what you have been taught. See my post  here .)
ELIMINATE C

• just as is the case in option B, we need damaged OR destroyed
• "thanks to" is a colloquialism that would not be used in formal writing
ELIMINATE D

• Diction (wrong word choice)
→  something like  means  close to  or  approximately. 
→ The meaning is acceptable.
→ The phrase itself ( something like ) is not used in formal writing or in correct SC answers.

• verbosity
→ compare to option A. Option A wins the concision contest.
Option E: Hurricane Katrina . . . was also responsible for HAVING damaged or destroyed SOMETHING LIKE 300,000 homes 
Option A: approximately 300,000 homes were damaged or destroyed by Hurricane Katrina

Option E: WHICH WAS the worst natural disaster in United States history
Option A: the worst natural disaster in United States history

Concision really is a thing.  
Forget about meaning change unless that change is illogical.
 Option A says exactly the same thing as E does, but option A uses fewer words and tighter construction.  
  Concision and stylistic superiority win.

ELIMINATE E

The correct answer is A.

COMMENTS

I really like the thoughtfulness in these answers.

Mistakes in analysis exist here and there, but those mistakes are not huge and I am very pleased by the non-robotic approach I see in quite a few responses.

You all are working hard to develop your critical thinking skills.

I also like the dialogue.

Nicely done!

Nipungupta9081 · Answer

generis  you forgot to underline the part

IMO A

Damaged or Destroyed should be used not Damaged AND Destroyed.

Tense change in E.

zhanbo · Answer

My answer is  (A) . It took me 53 seconds.

(A) "the worst natural disaster in United States history" serves as appositive of "Hurricane Katrina". The use of passive voice is a cause for concern. Keep for now.
(B) It is active voice, but (1) "damage  and  destruction" should logically be "damage  or  destruction". (2) Verb (damage / destruct) is preferred to Noun (damage / destruction).
(C) If we can delete "which is considered as" and get (A), why keep those words? In addition, "as" is superfluous. 
(D) If we can delete "considered" without changing its meaning, why use it? In addition, "damaged  and  destroyed" should be "damaged  or  destroyed".
(E) Many issues. Just the use of "also" is sufficient to eliminate it: Remove the nonrestrictive clause (which was the worst natural disaster in United States history), this "also" is totally nonsensical.

So, (A) is the best option.

TarunKumar1234 · Answer

According to the American Red Cross, approximately 300,000 homes were damaged or destroyed by Hurricane Katrina, the worst natural disaster in United States history.

Whatever is getting destroyed will also be damaged.
Therefore, use of damaged and destroyed is not correct, since intended meaning is damaged or destroyed.
Eliminate B and D

In C, use of 'considered as' is incorrect

In E, like is used not used for comparison.

A is the answer.

A) approximately 300,000 homes were damaged or destroyed by Hurricane Katrina, the worst natural disaster in United States history.

B) Hurricane Katrina, the worst natural disaster in United States history, was responsible for the damage and destruction of approximately 300,000 homes.

C) approximately 300,000 homes were damaged or destroyed by Hurricane Katrina, which is considered as the worst natural dis¬aster in United States history.

D) approximately 300,000 homes were damaged and destroyed thanks to Hurricane Katrina, considered the worst natural dis¬aster in United States history.

E) Hurricane Katrina, which was the worst natural disaster in United States history, was also responsible for having damaged or destroyed something like 300,000 homes.

Option A

Posted from my mobile device

HoneyLemon · Answer

imo  A  .

In option A ..Opening modifier 
According to the American Red Cross ,approximately 300,000 homes were damaged or destroyed by X. Clear meaning . Seems correct .

Option B: Seems a meaning change .. with 'X was responsible' - Out 
Option C : considered as is wrong idiom -- out 
OPtion D : thanks to ..Wordy -- out 
Option E : wordy .. Meaning change .. -- Out

generis · Answer

Nipungupta9081  , thank you. Edited.

JonShukhrat · Answer

Among other things, I would eliminate B because it says “the damage  of  homes”. It should say “the damage  to  homes” or “the damage  of  the hurricane  to  homes”.

C and D have quite explicit flaws, as already mentioned above.

By the way, I wouldn’t eliminate E for “also” only. This  problem  shows that  a nonessential modifier in between commas and followed by “also”  isn’t a problem.

Ron Purewal writes  here : the other things that monroe did are in the modifier... so, if you "drop the modifier", then “also” doesn't make sense anymore. But the modifier is there, so it's fine.

here's a simpler version:
Ron, one of the most prolific posters on the MGMAT forum, is also a GMAT course instructor.
--> again, if you were to remove the modifier, you would also have to remove "also".

ramlala · Answer

JonShukhrat

can we eliminate Option E for error in modifier.
 E) Hurricane Katrina, which was the worst natural disaster in United States history, was also responsible for having damaged or destroyed something like 300,000 homes. 
Use of  which  is inappropriate here.

ravigupta2912 · Answer

A) approximately 300,000 homes were damaged or destroyed by Hurricane Katrina, the worst natural disaster in United States history. -- Correct answer. Nothing wrong.

B) Hurricane Katrina, the worst natural disaster in United States history, was responsible for the damage and destruction of approximately 300,000 homes. -- Misplaced modifier. The destruction caused by Hurricane Katrina is the "worst natural disaster" and hence we need the present participle to go after that clause and modify it.

C) approximately 300,000 homes were damaged or destroyed by Hurricane Katrina, which is considered as the worst natural dis¬aster in United States history. -- same as B. "which" cannot modify the whole clause. We need a participle modifier. Also "considered as" is not the correct idiom. "consider X Y" is the correct idiom.

D) approximately 300,000 homes were damaged and destroyed thanks to Hurricane Katrina, considered the worst natural disaster in United States history. - "thanks to" (i've usually seen this precede a comma) "damaged and destroyed" is now a combined action. Not too sure. Eliminate.

E) Hurricane Katrina, which was the worst natural disaster in United States history, was also responsible for having damaged or destroyed something like 300,000 homes. -- same problem as B. "which" is modifying Katrina. We need participle modifier to accurately and succinctly convey the modification in this sentence. Modified entity - damage or destruction by Katrina. "which" fails in modifying the modified entity. "was also". Not sure why the "also is for". Eliminate.

GCMEMBER · Answer

According to the American Red Cross,  approximately 300,000 homes were damaged or destroyed by Hurricane Katrina, the worst natural disaster in United States history.

Whatever is getting destroyed will also be damaged. 
Therefore, use of damaged and destroyed is not correct, since intended meaning is damaged or destroyed. 
Eliminate B and D

In C, use of 'considered as' is incorrect

In E, like is used not used for comparison.

A is the answer.

A) approximately 300,000 homes were damaged or destroyed by Hurricane Katrina, the worst natural disaster in United States history.

B) Hurricane Katrina, the worst natural disaster in United States history, was responsible for the  damage and destruction  of approximately 300,000 homes.

C) approximately 300,000 homes were damaged or destroyed by Hurricane Katrina, which is  considered as  the worst natural dis¬aster in United States history.

D) approximately 300,000 homes were  damaged and destroyed  thanks to Hurricane Katrina, considered the worst natural dis¬aster in United States history.

E) Hurricane Katrina, which was the worst natural disaster in United States history, was also responsible for having damaged or destroyed something  like  300,000 homes.

Option A

Posted from my mobile device

amit2100 · Answer

According to the American Red Cross, approximately 300,000 homes were damaged or destroyed by Hurricane Katrina, the worst natural disaster in United States history.

Whatever is getting destroyed will also be damaged.
Therefore, use of damaged and destroyed is not correct, since intended meaning is damaged or destroyed.
Eliminate B and D

In C, use of 'considered as' is incorrect

In E, like is used not used for comparison.

A is the answer.

A) approximately 300,000 homes were damaged or destroyed by Hurricane Katrina, the worst natural disaster in United States history.

B) Hurricane Katrina, the worst natural disaster in United States history, was responsible for the damage and destruction of approximately 300,000 homes.

C) approximately 300,000 homes were damaged or destroyed by Hurricane Katrina, which is considered as the worst natural dis¬aster in United States history.

D) approximately 300,000 homes were damaged and destroyed thanks to Hurricane Katrina, considered the worst natural dis¬aster in United States history.

E) Hurricane Katrina, which was the worst natural disaster in United States history, was also responsible for having damaged or destroyed something like 300,000 homes.

Option A

Posted from my mobile device

) ) while "destroy" means completely annihilated or you need to rebuild the stuff from ground. I still feel A is better option providing us information that houses were damaged or destroyed ( Not Both at same time). C) approximately 300,000 homes were damaged or destroyed by Hurricane Katrina, which is considered as the worst natural dis¬aster in United States history. Similar to A - only modifier phrase is changed. No impact. You could argue and say "wordy" than option A and conveys same meaning. D) approximately 300,000 homes were damaged and destroyed thanks to Hurricane Katrina, considered the worst natural dis¬aster in United States history. Similar use as option B about usage of "damaged and destroyed ". Overall , sentence structure is similar to A - only modifier phrase at the end is changed. No major impact. You could argue and say "wordy" than option A and conveys same meaning. E) Hurricane Katrina, which was the worst natural disaster in United States history, was also responsible for having damaged or destroyed something like 300,000 homes. "was" is incorrect tense usage to inform about a currently valid fact. I also don't like "was also" usage here - it implies something else was also done by Hurricane Katrina but we don't have any other information. So, i will mark A and look forward to Generis official explanation!

JonShukhrat · Answer

Hi  ramlala

As for E, “which” is neither a misplaced nor a totally nonsensical modifier. It’s grammatically correct and makes some sense but is not ideal. A hurricane is a natural disaster, so “which” should follow “Hurricane Katrina”. Let’s juxtapose A, B, and E to see the difference in their meaning:

A) …by Hurricane Katrina, the worst natural disaster in US history.
B) Hurricane Katrina, the worst natural disaster in US history, was...
E) Hurricane Katrina, which was the worst natural disaster in US history, was...

In A and B, “the worst natural disaster in US history” is an appositive that describes Hurricane Katrina. As it’s written, it means that this hurricane is  still  the worst disaster in US history. There is nothing worse.

In E, “which  was  the worst natural disaster in US history” also describes Hurricane Katrina. However, it means that this hurricane  was  the worst disaster at some point in the past but  is not  anymore. Apparently, something even worse has happened.

To have the same meaning as that of A and B, E should say “which  is  the worst natural disaster”. However, note that we are not obliged to pertain to choice A’s meaning. As far as “which” in E makes sense, we are fine.

What makes “which” in E not ideal is the absence of the reason for “was”. Why “was”? 
If E said: Hurricane Katrina, which was the worst natural disaster until Tupelo tornado hit in 2018, was responsible for…”, then the sentence would make more sense.

Neither “which” nor “also” alone is enough to eliminate E, I think. That’s the nonsense they together make is the reason. They together should give  different descriptions  of the hurricane, not similar ones. For example:

- Hurricane Katrina, which is the worst natural disaster in US history, also brought much-needed rains and thereby ended the severe wildfires in California.

As you see, “which” and “also” together give one positive and one negative descriptions of the hurricane, as is logical. However, in E, both “the worst natural disaster” and “responsible for having damaged or destroyed” are negative descriptions. So, “which” and “also” together don’t make sense here.

Also note “something like”. It’s a disaster.

generis · Answer

The official explanation is  here .

IndyJones21 · Answer

If option B was:- Hurricane Katrina, the worst natural disaster in United States history, was responsible for the damage  or  destruction of approximately 300,000 homes

Can we choose the above answer over (A)?

My logic:- After "According to the American Red Cross", the subject of the sentence - Hurricane Katrina is expected.

Please let me know if my logic is correct?

generis

JonShukhrat · Answer

Hi  IndyJones21

You can interpret “according to X” as “X says/said that”. All of the sentences below are correct and deliver the same meaning:

- According to the organization, many homes were damaged by the hurricane. 
- The organization says that many homes were damaged by the hurricane.

- According to the organization, the hurricane damaged many homes. 
- The organization says that the hurricane damaged many homes.

As you don’t expect anything special after “the organizations says that”, you also needn’t expect after “according to the organization”. However, if you see a pronoun in the “according to” part, then you should expect the thing to which that pronoun refers:

- According to  her  words,  Mary  has never had a problem with math.

This is usually true for many opening modifiers, for example check  here ,  here ,  here ,  here , and  here . Below are spoilers:

- In addition to  her  work on the Miocene hominid fossil record,  Mary Leakey’s  contributions to archaeology include...
- As  its  sales of computer products have surpassed those of measuring instruments,  the company ...
- Building on civilizations that preceded  them  in coastal Peru,  the Mochica ...
- Even though many of  her  colleagues were convinced that genes were relatively simple and static,  Barbara Mcclintock ...
- In  her  book illustrations, which  she  carefully coordinated with  her  narratives,  Beatrix Potter ...

According to the American Red Cross approximately 300,000 homes were

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GMAT Sentence Correction (SC - EA only) Questions

According to the American Red Cross approximately 300,000 homes were

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