Taulark1 wrote:
egmat , just like 'who' can modify either children or mothers in options B and D,creating ambiguity,
Can we say the same thing about the ing modifier(working outside the home) in option A?
Hey
Taulark1Thank you for the query.
Yes, we indeed can.
As explained by Shraddha in
this response, relative clauses can jump over immediately preceding nouns to modify far-away nouns. Hence, we must ALWAYS rely on contextual clues (a.k.a LOGIC) to identify the valid antecedent/modified entity.
The same applies to verb-ing and verb-ed modifiers as well. They too can jump over immediately preceding nouns and modify far-away nouns. Here too we need to rely on logic to identify the valid antecedent.
Here is an article on "Far-away-noun Modification", in case you're new to this concept.
And
here is an official question that will test you on identifying the logical antecedent of relative clauses and verb-ed/verb-ing modifiers.
Finally, coming back to our question, yes, the modifier 'working outside the home' in choice A can refer to either "children" or "one-third of mothers". Now, the context does suggest that the logical modified entity should be "one-third of certain mothers", especially from the succeeding clause. But, since the whole part is underlined, it's necessary to find a choice that conveys the intended meaning elegantly and correctly.
I hope this helps improve your understanding.
Happy Learning!
Abhishek
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