Acid rain and snow result from the chemical reactions between industri

Question

Acid rain and snow result from the chemical reactions between industrial emissions of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides  with atmospheric water vapor to produce highly corrosive sulfuric and nitric acids .

(A) with atmospheric water vapor to produce highly corrosive sulfuric and nitric acids

(B) with atmospheric water vapor producing highly corrosive sulfuric and nitric acid

(C) and atmospheric water vapor which has produced highly corrosive sulfuric and nitric acids

(D) and atmospheric water vapor which have produced sulfuric and nitric acids which are highly corrosive

(E) and atmospheric water vapor to produce highly corrosive sulfuric and nitric acids

vanam52923 · Accepted Answer

Acid rain and snow result from the chemical reactions between industrial emissions of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides with atmospheric water vapor to produce highly corrosive sulfuric and nitric acids.

(A) with atmospheric water vapor to produce highly corrosive sulfuric and nitric acids

(B) with atmospheric water vapor producing highly corrosive sulfuric and nitric acid

(C) and atmospheric water vapor which has produced highly corrosive sulfuric and nitric acids

(D) and atmospheric water vapor which have produced sulfuric and nitric acids which are highly corrosive

(E) and atmospheric water vapor to produce highly corrosive sulfuric and nitric acids

IMO it must be E.
Here reaction is between industrial waste and water vapor.
"of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides " is prepositional phrase which modifies waste.
if we assume reaction is between sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides then
the idiom between x and y will become meaningless.

The comparison then will be:

reaction Between
industrial emissions of sulfur dioxide
and
nitrogen oxides with atmospheric water vapor

which is meaningless.
So A is out.

B)same issue as A.
Also here producing modifies vapor ,again nonsense meaning.Vapor is not producing waste.

C)and introduced so idiom "between x and y " is correct now.
which refers to vapor .Same as C.vapor has not produced.
also has is wrong tense here.we are stating generic phenomenon.

D)
same error as C.
Which are highly corrosive refers to nitric acids only so wrong.
HAVE not required,.we are stating generic phenomenon.

E)and introduced so idiom "between x and y " is correct now.
Also no other error.The reaction leads to production of acids so clear meaning.
So E is the answer

adkikani · Answer

Idiom tested: between X and Y 
where X and Y are noun phrases and noun respectively.
X: industrial emissions of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides (noun phrase)
Y: atmospheric water vapor (noun)

with is a noun modifier and modifies incorrectly preceding noun: nitrogen oxides. 
This is not the intended meaning.

Intended meaning:
Acid rain and snow result from the chemical reactions between industrial emissions of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides 
and atmospheric water vapor. These reactions further result to produce highly corrosive sulfuric and nitric acids

Out, because of incorrect usage of with

which too also incorrectly refers to water vapour, whereas we want to say that the reactions result to produce 
corrosive gases, not only water vapour.

Correct, as per intended meaning and idiom

surendrasaini1 · Answer

Acid rain and snow result from the chemical reactions between industrial emissions of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides  with atmospheric water vapor to produce highly corrosive sulfuric and nitric acids .

(A) with atmospheric water vapor to produce highly corrosive sulfuric and nitric acids(between X and Y is correct idiom,and is required rather than with)

(B) with atmospheric water vapor producing highly corrosive sulfuric and nitric acid(same ad in A)

(C) and atmospheric water vapor which has produced highly corrosive sulfuric and nitric acids(it is the reaction which produce acid rather than water vapour )

(D) and atmospheric water vapor which have produced sulfuric and nitric acids which are highly corrosive(same as in C, incorrect use of plural verb have)

(E) and atmospheric water vapor to produce highly corrosive sulfuric and nitric acids( correct)

Will go with choice E

Thanks

Helium · Answer

This question tests - Usage of   between ...and...

Question prompt :

Acid rain and snow result from the chemical reactions   between     industrial emissions    of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides     with     atmospheric water vapor   to produce highly corrosive sulfuric and nitric acids.

Between with  - is wrong (A) and (B) out.

Which  is a non-essential modifier. Comma is required before  Which . (C) and (D) out.

Ans : E

sowmiyav · Answer

Meaning:
Acid rain and snow result from the chemical reactions between  industrial emissions and atmospheric water vapor  
The reaction result produces highly corrosive sulfuric and nitric acids.

Option Analysis:
A)Between X and Y is the correct idiom. This sentence says between X with Y. So, eliminate
B) same error as A
C)uses the correct idiom between X and Y. However, which incorrectly refers to water vapor. Generally, which refers to closest possible noun. so, the sentence incorrectly means water vapor produces sulfuric and nitric acid. Eliminate.
D)uses the correct idiom between X and Y. However, which does not refer to the result of the reaction. Changes the intended meaning. - Eliminate
E)Uses the correct idiom and preserves the meaning of the sentence by using to produce. This implies that the reaction result produces highly corrosive sulfuric and nitric acids - correct

IMO: OPTION E

rahul6019 · Answer

E is the correct answer as it holds BETWEEN and AND properly and expresses the meaning in most concise manner.

fitzpratik · Answer

Acid rain and snow result from the chemical reactions  between  industrial  emissions  of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides  with atmospheric water vapor to produce highly corrosive sulfuric and nitric acids

so Between the emissions and something.....Not  With  something

So A and B is OUT

As the statement is making a statement, Has and Have are incorrect. One should use a simple present tense.

E is the correct option (IMO)

warrior1991 · Answer

Acid rain and snow result from the chemical reactions between industrial emissions of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides  with atmospheric water vapor to produce highly corrosive sulfuric and nitric acids.

Between A with B is wrong.

which refers to water vapor and changes the intended meaning. It is not water vapor that produces highly corrosive sulfuric and nitric acids

1.Correct as per the meaning and correct usage of Between A and B. 
2. Correctly points that Acid rain and snow produce highly corrosive sulfuric and nitric acids.

IMO E.

generis · Answer

OFFICIAL EXPLANATION

Choices A and B are faulty because the idiomatic form of expression is

•  between X and Y 
•  NOT  between X  with  Y

Also, in choice B  producing . . .  modifies the nearest noun,  water vapor, 
rather than  producing  should modify]
 chemical reactions 
and thereby seems to say that the water vapor alone produced the corrosive acids.

Choices C and D are clumsy, and both misuse  which :
in C  which has . . .  illogically modifies  water vapor ,
and in D it is unclear 
whether  which have  modifies  reactions  or  sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides,  and  water vapor  taken together

E is the best choice 
__________________________________________

This OE is pretty good.

Strategically, disregard "clumsy" unless you are really stuck. 
"Clumsy" is like "awkward" in other OEs. Both "criteria" should be used as a last resort to eliminate.

This question has a lot of technical words. 
The idiom is Between X and Y, but
the X part is compound.
Dealing with highly technical terms (YAWN - boring) can get problematic when we have  between (X-1 and X-2) AND Y

On the scratch pad, I would write
X-1 = S.D.
X-2 = N.O.
Y = water vapor

... reactions  between (X-1 and X-2) and (Y)

The best explanations —the ones that made the errors most clear— were those by
 vanam52923  
Example:  Vapor  is not producing waste.

adkikani  - Example:
Acid rain and snow result from the chemical reactions between industrial emissions of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides 
and atmospheric water vapor. These reactions further result to produce highly corrosive sulfuric and nitric acids

warrior1991  - "overall" clarity
Kudos!

Skywalker18 · Answer

Acid rain and snow result from the chemical reactions between industrial emissions of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides  with atmospheric water vapor to produce highly corrosive sulfuric and nitric acids .

(A) with atmospheric water vapor to produce highly corrosive sulfuric and nitric acids -- Between X and Y is the correct idiom

(B) with atmospheric water vapor producing highly corrosive sulfuric and nitric acid -- Between X and Y is the correct idiom

(C) and atmospheric water vapor which has produced highly corrosive sulfuric and nitric acids

(D) and atmospheric water vapor which have produced sulfuric and nitric acids which are highly corrosive

(D) and atmospheric water vapor which have produced sulfuric and nitric acids which are highly corrosive - usage of which -- which should logically modify chemical reactions ; Usage of present perfect tense is incorrect as the statement is a general fact

(E) and atmospheric water vapor to produce highly corrosive sulfuric and nitric acids -

1. Isn't the usage of to produce incorrect in E as to verb is generally used when we need to present the purpose or the intention of an action?
2. Also, shouldn't a comma always precede which?

AjiteshArun  ,  GMATNinja  ,  MagooshExpert  ,  GMATGuruNY  ,  VeritasKarishma  ,  DmitryFarber  ,  ChiranjeevSingh  ,  VeritasPrepBrian  ,  MartyMurray  , other experts - please enlighten

eswar9 · Answer

IS THE USAGE OF INFINITIVE RIGHT HERE? IT IMPLIES AS IF THE REACTION HAD THE INTENTION OF PRODUCING CORROSIVE GASES AND HENCE THE REACTION TOOK PLACE GMATNinja

MagooshExpert · Answer

Hi  Skywalker18 ,

You are correct here, on both counts -- I think this is a badly written question. The infinitive does not make sense here, for the reason you mentioned. And yes, "which" should be preceded by a comma. For examples, see here:

That vs. Which on the GMAT

I hope that helps!
-Carolyn

Krabhay · Answer

‘Between’ is always followed by ‘and’ and not by ‘with’.
So, option a and b are out.
Moreover, the whole sentence is in simple present tense. So, the use of ‘has’ and ‘have’ is grammatically wrong.
Hence, e is the answer.

GMATNinja · Answer

While the infinitive ("to + verb"), when used as an adverb, is often used to describe the intent of an action, it doesn't have to. Here's a simple example: "Carbon and oxygen combine to form carbon monoxide." That seems fine to me, even though carbon and oxygen are not conscious entities scheming to form a toxic gas. (At least not to my knowledge.

) The meaning in this example is probably closer to "results in" than "intent." This is similar to what we find in (E). Any "rule" involving commas is going to have exceptions. Typically, yes, when "which" is used as the subject of a clause, it will follow a comma. So for the purposes of this problem, it is legitimate to eliminate (C) and (D) on the basis of the faulty "which" usage. However, if "which" is used as the object of a preposition, it won't follow a comma. For example: "Here is the sewer in which I dropped my wedding ring." (Fun fact: a good friend of mine proposed to his wife using a ring he found in a sewer in New York City. I am not making this up. They've been married for more than 50 years now.) I hope that helps!

livfcind · Answer

Everyone here seemed to able to to figure out the intended meaning of the sentence easily. I dont get how without scientific knowledge you can rule A out. Please let me know, this is how I thought it :

Acid rain and snow result from the chemical reactions between
- industrial emissions  
- nitrogen oxides  
to produce highly corrosive sulfuric and nitric acids.

What is wrong in this sentence? The parts in brackets are prepositional phrases.

GMATNinja · Answer

Good question! While you're right that the GMAT can't expect us to have any specialized knowledge to answer an SC question, it's fair game for a question writer to expect us to use logic. If the chemical reaction were really between sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide, wouldn't we expect the formation of a new compound with both sulfur and nitrogen in it? But that's not what we get. Instead, we end up with two kinds of acids: sulfuric and nitric.

Moreover, the plural noun  emissions  means that we must have more than one type of emission. So it makes more sense for there to be chemical reactions between sulfur dioxide (one type of emission) and water vapor, as well as between nitrogen oxide (another type of emission) and water vapor. These two different reactions produce the two different types of acids. This is the meaning captured in (E).

The takeaway: don't waste any energy relearning high school chemistry! The clues for the appropriate logic will always be included elsewhere in the sentence.

I hope that helps!

niks8d · Answer

(A)  with  atmospheric water vapor to produce highly corrosive sulfuric and nitric acids

(B)  with  atmospheric water vapor producing highly corrosive sulfuric and nitric acid

(C) and atmospheric water vapor  which  has produced highly corrosive sulfuric and nitric acids

(D) and atmospheric water vapor  which  have produced sulfuric and nitric acids which are highly corrosive

(E) and atmospheric water vapor to produce highly corrosive sulfuric and nitric acids

(A) and (B) use wrong idiom "between A with B"
(C) and (D) wrong use of "which" refers to "atmospheric water vapor".

ANSWER - (E)

VIGHNESHKAMATH · Answer

Hello GMAT NINJA,

For my information, would it be correct if I ask the question ''Why'' to the verb of the clause to identify whether ''to+verb'' is acting as an adverb or not. If I am able to answer this question with the help of ''to+verb'' infinitive form , that means , it is used for indicating intention or purpose of an action. Could this litmus test be used ? I checked this with few questions and it worked, I am not sure if it is some std rule or not.

Regards
Vighnesh

ExpertsGlobal5 · Answer

Hello  VIGHNESHKAMATH ,

We hope this finds you well.

To answer your query, the best way to determine whether the infinitive verb form is acting as an adverb is to look at what role it plays in the sentence - that is, whether it provides information about a verb; if it does, then it is an adverb.

We hope this helps.
All the best!
Experts' Global Team

Acid rain and snow result from the chemical reactions between industri

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