Official Explanation

Sentence structure of Original Sentence

• Clause 1: Although Robonaut 2, the next generation humanoid robot built by NASA for space exploration, can be controlled by its fellow astronauts in space or a crew on earth,
• Clause 2: it can complete certain tasks all on its own, becoming better suited for some dangerous projects than its human counterpart.

Meaning of Original Sentence

• The sentence presents contrast (as is evident through the use of 'although').
• The sentence presents contrasting information about Robonaut 2.
• Robonaut 2 is the next generation humanoid robot.
• It can be controlled by astronauts in space or a crew on earth.
• However, it can perform certain functions all by itself.
• This ability makes this robot better suited for some dangerous exploration jobs than the human astronauts.

Errors in the Original Sentence

• Clause 1: Although Robonaut 2, the next generation humanoid robot built by NASA for space exploration, can be controlled by its fellow astronauts in space or a crew on earth,
• Clause 2: it can complete certain tasks all on its own, becoming better suited for some dangerous projects than its human counterpart.

1. All the SV pairs are accounted for – “Robonaut 2- can be controlled” & “it can complete”.
2. Since the sentence presents general information about the capability of Robonaut 2, both the verbs are correctly written in simple present tense.
3. Pronouns “it” and “its” correctly refers to Robonaut 2.
4. Noun phrase “the next generation humanoid robot” correctly refers to Robonaut 2. Verb-ed modifier “built” correctly refers to the preceding noun entity “the… robot”. Comma + Verb-ing modifier “becoming…” correctly presents the result of the preceding clause.
5. “Robonaut 2… can be controlled” and “it can complete…” maintains the parallelism. Again parallelism is maintained
6. The structure and the meaning of the sentence are also correct. Hence, there are no errors in this sentence.

Answer Choice Analysis

A. Although Robonaut 2, the next generation humanoid robot built by NASA for space exploration, can be controlled by its fellow astronauts in space or a crew on earth, it can complete certain tasks all on its own, becoming better suited for some dangerous projects than its human counterpart.
Correct choice.

B. Even though capable of completing certain tasks all on its own by becoming better suited for some dangerous projects than its human counterpart, Robonaut 2 is the next generation humanoid robot built by NASA for space exploration, controlled by his fellow astronauts in space or a crew on earth.
Error 1 – Per the original sentence, the contrasting points are - Robonaut 2 can be controlled and it can perform a few tasks on its own. Per this choice, the contrasting points are – Robonaut 2 is capable of completing few tasks on its own and it is a Humanoid robot.
Error 2 – Per the original sentence, “becoming better…” presents the result of the Robonaut 2 being capable of doing certain tasks on its own. This choice says that the robot can perform certain tasks on its own by becoming better suited. This is absolutely illogical.
Error 3 – Usage of controlled is incorrect. If it is a verb with “is” understood before it, then the two verbs “is” and “(is) controlled” are not connected properly. If it is a verb-ed modifier, then it refers to the preceding noun entity “space exploration”. Both the usages are incorrect.

C. Capable of completing certain tasks on its own and becoming better suited for some dangerous projects than its human counterpart, Robonaut 2, the next generation humanoid robot built by NASA for space exploration, can be controlled by his fellow astronauts in space or a crew on earth.
Error 1 – This choice has an unintended parallel list – “completing” and “becoming”. This distorts the intended meaning.
Error 2 – The choice does not express the intended contrast.

D. The next generation humanoid robot built by NASA for space exploration, Robonaut 2, although can complete certain tasks all on its own and become better suited for some dangerous projects than its human counterpart, but is controlled by his fellow astronauts in space or a crew on earth.
Error 1 - This choice has an unintended parallel list – “can complete” and “(can) become”. This distorts the intended meaning.
Error 2 – The contrast presented by “but” is not the intended contrast.
Error 3 – Per this choice, “but” connects two entities in the list. Hence, use of comma before “but” is not correct.

E. Although Robonaut 2 is the next generation humanoid robot built by NASA for space exploration, it can be controlled by his fellow astronauts in space or a crew on earth, and can also complete certain tasks all on its own, becoming better suited for some dangerous projects than its human counterpart.
Error 1 – The contrasting points per this choice are – Robonaut 2 is the next generation robot and it can be controlled.
Error 2 – This choice has an unintended list – “can be controlled” and “can also complete”. This distorts the intended meaning.

Take Away

1: When you read the original sentence, make sure you understand the intended meaning. For example, if there is a contrast in the sentence, then understand the contrasting elements.
2: The correct sentence should have correct sentence structure. For example, if there is a list of elements, it should be connected properly.

Regards,

Shraddha
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E. Wrong contrast set up by "although". It says that project built by NASA is somehow contrasting the ability of the robot to be controlled by scientists. Heavily distorted meaning.
D. Again a wrong contrast. Also, although and but together is redundant usage.
C. Distorted meaning. The first part of the sentence clearly violates the intended meaning. It says the robot is capable of i) completing tasks ii) becoming better suited. This kind of implies that the two things are independent of each other, but they are very causal. BECAUSE the robot is capable of completing tasks on its own, it is better suited for dangerous projects. Awkward sentence in totality.
B. The last modifier "controlled...." is wrongly placed. Also a wrong contrast set up. The meaning is "although the robot can be controlled by scientists, it can also act on its own and thus becomes better suited in dangerous projects" and NOT the other way around that is " Although the robot can act on its own and thus is better suited for dangerous projects, it can also be controlled by scientists." The latter makes no sense really! Also anothe thing is that the robot does not complete tasks on its own BY becoming better suited. It is the other way around. SINCE it can perform task on its own, HENCE it is better suited.
A. Correct answer!

P.S Have nt studied for weeks and definitely out of shape for the GMAT! Dont give me a hard time if I am wrong
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A] meaning and structure look fine (Although Robonaut,..modf.........can be controlled by its fellow astronauts in space OR a crew on earth, it can........,becoming..modf.
B] Contrast is required b/w completing tasks completed on its own and those controlled by crew or astronauts ; this choice has incorrect contrast
C] no contrast presented , meaning change
D] 'Although..but' construction is wrong. Moreover, can complete certain tasks all on its own and become better suited for some dangerous projects --are erroneously presented as two separate ideas
E] this choice has incorrect contrast . So meaning change.
IMO A

Although Robonaut 2, the next generation humanoid robot built by NASA for space exploration, can be controlled by its fellow astronauts in space or a crew on earth, it can complete certain tasks all on its own, becoming better suited for some dangerous projects than its human counterpart.

Subordinate clause:

Although Robonaut 2, the next generation humanoid robot built by NASA for space exploration, can be controlled by its fellow astronauts in space or a crew on earth,

Subject: Robonaut 2
Verb: can be controlled

Main clause:
it can complete certain tasks all on its own, becoming better suited for some dangerous projects than its human counterpart.

Subject: it - refers to Robonaut 2
verb: can complete


For C - I don't see any grammatical error in option C, but the intended meaning in the sentence.

Capable of completing certain tasks on its own and becoming better suited for some dangerous projects than its human counterpart, Robonaut 2, the next generation humanoid robot built by NASA for space exploration, can be controlled by his fellow astronauts in space or a crew on earth.

Capable of completing certain tasks on its own and becoming better suited for some dangerous projects than its human counterpart, --> Modifies subject : Robonaut 2

Robonaut 2, the next generation humanoid robot built by NASA for space exploration, can be controlled by his fellow astronauts in space or a crew on earth.

Subject: Robonaut 2
Verb: can be controlled

IMO:A
Although Robonaut 2, the next generation humanoid robot built by NASA for space exploration, can be controlled by its fellow astronauts in space or a crew on earth, it can complete certain tasks all on its own, becoming better suited for some dangerous projects than its human counterpart.
(NO ERROR)
A. Although Robonaut 2, the next generation humanoid robot built by NASA for space exploration, can be controlled by its fellow astronauts in space or a crew on earth, it can complete certain tasks all on its own, becoming better suited for some dangerous projects than its human counterpart. (CORRECT)

B. Even though capable of completing certain tasks all on its own by becoming better suited for some dangerous projects than its human counterpart, Robonaut 2 is the next generation humanoid robot built by NASA for space exploration ,( FANBOYS reqd) controlled by his fellow astronauts in space or a crew on earth. (INCORRECT)

C. Capable of completing certain tasks on its own and becoming better suited for some dangerous projects than its human counterpart(MEANING CHANGED), Robonaut 2, the next generation humanoid robot built by NASA for space exploration, can be controlled by his fellow astronauts in space or a crew on earth.(INCORRECT)

D. The next generation humanoid robot built by NASA for space exploration, Robonaut 2[/color(MEANING CHANGED)][color=#ff0000](NO SUB-VERB PAIR), although can complete certain tasks all on its own and become better suited for some dangerous projects than its human counterpart, but is controlled by his fellow astronauts in space or a crew on earth.(INCORRECT)


E. Although Robonaut 2 is the next generation humanoid robot built by NASA for space exploration, it can be controlled by his fellow astronauts in space or a crew on earth, and can also complete certain tasks all on its own, becoming better suited for some dangerous projects than its human counterpart.
(MEANING CHANGED AS CONTRASTING PAIR CHANGED) (INCORRECT)

Thanks every one for participating in this question/poll.

Here are the statistics for this question:

Number of responses - 37
64% people answered this question correctly.
Choice C was the next popular choice with 16% votes. So those of you who marked choice C, please make sure you review the reasons why Choice C is incorrect.

Also, for those of you who selected the correct answer, I suggest that you go through the official explanation to confirm that your rationale for rejecting the incorrect choices was sound. Remember its important to select the correct answer, but equally important is that you should reject the incorrect choices for the right reasons.

Regards,

Shraddha
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@Moksh, Thanks for your detailed response. You were able to figure out correctly why choice A is correct and why Choice E is incorrect. Even though you were able to pin point one error in each of the choices BCD, I would suggest that when you are in preparation/learning mode, you should try to find as many errors as you can so that you are well prepared and skilled enough for the test. So make sure that you thoroughly review the explanations for Choices BCD in my official explanation above.
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Perfect explanation souvik101990. You have correctly pointed out all the errors in all the choices. I was mainly looking to see whether you were able to identify the key error pertaining to "contrasting elements" and was glad to find it there!! Great job.
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First of all great job @kuttingchai detailing out the sentence structure. Splitting the sentence into its clauses helps with identification of roles of various entities in the sentence.
Now coming to your question regarding choice C - you are correct that the intended meaning has changed in this sentence. In fact it has changed in two ways as detailed out the official explanation above. Please review that explanation clearly and let me know if you have any questions about choice C.
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Hi P & S (Payal and Shraddha / Problem Solvers )

Clarifications required for the following question. Completely beats conventional wisdom. All the choices seem incorrect.

Diesel engines burn as much as 30% less fuel than gasoline engines of comparable size, as well as emitting far less carbon dioxide gas and far fewer of the other gasses that have been implicated in global warming.

A of comparable size , as well as emitting far less carbon dioxide gas and far fewer of the other gasses that have
B of comparable size, as well as emit far less carbon dioxide gas and far fewer of the other gasses having
C of comparable size, and also they emit far fewer carbon dioxide and other gasses that have
D that have a comparable size, and also they emit far fewer of the other gasses having
E that have a comparable size, as well as emitting far fewer of the other gasses having

Source: GMATPrep

Hi Sinner1706,

First of all, thank you for a vey sweet opening address. Both of us found it very cute.
Now let's talk about this question. This certainly is a one-off official question, not something we come across frequently. Well, let’s take a look at this one.

Diesel engines burn as much as 30% less fuel than gasoline engines of comparable size, as well as emitting far less carbon dioxide gas and far fewer of the other gasses that have been implicated in global warming.

Meaning Analysis:

The sentence means that diesel engines burn about 30% less fuel than gasoline engines of the same size. Also, the diesel engines emit far less carbon dioxide and far fewer of those gases that are said to result in global warming.

Error Analysis:
• The verb-ing modifier preceded comma “emitting” correctly modifies the preceding clause by presenting the result of the modified clause.
• Use of “fewer” is correct because the number of gases that result in global warming can be counted.
• There is no error in this sentence.

PoE:

A of comparable size, as well as emitting far less carbon dioxide gas and far fewer of the other gasses that have: Correct for the reasons stated above.

B of comparable size, as well as emit far less carbon dioxide gas and far fewer of the other gasses having: Incorrect.
a. The phrase “as well as” is not followed by a verb. It is considered unidiomatic.
b. Use of “having been implicated” is incorrect. This modifier suggests that the action is already done.

C of comparable size, and also they emit far fewer carbon dioxide and other gasses that have: Incorrect. Usage of “fewer” is incorrect.

D that have a comparable size, and also they emit far fewer of the other gasses having: Incorrect.
a. There is no mention of carbon dioxide emission.
b. Repeats the same error of “having..” as in Choice B.

E that have a comparable size, as well as emitting far fewer of the other gasses having: Incorrect. Repeats both the errors of Choice D.

Hope this helps.
Thanks.
Shraddha
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Hi P&S,

Some doubts still ringing in my head.

As far as I understand, the Diesel engine is doing at-least 2 things:-

1. Burning 30% less fuel.
2. Emitting lesser Carbon dioxide
3. May be clubbed together with 2. Emitting fewer other harmful gases.

So, shouldn't the three actions be parallel?

Diesel engines burn as much as 30% less fuel than gasoline engines of comparable size, as well as emitting far less carbon dioxide gas and far fewer of the other gasses that have been implicated in global warming.

Also, from a meaning perspective the second action is not describing the result of the first action. It is a specific characteristic of the diesel engine, in contrast to say a petrol engine which also burns 30% less fuel but emits far more Carbon dioxide.

If, as per your inference , the Verb-ing modifier "emitting" is modifying the previous clause then it should be placed right after the comma. As well as is awkward and wordy. Also, as well as is used for Nouns/subjects.

Last, if choice A is correct then how is a prepositional phrase is parallel to the part after the and

as well as emitting far less carbon dioxide gas and far fewer of the other gasses that have[/u] been implicated in global warming.

Hi Shradhha,
Having serious confusion

For B : You've said that "The phrase “as well as” is not followed by a verb" But it's followed by the verb 'emit' I guess...Please clarify.
“having been implicated” and "that have been implicated" both suggest that the action is already done I think...Your thoughts please!

Please help me understand these!
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Hi Sinner1706,

I was expecting these questions from you.

By reading the sentence, we do get the sense that there should be parallelism in the sentence. However, we discern the meaning in the sense that “emitting” is presenting the result of the preceding clause, it DOES make sense because the preceding clause tells us that diesel engines burn less fuel as a result of which they emit less CO2 and fewer other harmful gases. So grammatically, there is no problem in the original sentence.

And it is always not necessary for the verb-ing modifier to come immediately after the comma. There can be words such as “often”, etc. before the verb-ing modifier.

Another simple way of looking at this question is that “as well as emitting...” is far better than saying “having been implicated”. We need to select the answer choice that is the best among all five. Choice A is that answer.

Hope this helps.
Thanks.
Shraddha
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Hi Debayan,

Let me rephrase what I wrote as reasons for Choice B to be incorrect.

1. The first reason why Choice B is incorrect that verbs are not used "as well as". This is a standard way of using "as well as". Becaue we have a verb followed by "as well as", this choice stands incorrect.
2. "that have been implicated" is not teh same thing as saying "having been implicated". The first phrase modifes the preceding noun in that it gives additional information about the entity modified. The second phrase, however, presents an action completed on the entiry modified. This expression suggests that some others gases were implicated in global warming but they are not implicated any more. This is certainly not the intended meaning.

Hope this helps.
Thanks.
Shraddha
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I dont agree with e-gmat on

as well as + verb is ALWAYS wrong

I think the rule here is : Additive clauses separate two independent clauses .

<independent clause > , as well as < independent clause>

< independent clause > as well as < dependent clause >

She likes to eat as well as {to} dance while working.

She likes to eat , as well as to dance while working


Infact , here in B, it can also be implied that 'they' is eclipsed before emit ( marked )

I think the 'B' option is wrong because , of 'having' .

Diesel engines burn as much as 30% less fuel than gasoline engines of comparable size, as well as they emit far less carbon dioxide gas and far fewer of the other gasses having been implicated in global warming.

Hi eski,
In the example that you have provided, "to dance" is not a verb. It's a "to verb" or an ifnitive. The verb in the sentence is "likes" which does not occur after "as well as".

Thanks.
Shraddha
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Hi e-GMAT,

SHouldnt "Although" always be followed by a noun+verb? In option A, the first part is just "Although Robonaut" ? How can we justify this?

Hi HKHR,
Thank you for the post.


‘Although’ is usually followed by a clause, but there are exceptions where it is followed only by a modifier. However, this sentence does not contain any exception. Here, ‘although’ is followed by a clause. So, it should be followed by a noun + verb combination.
Let’s do the sentence structure for the given sentence to find out:

• Although Robonaut 2,
• the next generation humanoid robot built by NASA for space exploration,
o can be controlled by its fellow astronauts in space or a crew on earth,
• it can complete certain tasks all on its own,
o becoming better suited for some dangerous projects than its human counterpart.


In this sentence ‘Robonaut 2’ is the noun and ‘can be controlled’ is the verb. The phrase ‘the next……. exploration’ acts as a modifier and provides additional information about the Robonaut 2. So, the sentence basically is:

• Although Robonaut 2 can be controlled by its fellow astronauts …….

Since this phrase provides additional information it is not the part of the main sentence. We can make sense of the sentence even after omitting it. You can find a number of official questions in which a modifier is placed between the noun that follows ‘although’ and the verb.



Let’s consider the correct answer for Q#132 OG13:


OFFICIAL QUESTION

• Although heirloom tomatoes, grown from seeds saved during the previous year, appear less appetizing than most of their round and red supermarket cousins- they are often green and striped, or have plenty of bumps and bruises- heirlooms are more flavorful and thus in increasing demand.

Can you spot the noun, verb and the modifier in the above sentence? Please try to do so before you move on to the explanation part.


EXPLANATION

• Although heirloom tomatoes,
• grown from seeds saved during the previous year,
o appear less appetizing than most of their round and red supermarket cousins-
• they are often green and striped, or have plenty of bumps and bruises-
• heirlooms are more flavorful and thus in increasing demand.


In the above sentence:

heirloom tomatoes- noun
appear- verb
grown from seeds saved during the previous year- additional information about heirloom tomatoes (modifier)


TAKE AWAYS

It is true that ‘although’ is usually followed by a noun + verb pair, but it is possible for a modifier to be placed between the subject and the verb.


Hope the above discussion helps!
Regards,

Deepak
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