OFFICIAL EXPLANATIONProject SC Butler: Sentence Correction (SC2)
Quote:
Arguably one of the most influential figures in the Silver Age of Comics, Jack Kirby’s drawing style utilized foreshortening to convey depth and allowed characters to “burst” out of panel frames.
• misplaced or "dangling" modifier
→ Whenever you see an introductory phrase, start thinking about whether it is a noun modifier and if so, whether the noun it discusses follows immediately after the intro statement.
→ After
this introductory phrase, we should be reading about an "influential figure"—a person.
• THAT/WHICH
→
That and
which are not interchangeable on the GMAT.
Which-clauses introduce nonessential information that is set off by commas.
That-clauses introduce essential information that is
not set off by commas.
In particular,
which and its information are flanked by commas, whereas
that and its information are not flanked by commas.
In British English,
which and
that are used interchangeably.
In SWE and on the GMAT,
which and
that are not interchangeable.
THE OPTIONSQuote:
A) Jack Kirby’s drawing style utilized foreshortening to convey depth and allowed characters to
• Misplaced modifier
→ Mr. Kirby's
drawing style was not, as the introductory phrase states, "one of the most influential figures in the Silver Age of Comics."
→ Nonsensical.
ELIMINATE A
Quote:
B) Jack Kirby’s drawing style, utilizing foreshortening to convey depth and allowing characters to
• Misplaced modifier - same as that in option A
• The Missing Verb
→ This sentence lacks a main verb, resulting in a fragment.
ELIMINATE B
Quote:
C) Jack Kirby developed a drawing style that utilized foreshortening to convey depth and allowed characters to
• I do not see any errors
• The introductory modifier now has the correct noun to modify: Jack Kirby.
• the main verb is
developed. (The other two simple past tense verbs belong to
that—a relative pronoun that requires its own verb. In this sentence, the word
that takes both of the subsequent verbs.
KEEP
Quote:
D) Jack Kirby developed a drawing style which utilized foreshortening to convey depth and also allowed characters
•
which cannot function as
that→ Which-clauses are set off by one or two commas.
→ Some people believe that GMAC has softened its stance on the which/that distinction.
I discuss the matter further in Notes, below.
•
and also is suspect because the phrase is often redundant.
Sometimes, though, the phrase is correctly used for emphasis.
ELIMINATE D
Quote:
E) Jack Kirby developed a drawing style utilizing foreshortening conveying depth and allowing characters to
[/quote]
• diction disaster: utilizing foreshortening conveying depth
→ the correct idiom is to utilize X TO convey Y
→ you do not need to know this idiom to recognize a hot mess.
Be very suspicious of options that contain too many ___ING words
strung together, unless those words are items on a list.
(Writers are taught to use gerunds and participles sparingly. Long story, but the ___ING construction can be or sounds passive.)
Yes,
hbkharsh -- too many __INGs together.
Utilizing should be
that utilized; we've seen that construction in other options.
Conveying should be
to convey; we have also seen that construction in other options.
ELIMINATE E
The correct answer is C.NOTES• WHICH/THATIn British English,
which and
that are interchangeable.
In U.S. English and on the GMAT,
which and
that are not interchangeable.
→
which introduces nonessential information and is set off by commas
→
that introduces essential information and is almost never set off by commas
People debate whether GMAT will continue to observe the distinction between
which and
that. In at least one official question in the
nonunderlined portion,
which was used without commas to introduce essential modifiers.
On the other hand, I have
never seen a correct answer choice (i.e., the underlined part) in which the word
which introduced essential material and was not set off by commas.
SPOILER ALERT: In addition, in 2020, GMAC published a new official question that tests this very distinction.
The question remains in the 2021
Official Guide. You can find that question
here.
COMMENTSLizaza , welcome to SC Butler.
These answers are thoughtful, well-reasoned, and easy to understand.
Nicely done, everyone!
close
17 Aug 2021, 22:43
21%
(01:19)
wrong 
