Because chickens lack teeth, they need another way to break apart the

Question

Because chickens lack teeth, they need another way to break apart the food they eat  before reaching the stomach, and for this reason, chickens have a gizzard in which stones they swallow are used to grind their food.

(A) before reaching the stomach, and for this reason, chickens have a gizzard in which stones they swallow are used to grind their food.

(B) before it reaches the stomach, and for this reason, chickens have a gizzard in which stones they have swallowed is used to grind their food.

(C) before it reaches the stomach, and for this reason, chickens have a gizzard in which stones they swallow are used to grind their food.

(D) before reaching the stomach, and for this reason, chickens have a gizzard in which stones they have swallowed is used to grind their food.

(E) before it reaches the stomach, and for this reason, chickens have a gizzard in which stones they have swallowed are used to grind their food.

This question focuses on verb tense and agreement, as well as general rhetorical construction. In this sentence all of the verbs agree with their subjects. However, the phrase before reaching the stomach does not have a clear subject. It appears to modify they, the chickens, instead of food. The present tense verb swallow should be replaced with the present perfect verb have swallowed in order to indicate that the swallowing occurred before the use of the stones.

A) The phrase before reaching the stomach does not have a clear subject. It appears to modify they, the chickens, instead of food.The present tense verb swallow should be replaced with the present perfect verb have swallowed in order to indicate that the swallowing occurred before the use of the stones.

B) The singular verb is does not agree with the plural subject stones. Is should be in the plural form are.

C) swallow should be in past perfect have swallowed

D) The phrase before reaching the stomach does not have a clear subject. It appears to modify they, the chickens, instead of food. The singular verb is does not agree with the plural noun stones. Is should be in the plural form are.

E) This sentence is correct as is. In this sentence all of the verbs agree with their subjects and are in the correct tenses. The modifying phrases do not allow for any confusion.

daagh · Accepted Answer

The requirement of a perfect tense for the swallowing of stones is debatable and dubious. It is not that the chicks swallow stones first and then use those stones for grinding the following food. Because chicks eat food from bare ground mostly, every time the eat their staple food, they ingest stones. In farm grown conditions, since the chicks may not get adequate quantity stones, it is not uncommon to mix hard shell grits in the mash to aid digestion and provide additional calcium. Therefore, swallowing stones is a concurrent and ongoing affair. As such, we do not indicate ongoing processes in perfect tense. Therefore I would discount E as the correct choice, but vote C.

Agree with Lowryder that something as quibbling as this may not find its way onto the GMAT.

Now one parting gift for the day; take this case:
1. We get nutrition from the food we take
2. We get nutrition from the food we have taken.
Which is the normal way of saying?

Agree with Lowryder that something as quibbling as this may not find its way onto the GMAT.

Now one parting gift for the day; take this case: 
1. We get nutrition from the food we take
2. We get nutrition from the food we have taken. 
Which is the normal way of saying?

Gnpth · Answer

A) before reaching the stomach, and for this reason, chickens have a gizzard in which stones they swallow are used to grind their food-  There is no subject for "before reaching the stomach"- So Eliminate.

B) before it reaches the stomach, and for this reason, chickens have a gizzard in which stones they have swallowed is used to grind their food-  stones is plural, so the verb also has to be plural. But here it is singular (is)- So Eliminate.

C) before it reaches the stomach, and for this reason, chickens have a gizzard in which stones they swallow are used to grind their food-  present perfect is need here. Not present (swallow)- Since it is an ongoing activity after every meal- Hence Eliminate.

D) before reaching the stomach, and for this reason, chickens have a gizzard in which stones they have swallowed is used to grind their food- Same as A. Singular verb "is" does not agree with plural subject "stones"- So eliminate

E) before it reaches the stomach, and for this reason, chickens have a gizzard in which stones they have swallowed are used to grind their food-  Here all S-V agreement is perfect. Also no modifier errors.

So the answer is E.

warriorguy · Answer

why is C incorrect here? Isn't simple present preferred here?

sayantanc2k · Answer

The action "are used" can be done only AFTER the action "swallow". Therefore present perfect is better to depict this sequence.

abhishekdadarwal2009 · Answer

Because chickens lack teeth, they need another way to break apart the food they eat before reaching the stomach, and for this reason, chickens have a gizzard in which stones they swallow are used to grind their food.
 A) before reaching the stomach, and for this reason, chickens have a gizzard in which stones they swallow are used to grind their food.
 what reaches the stomach?
 B) before it reaches the stomach, and for this reason, chickens have a gizzard in which stones they have swallowed is used to grind their food. 
is used is wrong because the stones are used.stones are plural.
 C) before it reaches the stomach, and for this reason, chickens have a gizzard in which stones they swallow are used to grind their food. 
the tense is wrong, the stones they have swallowed must be used.
 D) before reaching the stomach, and for this reason, chickens have a gizzard in which stones they have swallowed is used to grind their food. 
same as A
 E) before it reaches the stomach, and for this reason, chickens have a gizzard in which stones they have swallowed are used to grind their food. 
Correct pronoun usage.

AR15J · Answer

Hi Expert,

I don't know how and when chicks swallow the stones. Just by reading the original sentence, how can I determine that stones are swallowed first to digest the food ?

DmitryFarberMPrep · Answer

This is not a good question, and it's definitely not one of ours! Can someone please change the attribution?

We would never need to bring in outside knowledge of whether stones are swallowed before or after eating, and as daagh points out, the entire distinction doesn't make much sense.

leanhdung · Answer

Because chickens lack teeth, they need another way to break apart the food they eat before reaching the stomach, and for this reason, chickens have a gizzard in which stones they swallow are used to grind their food.

A)  before reaching  the stomach, and for this reason, chickens have a gizzard in which stones they swallow are used to grind their food.

--> in phrase  before reaching , the implicit subject is  chickens  --> illogical.

B) before it reaches the stomach, and for this reason, chickens have a gizzard in which stones they have swallowed  is  used to grind their food.

-->  stones  is plural, so we need  are , not  is

C) before it reaches the stomach, and for this reason, chickens have a gizzard in which stones they  swallow  are used to grind their food.

--> we need  present perfect tense  to denote the sequence of events:  swallow  comes first and then  grind  comes second.

D)  before reaching  the stomach, and for this reason, chickens have a gizzard in which stones they have swallowed is used to grind their food.

--> in phrase  before reaching , the implicit subject is  chickens  --> illogical.

E)  before it reaches  the stomach, and for this reason, chickens have a gizzard in which stones they  have swallowed  are used to grind their food.

--> correct.

pushpitkc · Answer

In the original sentence, the underlined portion has the following errors:
 before reaching the stomach , and for this reason, chickens have a gizzard 
in which stones  they swallow  are used to grind their food.

Using 'it' makes the antecedent clearly refer to food. 
Also, the stones they have swallowed are used to grind their food gives the meaning clarity.

This when replaced with :
 before it reaches the stomach, and for this reason, chickens have a gizzard in which stones they have swallowed are used to grind their food(Option E)
 corrects both these errors and is hence the correct answer.

avinashiitp · Answer

Can someone explain? why all the options are not run on? Even though options are having multiple verbs without introducing infinitives or relative clause.

daagh · Answer

avin
All the sentences are complex-compound sentences. The first part is a licit complex sentence with the because clause as subordinate clause and the following part as its main clause, while the second part is an IC joined by by a comma and the coordinate conjunction'and'. Therefore, there is no run-on situation here. 
Hope this helps.

avinashiitp · Answer

daagh

In the first clause, it has ''Because chickens  lack  teeth, they  need  another way to break apart the food they  eat  before it  reaches  the stomach''.
 
verb '' Lack" is in the subordinate clause, but in the main clause it has " need and eat" with their corresponding subject ''they and they''. This statement seems to be run on.

I would be grateful, if you can clarify this aspect.

Also in the second clause, it has " for this reason, chickens  have  a gizzard in which stones they  swallow   are used  to grind their food ".

verb '' have'' has a subject ''chickens''.

In relative clause, verb ''swallow'' has a subject 'they'.

Then, what about the linking verb '' are used to". what/who acts as a subject for this verb. Even some subject is present, then why it is not run on.

daagh · Answer

avin
 Please go into the definition of run-on sentences  still more deeply. It is not an occurrence between two verbs. It is about conjugation of two ICs. All subordinate clauses are joined by only a comma with the main clause, if the subordinate clause starts a sentence. We will not even require a comma if the dependent clause is at the rear end of the complex sentence.  Please get thorough with various sentence patterns, before you proceed further.  Good wishes

VerbalBot · Answer

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Because chickens lack teeth, they need another way to break apart the

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Because chickens lack teeth, they need another way to break apart the

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