Dear Friends,
Here is a detailed explanation to this question-
hazelnut wrote:
Butterflies come in more than 17,000 species, displaying a wing pattern unique to each one.
(A) displaying a wing pattern unique to each one
(B) displaying a unique wing pattern in each
(C) each uniquely displaying a wing pattern
(D) each of which displays a unique wing pattern
(E) each of which uniquely displays a wing pattern
Choice A: This answer choice features a subtle example of pronoun ambiguity; "each one" could refer to either "species" or "butterflies". Thus, this answer choice is incorrect.
Choice B: This answer choice displays the same pronoun ambiguity seen in Option A, due to the use of the phrase "in each". Thus, this answer choice is incorrect.
Choice C: This answer choice changes the meaning of the sentence by modifying the verb "displaying" with the adverb "uniquely"; the intended meaning of the sentence is that each species of butterfly displays a unique wing pattern, but this answer choice implies that each species displays a wing pattern in a unique way. This answer choice also displays the pronoun ambiguity seen in Options A and B. Thus, this answer choice is incorrect.
Choice D: This answer choice maintains proper pronoun use and preserves the intended meaning of the sentence. Thus, this answer choice is correct.
Choice E: This answer choice repeats the meaning-related error seen in Option C. Thus, this answer choice is incorrect.
Hence, D is the best answer choice.One important thing to note here is how Options E and D resolve the pronoun ambiguity error by using the word "which"; by employing the phrase "each of which", these answer choices make it clear that the modifying phrases apply to the noun directly before the comma.
To understand the concept of "Avoiding Pronoun Ambiguity on GMAT", you may want to watch the following video (~1 minute):
To understand the concept of "Which, Who, Whose, Where on GMAT", you may want to watch the following video (~1 minute):
All the best!
Experts' Global Team
Thank you for your helpful reply. To clarify, does "which" serve as a placeholder for "the 17,000 species"?
I was a bit confused in that I needed to add "the" for the meaning to make sense, although "the" does not appear before in the non-underlined portion of the question.