shanks2020 wrote:
ekanshgoyal wrote:
Using concept of ellipsis why option A is wrong? Does it not convey the intended meaning?
CrackverbalGMAT AndrewN MartyMurray EducationAisleI have the same doubt as above.
Hello,
shanks2020. First off, I noticed you tagged me on another question regarding ellipsis. I will respond here for both. I would urge you not to create rules, but to observe tendencies and expand your knowledge as necessary whenever you might see an exception. In my mind, I cannot see any reason to favor answer choice (A) over (B)—
eastern state in the latter better parallels
western states from the earlier part of the sentence. (If two options are qualitatively the same, you should be able to eliminate both.) More to the point, if the phrase were moved so that it appeared right next to
ten of the western states, then the verb would be understood to apply to both:
By 1914, ten of the western states, but only one eastern state, had granted women the right to vote.If the phrase is instead placed at the end of the sentence, the reader anticipates information after
but that might comment on women's right to vote:
had granted women the right to vote, but... It is jarring to then encounter the second element of a comparison of sorts without a reminder that the sentence is holding one action up to another action (here, the same one, just performed in different locations). That is what the missing verb achieves. In conversational English, people use ellipsis in a number of ways that would not be acceptable on the GMAT.
Perhaps another Expert will speak more to rules, but I am quite often not going to be your guy. In any case, good luck with your studies. (Maybe 2023 will be your year to put this test behind you.)
- Andrew
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