Last visit was: 09 Jul 2025, 18:27 It is currently 09 Jul 2025, 18:27
Close
GMAT Club Daily Prep
Thank you for using the timer - this advanced tool can estimate your performance and suggest more practice questions. We have subscribed you to Daily Prep Questions via email.

Customized
for You

we will pick new questions that match your level based on your Timer History

Track
Your Progress

every week, we’ll send you an estimated GMAT score based on your performance

Practice
Pays

we will pick new questions that match your level based on your Timer History
Not interested in getting valuable practice questions and articles delivered to your email? No problem, unsubscribe here.
Close
Request Expert Reply
Confirm Cancel
User avatar
nightwing79
Joined: 12 Apr 2009
Last visit: 31 Dec 2013
Posts: 105
Own Kudos:
1,557
 [62]
Given Kudos: 4
Posts: 105
Kudos: 1,557
 [62]
7
Kudos
Add Kudos
54
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Most Helpful Reply
User avatar
daagh
User avatar
Major Poster
Joined: 19 Feb 2007
Last visit: 16 Oct 2020
Posts: 5,264
Own Kudos:
42,344
 [15]
Given Kudos: 422
Status: enjoying
Location: India
WE:Education (Education)
Expert
Expert reply
Posts: 5,264
Kudos: 42,344
 [15]
14
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
General Discussion
avatar
willisback
avatar
Current Student
Joined: 05 Feb 2008
Last visit: 15 Mar 2014
Posts: 27
Own Kudos:
19
 [3]
Given Kudos: 12
Concentration: General Management, Nonprofit
GPA: 3.81
WE:Information Technology (Healthcare/Pharmaceuticals)
3
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
User avatar
bhatiamanu05
Joined: 19 Apr 2013
Last visit: 03 Aug 2017
Posts: 55
Own Kudos:
202
 [3]
Given Kudos: 9
Concentration: Entrepreneurship, Finance
GMAT Date: 06-05-2015
GPA: 3.88
WE:Programming (Computer Software)
Posts: 55
Kudos: 202
 [3]
3
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
nightwing79
By law, a qualified physician can only prescribe medicine, protecting the public.

A. By law, a qualified physician can only prescribe medicine, protecting the public.

B. By law, only a qualified physician can prescribe medicine, protecting the public.

C. By law, only a qualified physician can prescribe medicine which protects the public.

D. In order to protect the public, by law a qualified physician only can prescribe medicine.

E. In order to protect the public, by law only a qualified physician can prescribe medicine.


A and B is doubtful in meaning. Protecting the public is not with respect to physician. C has which and it does not has a comma before it.
D has the same problem position of only. E describes everything perfectly...
User avatar
Abhishek009
User avatar
Board of Directors
Joined: 11 Jun 2011
Last visit: 21 Apr 2025
Posts: 5,965
Own Kudos:
5,154
 [2]
Given Kudos: 463
Status:QA & VA Forum Moderator
Location: India
GPA: 3.5
WE:Business Development (Commercial Banking)
Posts: 5,965
Kudos: 5,154
 [2]
2
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
nightwing79
By law, a qualified physician can only prescribe medicine, protecting the public.

A. By law, a qualified physician can only prescribe medicine, protecting the public.

B. By law, only a qualified physician can prescribe medicine, protecting the public.

C. By law, only a qualified physician can prescribe medicine which protects the public.

D. In order to protect the public, by law a qualified physician only can prescribe medicine.

E. In order to protect the public, by law only a qualified physician can prescribe medicine.


Correct Idiomatic usage is - " in order to " , this reduces answer choices D and E

Between D and E I will Choose E

Only a qualified Physician looks betterthan A qualified Physician only can prescribe medicine

IMO E
avatar
bankerboy30
Joined: 27 May 2014
Last visit: 14 Feb 2018
Posts: 71
Own Kudos:
Given Kudos: 21
Posts: 71
Kudos: 45
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
I still dont understand why not B. Protecting is modifying "only a physician can prescribe the medicine", the result of this that its protecting the public.
User avatar
RK84
Joined: 20 Mar 2015
Last visit: 31 Oct 2018
Posts: 42
Own Kudos:
31
 [1]
Given Kudos: 34
Location: United States
Concentration: General Management, Strategy
WE:Design (Manufacturing)
Posts: 42
Kudos: 31
 [1]
1
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
daagh
It is not the physician or the prescription that is protecting the public; it is the law that is doing it. So, B is off the mark.
don't you think there should be a comma after by law in the option E. It sounds if by law only, the physician ...or it can sound like by law, only ..which then will be correct..
User avatar
sayantanc2k
Joined: 14 Dec 2013
Last visit: 09 Dec 2022
Posts: 2,395
Own Kudos:
15,461
 [1]
Given Kudos: 26
Location: Germany
Schools:
GMAT 1: 780 Q50 V47
WE:Corporate Finance (Pharmaceuticals and Biotech)
Expert
Expert reply
Schools:
GMAT 1: 780 Q50 V47
Posts: 2,395
Kudos: 15,461
 [1]
1
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
RakeshThakur
daagh
It is not the physician or the prescription that is protecting the public; it is the law that is doing it. So, B is off the mark.
don't you think there should be a comma after by law in the option E. It sounds if by law only, the physician ...or it can sound like by law, only ..which then will be correct..

An opening prepositional phrase does not necessarily require a comma. Some grammarists suggest that if the phrase is not more than 3-4 words long, a comma can be omitted.

However, from claritiy aspect, your suggestion is better than option E.
User avatar
daagh
User avatar
Major Poster
Joined: 19 Feb 2007
Last visit: 16 Oct 2020
Posts: 5,264
Own Kudos:
42,344
 [3]
Given Kudos: 422
Status: enjoying
Location: India
WE:Education (Education)
Expert
Expert reply
Posts: 5,264
Kudos: 42,344
 [3]
2
Kudos
Add Kudos
1
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Ok, let’s try and put the comma after law as suggested and see.

In order to protect the public, by law, only a qualified physician can prescribe medicine.


Now the phrase –by law - turns inessential to the context; the introductory modifier -in order to protect the public- will have to necessarily modify the physician, thus distorting the intended meaning. Hence, I feel that a comma after law will be inappropriate
User avatar
renjana
Joined: 11 Jun 2015
Last visit: 06 Dec 2019
Posts: 71
Own Kudos:
Given Kudos: 86
Location: India
Concentration: Marketing, Leadership
Posts: 71
Kudos: 30
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Can anyone please explain why D is wrong as compared to E
User avatar
AkshdeepS
Joined: 13 Apr 2013
Last visit: 09 Jul 2025
Posts: 1,441
Own Kudos:
1,823
 [1]
Given Kudos: 1,001
Status:It's near - I can see.
Location: India
Concentration: International Business, Operations
GPA: 3.01
WE:Engineering (Real Estate)
Products:
Posts: 1,441
Kudos: 1,823
 [1]
1
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
renjana
Can anyone please explain why D is wrong as compared to E

Placement of "only" correct in E.

In D, it can have two meanings.

qualified physician only can prescribe medicines

qualified physician only can prescribe medicines. Means qualified physician can't prescribe anything else.

Actual meaning is " only qualified doctors can prescribe medicines and no one else.

Therefore (E) is correct
User avatar
pytha1gurus
Joined: 11 Mar 2014
Last visit: 30 Nov 2023
Posts: 339
Own Kudos:
Given Kudos: 8
Posts: 339
Kudos: 115
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Hope your preparation is going well.
Now, let us try to identify an error in the underlined portion, the statement incorrectly suggests that medicine is protecting public however the intended idea is that the law protects the public. Hence Choice A goes out. On the similar grounds, B and C can be eliminated.
D is incorrect because the idea the sentence conveys is that qualified doctors can prescribe only medicines and nothing else. This is not what the sentence means and hence E is the right answer.
Keep practicing.
All the best!!
PythaGURUS Faculty Team
avatar
viphaneev
Joined: 26 Jul 2020
Last visit: 07 Dec 2023
Posts: 15
Own Kudos:
Given Kudos: 97
Location: Thailand
Posts: 15
Kudos: 4
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
nightwing79
By law, a qualified physician can only prescribe medicine, protecting the public.

A. By law, a qualified physician can only prescribe medicine, protecting the public.

B. By law, only a qualified physician can prescribe medicine, protecting the public.

C. By law, only a qualified physician can prescribe medicine which protects the public.

D. In order to protect the public, by law a qualified physician only can prescribe medicine.

E. In order to protect the public, by law only a qualified physician can prescribe medicine.

The question for the point of difference in the answer choice is who is protecting the public.
A is wrong because the position of 'only' suggests that a qualified physician can --- only prescribe medicine ----, protecting the public
The meaning is a qualified physician cannot do other things other than prescribing medicine. In addition, prescribing medication = protecting the public.
B 'protecting the public' modifies the clause 'only a qualified physician can prescribe'
C which modifier is wrong.
D wrong for same reason as A -- 'only'
E In order to protect the public -> modifies by law... and the rest is correctly sound.
User avatar
VerbalBot
User avatar
Non-Human User
Joined: 01 Oct 2013
Last visit: 04 Jan 2021
Posts: 18,442
Own Kudos:
Posts: 18,442
Kudos: 953
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Hello from the GMAT Club VerbalBot!

Thanks to another GMAT Club member, I have just discovered this valuable topic, yet it had no discussion for over a year. I am now bumping it up - doing my job. I think you may find it valuable (esp those replies with Kudos).

Want to see all other topics I dig out? Follow me (click follow button on profile). You will receive a summary of all topics I bump in your profile area as well as via email.
Moderators:
GMAT Club Verbal Expert
7349 posts
GMAT Club Verbal Expert
235 posts