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By skimming along the top of the atmosphere a proposed new style of a

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By skimming along the top of the atmosphere a proposed new style of a [#permalink] New post   Updated on: 20 Jun 2021, 16:27
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By skimming along the top of the atmosphere, a proposed new style of aircraft could fly between most points on Earth in under two hours, according to its proponents.

A) By skimming along the top of the atmosphere, a proposed new style of aircraft could fly between most points on Earth in under two hours, according to its proponents.

B) By skimming along the top of the atmosphere, proponents of a proposed new style of aircraft say it could fly between most points on Earth in under two hours.

C) A proposed new style of aircraft could fly between most points on Earth in under two hours, according to its proponents, with it skimming along the top of the atmosphere.

D) A proposed new style of aircraft, say its proponents, could fly between most points on Earth in under two hours because of its skimming along the top of the atmosphere.

E) According to its proponents, skimming along the top of the atmosphere makes it possible that a proposed new style of aircraft could fly between most points on Earth in under two hours.

SC91660.02


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Originally posted by generis on 20 Apr 2020, 22:35.
Last edited by Bunuel on 20 Jun 2021, 16:27, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: By skimming along the top of the atmosphere a proposed new style of a [#permalink] New post   20 Apr 2020, 22:57
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By skimming along the top of the atmosphere, a proposed new style of aircraft could fly between most points on Earth in under two hours, according to its proponents.

A) By skimming along the top of the atmosphere, a proposed new style of aircraft could fly between most points on Earth in under two hours, according to its proponents.
The modifier is used properly, and there is no ambiguity in the meaning. One can say that style cannot be flying, but I believe style means a design/prototype here and also A is the best choice.
Correct

B) By skimming along the top of the atmosphere, proponents of a proposed new style of aircraft say it could fly between most points on Earth in under two hours.
'By skimming along the top of the atmosphere' naturally cannot be modifying 'proponents'. One can imagine proponents actually doing it to get away from the stress of GMAT prep.

C) A proposed new style of aircraft could fly between most points on Earth in under two hours, according to its proponents, with it skimming along the top of the atmosphere.
This changes the meaning. The original sentence told us HOW a proposed style of aircraft could do something -By skimming along the top of the atmosphere.
But this choice does not give out this relation between
Antecedents of IT in 'with it skimming along the top skimming and the aircraft clearly.' - Earth or new style of aircraft.

D) A proposed new style of aircraft, say its proponents, could fly between most points on Earth in under two hours because of its skimming along the top of the atmosphere.
‘According to ITS proponents ‘ is used in both A and D, and is correctly used because proponents makes it clear that we are talking of proposed style of aircraft.
However ITS skimming is used in D, and it is here that the antecedents are not clear.
Also a poor construction. ‘By skimming..’ is how the aircraft is meant to do something but D does not clearly state that

E) According to its proponents, skimming along the top of the atmosphere makes it possible that a proposed new style of aircraft could fly between most points on Earth in under two hours.
poorly constructed.
Also a bit of modifier issue... According to its proponents should have been followed by what IT modifies.

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Re: By skimming along the top of the atmosphere a proposed new style of a [#permalink] New post   23 Jul 2020, 17:02
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Hello Everyone!

Let's tackle this question, one thing at a time, and narrow down our options quickly so we know how to answer questions like this when they pop up on the GMAT! To begin, let's take a quick look at the question and highlight any major differences between the options in orange:

By skimming along the top of the atmosphere, a proposed new style of aircraft could fly between most points on Earth in under two hours, according to its proponents.

A) By skimming along the top of the atmosphere, a proposed new style of aircraft could fly between most points on Earth in under two hours, according to its proponents.

B) By skimming along the top of the atmosphere, proponents of a proposed new style of aircraft say it could fly between most points on Earth in under two hours.

C) A proposed new style of aircraft could fly between most points on Earth in under two hours, according to its proponents, with it skimming along the top of the atmosphere.

D) A proposed new style of aircraft, say its proponents, could fly between most points on Earth in under two hours because of its skimming along the top of the atmosphere.

E) According to its proponents, skimming along the top of the atmosphere makes it possible that a proposed new style of aircraft could fly between most points on Earth in under two hours.

After a quick glance over the options, two things has become very clear:

1. The entire sentence is underlined.
2. We cannot find anything in particular to highlight - it’s all different!

Whenever you see something like this on the GMAT, you need to look for the bigger picture: what is actually different about each of these options?

Their organization!

We need to take a closer look at each option and determine which one is organized the best. This means making sure modifiers and antecedents agree, the intended meaning is clear, and that we don’t have any unnecessary “splitting up” of phrases:

A) By skimming along the top of the atmosphere, a proposed new style of aircraft could fly between most points on Earth in under two hours, according to its proponents.
This is CORRECT! The modifier “By skimming along the top of the atmosphere” is placed directly before the aircraft. The modifier “according to its proponents” is placed directly after what they said about the aircraft. This is the most logical and clearest organization of these 3 clauses!

B) By skimming along the top of the atmosphere, proponents of a proposed new style of aircraft say it could fly between most points on Earth in under two hours.
This is INCORRECT because the “proponents” won’t be skimming along the top of the atmosphere - the aircraft will! This is a modifier-antecedent agreement problem, so let’s rule this one out.

C) A proposed new style of aircraft could fly between most points on Earth in under two hours, according to its proponents, with it skimming along the top of the atmosphere.
This is INCORRECT because the pronoun “it” is so far away from its intended antecedent (the aircraft) that it could be mistaken to be referring to the closest singular noun, which in this case is Earth!

D) A proposed new style of aircraft, say its proponents, could fly between most points on Earth in under two hours because of its skimming along the top of the atmosphere.
Again, this is INCORRECT because the pronoun “its” is too vague. It sounds like “its” is referring to Earth, instead of the aircraft.

E) According to its proponents, skimming along the top of the atmosphere makes it possible that a proposed new style of aircraft could fly between most points on Earth in under two hours.
This is INCORRECT because the pronoun “its” is now referring to “skimming along the top of the atmosphere” and NOT the aircraft itself!

There you go - option A was the winner all along! Remember - when the entire sentence is underlined, think BIG problems like organization, modifiers, and overall meaning!


Don’t study for the GMAT. Train for it.
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Re: By skimming along the top of the atmosphere a proposed new style of a [#permalink] New post   21 Apr 2020, 01:20
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By skimming along the top of the atmosphere, a proposed new style of aircraft could fly between most points on Earth in under two hours, according to its proponents.

A) By skimming along the top of the atmosphere, a proposed new style of aircraft could fly between most points on Earth in under two hours, according to its proponents.

B) By skimming along the top of the atmosphere, proponents of a proposed new style of aircraft say it could fly between most points on Earth in under two hours.

C) A proposed new style of aircraft could fly between most points on Earth in under two hours, according to its proponents, with it skimming along the top of the atmosphere.

D) A proposed new style of aircraft, say its proponents, could fly between most points on Earth in under two hours because of its skimming along the top of the atmosphere.

E) According to its proponents, skimming along the top of the atmosphere makes it possible that a proposed new style of aircraft could fly between most points on Earth in under two hours.

I hate this question. How can a style fly?
A. Correct apart from the modifier issue.
B. Proponents do not skim the top of atmosphere.
C. Its is a problem. Moreover with it skimming is not a proper construction.
D. Because of its skimming- Unidiomatic

E. It is dubious
A is correct.
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Re: By skimming along the top of the atmosphere a proposed new style of a [#permalink] New post   05 May 2020, 21:55
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chetan2u VeritasKarishma AjiteshArun MentorTutoring

Could you advise what is incorrect in below approach?

Quote:
By skimming along the top of the atmosphere, a proposed new style of aircraft could fly between most points on Earth in under two hours, according to its proponents.

Meaning: This sentence presents a fact. According to proponents of an aircraft, the aircraft can fly between most points on Earth in under two hours.
It is able to do so because it can skim along the top of atmosphere.
I ruled this out since I could not connect opening modifier with main subject: Is the subject style or style of aircraft. How can later be a subject since it is a prepositional phrase preceded by of

Quote:
D) A proposed new style of aircraft, say its proponents, could fly between most points on Earth in under two hours because of its skimming along the top of the atmosphere.

Here because of correctly modifies action: could fly.
The both its refers to aircraft in possessive form. I chose this as ans.

Quote:
E) According to its proponents, skimming along the top of the atmosphere makes it possible that a proposed new style of aircraft could fly between most points on Earth in under two hours.

The first its refers to aircraft in possessive form. The second it is a placeholder pronoun: E.g. it is raining.
Since I wanted to stress on a causal relationship, I chose D.
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Re: By skimming along the top of the atmosphere a proposed new style of a [#permalink] New post   06 May 2020, 04:12
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Hello, adkikani. I would be happy to share my thoughts on this one. My in-line responses are below.

adkikani wrote:
chetan2u VeritasKarishma AjiteshArun MentorTutoring

Could you advise what is incorrect in below approach?

Quote:
By skimming along the top of the atmosphere, a proposed new style of aircraft could fly between most points on Earth in under two hours, according to its proponents.

Meaning: This sentence presents a fact. According to proponents of an aircraft, the aircraft can fly between most points on Earth in under two hours.
It is able to do so because it can skim along the top of atmosphere.
I ruled this out since I could not connect opening modifier with main subject: Is the subject style or style of aircraft. How can later be a subject since it is a prepositional phrase preceded by of

There are cases in which the object of the preposition acts as the subject of the sentence. This typically happens with unqualified counting nouns, such as number, as in, a number of students have... (Another sentence with a number could adopt a singular subject-verb agreement, as in, A number has the following features: ...) The subject in this sentence is not a number, but a number of students. In the case above, style is not acting as a standalone subject. A style of what? Art? Teaching? We need to know the object of the preposition to qualify style, and aircraft fits perfectly.

Quote:
Quote:
D) A proposed new style of aircraft, say its proponents, could fly between most points on Earth in under two hours because of its skimming along the top of the atmosphere.

Here because of correctly modifies action: could fly.
The both its refers to aircraft in possessive form. I chose this as ans.

What does because of its achieve that by on its own does not? Remember, clarity of meaning is your primary consideration in SC, and if a terser version in a certain split expresses vital meaning, then there is no reason you should change it unless something else in that answer choice is clearly incorrect. If you replace each instance of its with a possessive the aircraft's, you can see how the latter usage presents problems:

A proposed new style of aircraft, say the aircraft's proponents, could fly between most points on Earth in under two hours because of the aircraft's skimming along the top of the atmosphere.

I was expecting a feature of the aircraft to follow the second instance of the aircraft's, but instead, I get hard-to-follow drivel. A clear and concise version of the sentence might say,

A proposed... in under two hours because it could skim...

Quote:
Quote:
E) According to its proponents, skimming along the top of the atmosphere makes it possible that a proposed new style of aircraft could fly between most points on Earth in under two hours.

The first its refers to aircraft in possessive form. The second it is a placeholder pronoun: E.g. it is raining.
Since I wanted to stress on a causal relationship, I chose D.

It is not that I disagree with your points, but above, I am expecting the aircraft, not skimming, to be the subject of the main clause, the one that the introductory phrase modifies. This is an easy choice to eliminate.

I hope that helps. If you have further questions, feel free to ask.

- Andrew
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Re: By skimming along the top of the atmosphere a proposed new style of a [#permalink] New post   06 May 2020, 04:21
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adkikani wrote:
chetan2u VeritasKarishma AjiteshArun MentorTutoring

Could you advise what is incorrect in below approach?

Quote:
By skimming along the top of the atmosphere, a proposed new style of aircraft could fly between most points on Earth in under two hours, according to its proponents.

Meaning: This sentence presents a fact. According to proponents of an aircraft, the aircraft can fly between most points on Earth in under two hours.
It is able to do so because it can skim along the top of atmosphere.
I ruled this out since I could not connect opening modifier with main subject: Is the subject style or style of aircraft. How can later be a subject since it is a prepositional phrase preceded by of

Quote:
D) A proposed new style of aircraft, say its proponents, could fly between most points on Earth in under two hours because of its skimming along the top of the atmosphere.

Here because of correctly modifies action: could fly.
The both its refers to aircraft in possessive form. I chose this as ans.

Quote:
E) According to its proponents, skimming along the top of the atmosphere makes it possible that a proposed new style of aircraft could fly between most points on Earth in under two hours.

The first its refers to aircraft in possessive form. The second it is a placeholder pronoun: E.g. it is raining.
Since I wanted to stress on a causal relationship, I chose D.
Hi adkikani,

1. The author of this sentence could be introducing an entire "category" of aircraft, not just one aircraft. To be more specific, we can read "new style of aircraft" as "new type of aircraft" or as "new kind of aircraft". Design may also be appropriate here, in case the author is in fact discussing a particular (proposed) aircraft. Whichever way we look at it, the author is looking to focus on the fact that this is a new variant. If he or she had just gone with "a proposed new aircraft", we would not get the impression that there is something new, or perhaps different, about this proposed new aircraft.

A new question has been added to the question pool. ← Just another (one) question, most likely similar to the ones already in the question pool.
A new style of question has been added to the question pool. ← Something new ("new" in ways other than "+1"), or different. Leaves open the possibility of multiple questions.

2. Option D is just super awkward. The its is (technically) ambiguous, because it could refer to Earth. But the main issue is really the because of its skimming... bit. That's just not a good way to convey the idea that we want to convey.

3. E is wrong for pretty much the same reasons. The its is again (technically) ambiguous (the correct option removes the possibility of pronoun ambiguity by not using a pronoun in the first place). Again, the main reason we would not mark this option is that A is just more direct, as it avoids both the ambiguity and redundancy (possible + could) that this option introduces.
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Re: By skimming along the top of the atmosphere a proposed new style of a [#permalink] New post   17 May 2020, 11:39
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abhishekmayank wrote:

@abhishekmayank I am little confused on this assertion that first use of 'its' is correct, but second use of 'its' is ambiguous in option D. Should not the repeated pronoun 'its' be referring to the same antecedent ?


You are correct that the same pronoun must refer to the same antecedent. The ambiguity of the pronoun is debatable, but the larger issue is the construction itself -- how can we create the most clear and concise intended meaning? (Note: when in doubt, the correct answer is more likely to include fewer pronouns).

Using "By" clearly and concisely gives the intended meaning of "How". To give a couple simple examples:

By running, Joe arrived quickly.
Joe arrived quickly because of his running.

Or, as MentorTutoring explained very well above:

"because of its skimming"
 would be much better if changed to:
"because it could skim".

The green examples above are better because they clearly communicate the action of "How", as opposed to the nouns "his running" or "its skimming".

A similar concept is Active Voice vs. Passive Voice. (Note: Active is vastly preferred, but occasionally there are correct choices that include Passive Voice, when the other choices have clear grammatical errors) For example:

Joe decided to play.
The decision to play was made by Joe.

Another new question from OG2021 can be done more efficiently when you recognize this Active vs. Passive concept: https://gmatclub.com/forum/although-the ... l#p2501176

Does this make sense? Please tag me if you have further questions, thanks.
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Re: By skimming along the top of the atmosphere a proposed new style of a [#permalink] New post   18 May 2020, 12:41
MentorTutoring wrote:
Hello, adkikani. I would be happy to share my thoughts on this one. My in-line responses are below.

adkikani wrote:
chetan2u VeritasKarishma AjiteshArun MentorTutoring

Could you advise what is incorrect in below approach?

Quote:
By skimming along the top of the atmosphere, a proposed new style of aircraft could fly between most points on Earth in under two hours, according to its proponents.

Meaning: This sentence presents a fact. According to proponents of an aircraft, the aircraft can fly between most points on Earth in under two hours.
It is able to do so because it can skim along the top of atmosphere.
I ruled this out since I could not connect opening modifier with main subject: Is the subject style or style of aircraft. How can later be a subject since it is a prepositional phrase preceded by of

There are cases in which the object of the preposition acts as the subject of the sentence. This typically happens with unqualified counting nouns, such as number, as in, a number of students have... (Another sentence with a number could adopt a singular subject-verb agreement, as in, A number has the following features: ...) The subject in this sentence is not a number, but a number of students. In the case above, style is not acting as a standalone subject. A style of what? Art? Teaching? We need to know the object of the preposition to qualify style, and aircraft fits perfectly.

I hope that helps. If you have further questions, feel free to ask.

- Andrew

AjiteshArun wrote:
adkikani wrote:
chetan2u VeritasKarishma AjiteshArun MentorTutoring

Could you advise what is incorrect in below approach?

Quote:
By skimming along the top of the atmosphere, a proposed new style of aircraft could fly between most points on Earth in under two hours, according to its proponents.

Meaning: This sentence presents a fact. According to proponents of an aircraft, the aircraft can fly between most points on Earth in under two hours.
It is able to do so because it can skim along the top of atmosphere.
I ruled this out since I could not connect opening modifier with main subject: Is the subject style or style of aircraft. How can later be a subject since it is a prepositional phrase preceded by of

Quote:
D) A proposed new style of aircraft, say its proponents, could fly between most points on Earth in under two hours because of its skimming along the top of the atmosphere.

Here because of correctly modifies action: could fly.
The both its refers to aircraft in possessive form. I chose this as ans.

Quote:
E) According to its proponents, skimming along the top of the atmosphere makes it possible that a proposed new style of aircraft could fly between most points on Earth in under two hours.

The first its refers to aircraft in possessive form. The second it is a placeholder pronoun: E.g. it is raining.
Since I wanted to stress on a causal relationship, I chose D.
Hi adkikani,

1. The author of this sentence could be introducing an entire "category" of aircraft, not just one aircraft. To be more specific, we can read "new style of aircraft" as "new type of aircraft" or as "new kind of aircraft". Design may also be appropriate here, in case the author is in fact discussing a particular (proposed) aircraft. Whichever way we look at it, the author is looking to focus on the fact that this is a new variant. If he or she had just gone with "a proposed new aircraft", we would not get the impression that there is something new, or perhaps different, about this proposed new aircraft.

A new question has been added to the question pool. ← Just another (one) question, most likely similar to the ones already in the question pool.
A new style of question has been added to the question pool. ← Something new ("new" in ways other than "+1"), or different. Leaves open the possibility of multiple questions.

Hello,
AjiteshArun, MentorTutoring

So, here is the correct choice:
A) By skimming along the top of the atmosphere, a proposed new style of aircraft could fly between most points on Earth in under two hours, according to its proponents.

Does it make sense if we replace the pronoun with its antecedent?
By skimming along the top of the atmosphere, a proposed new style of aircraft could fly between most points on Earth in under two hours, according to a proposed new style of aircraft's proponents.

Thanks for the co-operation in the club.
-------
Can I cross out choice D by the just saying--->
D) A proposed new style of aircraft, say its proponents, could fly between most points on Earth in under two hours because of its skimming along the top of the atmosphere.
"say its proponents" means that the proponents are saying something, but A proposed new style of aircraft is just combination some words, not a whole sentence at all. The proponents are not saying just some words; they are saying a whole sentence (whatever it is)! But, A proposed new style of aircraft is not the whole sentence at all.
Can i remove the choice D by this way?
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Re: By skimming along the top of the atmosphere a proposed new style of a [#permalink] New post   18 May 2020, 12:55
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Asad wrote:
MentorTutoring wrote:
Hello, adkikani. I would be happy to share my thoughts on this one. My in-line responses are below.

adkikani wrote:
chetan2u VeritasKarishma AjiteshArun MentorTutoring

Could you advise what is incorrect in below approach?

Quote:
By skimming along the top of the atmosphere, a proposed new style of aircraft could fly between most points on Earth in under two hours, according to its proponents.

Meaning: This sentence presents a fact. According to proponents of an aircraft, the aircraft can fly between most points on Earth in under two hours.
It is able to do so because it can skim along the top of atmosphere.
I ruled this out since I could not connect opening modifier with main subject: Is the subject style or style of aircraft. How can later be a subject since it is a prepositional phrase preceded by of

There are cases in which the object of the preposition acts as the subject of the sentence. This typically happens with unqualified counting nouns, such as number, as in, a number of students have... (Another sentence with a number could adopt a singular subject-verb agreement, as in, A number has the following features: ...) The subject in this sentence is not a number, but a number of students. In the case above, style is not acting as a standalone subject. A style of what? Art? Teaching? We need to know the object of the preposition to qualify style, and aircraft fits perfectly.

I hope that helps. If you have further questions, feel free to ask.

- Andrew

AjiteshArun wrote:
adkikani wrote:
chetan2u VeritasKarishma AjiteshArun MentorTutoring

Could you advise what is incorrect in below approach?

Quote:
By skimming along the top of the atmosphere, a proposed new style of aircraft could fly between most points on Earth in under two hours, according to its proponents.

Meaning: This sentence presents a fact. According to proponents of an aircraft, the aircraft can fly between most points on Earth in under two hours.
It is able to do so because it can skim along the top of atmosphere.
I ruled this out since I could not connect opening modifier with main subject: Is the subject style or style of aircraft. How can later be a subject since it is a prepositional phrase preceded by of

Quote:
D) A proposed new style of aircraft, say its proponents, could fly between most points on Earth in under two hours because of its skimming along the top of the atmosphere.

Here because of correctly modifies action: could fly.
The both its refers to aircraft in possessive form. I chose this as ans.

Quote:
E) According to its proponents, skimming along the top of the atmosphere makes it possible that a proposed new style of aircraft could fly between most points on Earth in under two hours.

The first its refers to aircraft in possessive form. The second it is a placeholder pronoun: E.g. it is raining.
Since I wanted to stress on a causal relationship, I chose D.
Hi adkikani,

1. The author of this sentence could be introducing an entire "category" of aircraft, not just one aircraft. To be more specific, we can read "new style of aircraft" as "new type of aircraft" or as "new kind of aircraft". Design may also be appropriate here, in case the author is in fact discussing a particular (proposed) aircraft. Whichever way we look at it, the author is looking to focus on the fact that this is a new variant. If he or she had just gone with "a proposed new aircraft", we would not get the impression that there is something new, or perhaps different, about this proposed new aircraft.

A new question has been added to the question pool. ← Just another (one) question, most likely similar to the ones already in the question pool.
A new style of question has been added to the question pool. ← Something new ("new" in ways other than "+1"), or different. Leaves open the possibility of multiple questions.

Hello,
AjiteshArun, MentorTutoring

So, here is the correct choice:
A) By skimming along the top of the atmosphere, a proposed new style of aircraft could fly between most points on Earth in under two hours, according to its proponents.

Does it make sense if we replace the pronoun with its antecedent?
By skimming along the top of the atmosphere, a proposed new style of aircraft could fly between most points on Earth in under two hours, according to a proposed new style of aircraft's proponents.

Thanks for the co-operation in the club.
-------
Can I cross out choice D by the just saying--->
D) A proposed new style of aircraft, say its proponents, could fly between most points on Earth in under two hours because of its skimming along the top of the atmosphere.
"say its proponents" means that the proponents are saying something, but A proposed new style of aircraft is just combination some words, not a whole sentence at all. The proponents are not saying just some words; they are saying a whole sentence (whatever it is)! But, A proposed new style of aircraft is not the whole sentence at all.
Can i remove the choice D by this way?

We meet again, Asad. Taking this one from the top, you could replace the pronoun its with its antecedent, but I propose a different way of doing so:

By skimming along the top of the atmosphere, a proposed new style of aircraft could fly between most points on Earth in under two hours, according to proponents of the aircraft.

In this manner, we avoid needless repetition between proposed and proponents, and we also bypass the possessive phrase a proposed new style of aircraft's proponents, which is harder to follow. The meaning established by the earlier part of the sentence would allow for a simple reference to the aircraft to suffice.

As for the second question, you can eliminate (D) on other grounds, but say itself is not a problem, either the word or its placement within the phrase interrupter. It is being used in the same manner as according to, and there is no grammatical foul in saying, A proposed new style of aircraft, according to its proponents, could fly...

I hope that helps. I have to get to my next lesson!

- Andrew
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Re: By skimming along the top of the atmosphere a proposed new style of a [#permalink] New post   16 Jul 2020, 14:42
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MentorTutoring wrote:
Asad wrote:
Hello,
AjiteshArun, MentorTutoring

So, here is the correct choice:
A) By skimming along the top of the atmosphere, a proposed new style of aircraft could fly between most points on Earth in under two hours, according to its proponents.

Does it make sense if we replace the pronoun with its antecedent?
By skimming along the top of the atmosphere, a proposed new style of aircraft could fly between most points on Earth in under two hours, according to a proposed new style of aircraft's proponents.

Thanks for the co-operation in the club.
-------
Can I cross out choice D by the just saying--->
D) A proposed new style of aircraft, say its proponents, could fly between most points on Earth in under two hours because of its skimming along the top of the atmosphere.
"say its proponents" means that the proponents are saying something, but A proposed new style of aircraft is just combination some words, not a whole sentence at all. The proponents are not saying just some words; they are saying a whole sentence (whatever it is)! But, A proposed new style of aircraft is not the whole sentence at all.
Can i remove the choice D by this way?

We meet again, Asad. Taking this one from the top, you could replace the pronoun its with its antecedent, but I propose a different way of doing so:

By skimming along the top of the atmosphere, a proposed new style of aircraft could fly between most points on Earth in under two hours, according to proponents of the aircraft.

In this manner, we avoid needless repetition between proposed and proponents, and we also bypass the possessive phrase a proposed new style of aircraft's proponents, which is harder to follow. The meaning established by the earlier part of the sentence would allow for a simple reference to the aircraft to suffice.

As for the second question, you can eliminate (D) on other grounds, but say itself is not a problem, either the word or its placement within the phrase interrupter. It is being used in the same manner as according to, and there is no grammatical foul in saying, A proposed new style of aircraft, according to its proponents, could fly...

I hope that helps. I have to get to my next lesson!

- Andrew

MentorTutoring
I'm a bit confused in your proposed version! :? :?
So far I know aircraft's proponents and proponents of aircraft don't give the same meaning!
aircraft's proponents<----it indicates every aircraft's has UNIQUE proponents.
proponents of aircraft <---the general idea of any given aircraft.
So, can we accept the proposed version with 100% surety?
Thanks for the nice explanation..
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Re: By skimming along the top of the atmosphere a proposed new style of a [#permalink] New post   16 Jul 2020, 15:25
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TheUltimateWinner wrote:
MentorTutoring wrote:
Asad wrote:
Hello,
AjiteshArun, MentorTutoring

So, here is the correct choice:
A) By skimming along the top of the atmosphere, a proposed new style of aircraft could fly between most points on Earth in under two hours, according to its proponents.

Does it make sense if we replace the pronoun with its antecedent?
By skimming along the top of the atmosphere, a proposed new style of aircraft could fly between most points on Earth in under two hours, according to a proposed new style of aircraft's proponents.

Thanks for the co-operation in the club.
-------
Can I cross out choice D by the just saying--->
D) A proposed new style of aircraft, say its proponents, could fly between most points on Earth in under two hours because of its skimming along the top of the atmosphere.
"say its proponents" means that the proponents are saying something, but A proposed new style of aircraft is just combination some words, not a whole sentence at all. The proponents are not saying just some words; they are saying a whole sentence (whatever it is)! But, A proposed new style of aircraft is not the whole sentence at all.
Can i remove the choice D by this way?

We meet again, Asad. Taking this one from the top, you could replace the pronoun its with its antecedent, but I propose a different way of doing so:

By skimming along the top of the atmosphere, a proposed new style of aircraft could fly between most points on Earth in under two hours, according to proponents of the aircraft.

In this manner, we avoid needless repetition between proposed and proponents, and we also bypass the possessive phrase a proposed new style of aircraft's proponents, which is harder to follow. The meaning established by the earlier part of the sentence would allow for a simple reference to the aircraft to suffice.

As for the second question, you can eliminate (D) on other grounds, but say itself is not a problem, either the word or its placement within the phrase interrupter. It is being used in the same manner as according to, and there is no grammatical foul in saying, A proposed new style of aircraft, according to its proponents, could fly...

I hope that helps. I have to get to my next lesson!

- Andrew

MentorTutoring
I'm a bit confused in your proposed version! :? :?
So far I know aircraft's proponents and proponents of aircraft don't give the same meaning!
aircraft's proponents<----it indicates every aircraft's has UNIQUE proponents.
proponents of aircraft <---the general idea of any given aircraft.
So, can we accept the proposed version with 100% surety?
Thanks for the nice explanation..

Hello, TheUltimateWinner. It has been some time and a name change since we last crossed paths. You left out a crucial part of my proposed sentence that would allow it to work: believe it or not, the article the. While I agree with what you have written above, and also with the notion that proponents of the aircraft in isolation could refer to any aircraft, you will note that in my proposed sentence, there is a clear referent for the aircraft: not just any aircraft, but a proposed new style of aircraft. We understand, via the use of the, that in that sentence, the final part refers back to the earlier-named aircraft. Without the article, the meaning falls apart. I would be happy to hear dissenting Expert opinions if they are out there—I am not right 100 percent of the time—but on this issue, in this sentence, I am as close to sure as I can be.

Thank you for calling my attention to the issue.

- Andrew
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Re: By skimming along the top of the atmosphere a proposed new style of a [#permalink] New post   27 Aug 2020, 08:15
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generis wrote:
By skimming along the top of the atmosphere, a proposed new style of aircraft could fly between most points on Earth in under two hours, according to its proponents.

A) By skimming along the top of the atmosphere, a proposed new style of aircraft could fly between most points on Earth in under two hours, according to its proponents.

B) By skimming along the top of the atmosphere, proponents of a proposed new style of aircraft say it could fly between most points on Earth in under two hours.

C) A proposed new style of aircraft could fly between most points on Earth in under two hours, according to its proponents, with it skimming along the top of the atmosphere.

D) A proposed new style of aircraft, say its proponents, could fly between most points on Earth in under two hours because of its skimming along the top of the atmosphere.

E) According to its proponents, skimming along the top of the atmosphere makes it possible that a proposed new style of aircraft could fly between most points on Earth in under two hours.

VeritasKarishma GMATNinja AndrewN AjiteshArun

I went through all posts but unable to find good explanations for eliminating option C.
A proposed new style of aircraft could fly between most points on Earth in under two hours, according to its proponents, with it skimming along the top of the atmosphere.

There is no pronoun ambiguity. "It" can only logically refer to aircraft and not earth.
Is there any other issue here ?

I feel something wrong here " with it skimming along the top of the atmosphere.",but i can't pin point what's wrong ?
Please explain.
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Re: By skimming along the top of the atmosphere a proposed new style of a [#permalink] New post   27 Aug 2020, 17:17
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Harsh2111s wrote:
Quote:
generis wrote:
By skimming along the top of the atmosphere, a proposed new style of aircraft could fly between most points on Earth in under two hours, according to its proponents.

A) By skimming along the top of the atmosphere, a proposed new style of aircraft could fly between most points on Earth in under two hours, according to its proponents.

B) By skimming along the top of the atmosphere, proponents of a proposed new style of aircraft say it could fly between most points on Earth in under two hours.

C) A proposed new style of aircraft could fly between most points on Earth in under two hours, according to its proponents, with it skimming along the top of the atmosphere.

D) A proposed new style of aircraft, say its proponents, could fly between most points on Earth in under two hours because of its skimming along the top of the atmosphere.

E) According to its proponents, skimming along the top of the atmosphere makes it possible that a proposed new style of aircraft could fly between most points on Earth in under two hours.

VeritasKarishma GMATNinja AndrewN AjiteshArun

I went through all posts but unable to find good explanations for eliminating option C.
A proposed new style of aircraft could fly between most points on Earth in under two hours, according to its proponents, with it skimming along the top of the atmosphere.

There is no pronoun ambiguity. "It" can only logically refer to aircraft and not earth.
Is there any other issue here ?

I feel something wrong here " with it skimming along the top of the atmosphere.",but i can't pin point what's wrong ?
Please explain.

Hello, Harsh2111s. Whenever you encounter a non-essential phrase or clause, one that is contained between double commas, em dashes, or parentheses, you can test the sentence with that element removed. Such a method can help you pinpoint any weaknesses in the main clause, whether there may be subject-verb agreement issues, redundancies, or other structural problems. If we remove according to its proponents in choice (C), we do in fact expose a problematic area:

A proposed new style of aircraft could fly between most points on Earth in under two hours with it skimming along the top of the atmosphere.

The introductory phrase of choices (A) and (B) draws our attention to a correct alternative to with it above: by. There is no problem with an explanatory by skimming, but with sets up an expectation that either some feature of the aircraft will follow (e.g., with a revolutionary wing design that...) or that a modifier to the verb will follow, as in, A proposed new style of aircraft could fly... with supersonic speed. In terms of meaning, then, with is problematic in the sentence at hand. The it is completely unnecessary, even if you do not see it as ambiguous.

I hope that helps. I have talked about other answer choices above, but I think this is my first discussion of (C). Thank you for drawing it to my attention.

- Andrew
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Re: By skimming along the top of the atmosphere a proposed new style of a [#permalink] New post   28 Aug 2020, 02:31
Questio1:

I refer some posts. Many posts have mentioned that it is ambiguous in C and D , but I m not clear
“How earth can skim along the top of atmosphere?” so is n’t it refer clearly to “proposed new style of aircraft”?

2.
because of its skimming along the top of the atmosphere = automatically skimming, here doer is not aircraft so it happened by itself
Vs By skimming along the top of the atmosphere = here doer is aircraft , so aaircraft does have some capability that It can skim ( not automatically skimming by itself)

If I thought logic, actually it is because of flow of air /environmental conditions that help aircraft to fly quickly ( as Aircraft takes less time in flights from west to east due to earth rotation . it is not because of aircraft own capability). So in view of above, should not because of or its skimming should be preferred?

Please clarify AndrewN AjiteshArun EMPOWERgmatVerbal
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Re: By skimming along the top of the atmosphere a proposed new style of a [#permalink] New post   28 Aug 2020, 08:36
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imSKR wrote:
Questio1:

I refer some posts. Many posts have mentioned that it is ambiguous in C and D , but I m not clear
“How earth can skim along the top of atmosphere?” so is n’t it refer clearly to “proposed new style of aircraft”?

2.
because of its skimming along the top of the atmosphere = automatically skimming, here doer is not aircraft so it happened by itself
Vs By skimming along the top of the atmosphere = here doer is aircraft , so aaircraft does have some capability that It can skim ( not automatically skimming by itself)

If I thought logic, actually it is because of flow of air /environmental conditions that help aircraft to fly quickly ( as Aircraft takes less time in flights from west to east due to earth rotation . it is not because of aircraft own capability). So in view of above, should not because of or its skimming should be preferred?

Please clarify AndrewN AjiteshArun EMPOWERgmatVerbal

Hello, imSKR. You seem to be falling into philosophical musings with question 2. The GMAT™ is not concerned with how aircraft operate, just with how to present information in a sentence in a way that can be tested. Yes, by skimming indicates that the aircraft is the doer of the action, but I do not need to read a scientific discourse to understand that the aircraft is merely skimming, that other factors are at work that enable the craft to be airborne. We need not introduce any new information to qualify a blanket statement about an action the aircraft performs. (I mean, we could even extend our considerations to the pilots that operate the aircraft, but do we really need to do so?)

As for the first question, the earth cannot skim along the top of its own atmosphere, but that does not mean that the grammar of the sentence does not suggest it. Dangling participles operate in a similar fashion. Sure, I could say, Powered by a Core processor, I like the computer. We would understand that I was referring to a computer. But the grammatical structure of the sentence suggests that I am powered by a processor, and that is nonsensical, unless I am an android.

Keep your approach to questions simple. As much as possible, try not to read into them, try not to conjure up real-life considerations. Just stick to the words on the screen and focus on the clear and concise expression of vital meaning. You want to grow adept at tackling questions for the exam, after all. You are not prepping for Jeopardy!

- Andrew
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Re: By skimming along the top of the atmosphere a proposed new style of a [#permalink] New post   16 Sep 2020, 16:18
(A) By skimming along the top of the atmosphere, a proposed new style of aircraft could fly between most points on Earth in under two hours, according to its proponents.

My question is: whose proponent are we talking about- atmosphere? aircraft? or the earth?

Lets not apply "common sense" here since by applying that, all choices makes the same meaning.

PLEASE HELP.
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Re: By skimming along the top of the atmosphere a proposed new style of a [#permalink] New post   16 Sep 2020, 22:10
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RajdeepGM wrote:
(A) By skimming along the top of the atmosphere, a proposed new style of aircraft could fly between most points on Earth in under two hours, according to its proponents.

My question is: whose proponent are we talking about- atmosphere? aircraft? or the earth?

Lets not apply "common sense" here since by applying that, all choices makes the same meaning.

PLEASE HELP.

Hi RajdeepGM,

You already know the answer to your question "whose proponent are we talking about- atmosphere? aircraft? or the earth?", so I'm not going to get into that.

Pronoun ambiguity is something that we have to learn to live with (at least when there is no better option). You should consider changing your approach if you currently look at pronoun ambiguity as an absolute yes/no or right/wrong call.
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Re: By skimming along the top of the atmosphere a proposed new style of a [#permalink] New post   21 Oct 2020, 08:33
Hello,
In A, the opening prepositional modifier is modifying "proposed new style" which is the subject of the clause right? but should it not modify aircraft directly? because it's the aircraft that is skimming.
In D, shouldn't the second "its" refer to same antecedent as first "its"? I had read somewhere that a particular pronoun should, if repeated, refer to same antecedent- Is this correct?
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Re: By skimming along the top of the atmosphere a proposed new style of a [#permalink] New post   21 Oct 2020, 09:53
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SDW2 wrote:
Hello,
In A, the opening prepositional modifier is modifying "proposed new style" which is the subject of the clause right? but should it not modify aircraft directly? because it's the aircraft that is skimming.

As you have noticed, that wording is not ideal. Really, "aircraft" itself should be the subject of the sentence, as in, possibly, "an aircraft of a proposed new style."

Quote:
In D, shouldn't the second "its" refer to same antecedent as first "its"? I had read somewhere that a particular pronoun should, if repeated, refer to same antecedent- Is this correct?

If you look closely, in both instances, "its" refers to the same antecedent, "proposed new style of aircraft."

That said, there are cases in which one pronoun used multiple times in a single sentence can refer to a different areferent each time it is used. So, don't be too rigid with that idea.
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Re: By skimming along the top of the atmosphere a proposed new style of a [#permalink]
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