Chinese companies can offset their carbon emissions by buying credits

Seems like posted OA E is wrong..Either it should be A or C

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vishumangal wrote:

Seems like posted OA E is wrong..Either it should be A or C

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baru wrote:

Chinese companies can offset their carbon emissions by buying credits in bamboo plantations, releasing lots of oxygen into the air, swallowing four times as much carbon as some trees

A . plantations, releasing lots of oxygen into the air, swallowing
A comma verb-ing modifier modifies the entire preceding clause. Chinese companies can't be offsetting emissions by releasing oxygen into the air; it's the bamboo plants that do that. Also the meaning of the last to verb-ing modifiers are wrong.

B . plantations releasing into the air lots of oxygen swallowing
A verb-ing modifier not preceded by a comma modifies the noun immediately preceding it. In this case, it's the bamboo plants release of oxygen that swallows carbon, not the oxygen itself.

C . plantations, releasing into the air lots of oxygen and swallowing
Same problem as A.

D . plantations releasing into the air lots of oxygen by swallowing
Doesn't make sense. The plantations release air by swallow CO2? No.

E .plantations that by releasing lots of oxygen into the air swallow
Clears up the meaning.
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Let’s first understand the two important cases when it comes to Verb+ing modifiers.'

a) When the verb+ing modifier comes after a comma, it describes the clause that comes before the comma. Essentially, it means that the –ing phrase modifies a subject/clause that came much earlier in the sentence.

For example: Sam kicked the rat, killing it instantly.

b) When the verb+ing modifier comes without a comma, it describes/modifies a noun or a noun phrase that is closest to it.

For example: Sam killed the snake crawling around the tree.

With this in mind, let’s look at the options.

A - Chinese companies can offset their carbon emissions by buying credits in bamboo plantations, releasing lots of oxygen into the air, swallowing four times as much carbon as some trees

Seems to be that the companies can offset emissions by 1) buying… 2) releasing… 3) swallowing…
The Chinese can buy plantations but they cannot release oxygen nor can they swallow carbon. Eliminate. The phrases here are modifying incorrectly. Eliminate.

B - Chinese companies can offset their carbon emissions by buying credits in bamboo plantations releasing into air lots of oxygen swallowing four times as much carbon as some trees

Applying the second principle to ‘swallowing’, we realize that it seems to qualify ‘oxygen’ which is incorrect. Eliminate.

C - Chinese companies can offset their carbon emissions by buying credits in bamboo plantations, releasing into the air lots of oxygen and swallowing four times as much carbon as some trees

Here ‘releasing’ describes the entire clause, which from Option A we know is incorrect. The use of ‘and’ here does not help. Why? Because this sentence suggests that Chinese companies offset emissions by buying… releasing… and swallowing…. Eliminate.

D – Chinese companies can offset their carbon emissions by buying credits in bamboo plantations releasing into the air lots of oxygen by swallowing four times as much carbon as some trees

What is the meaning of the sentence here? We know that ‘releasing’ modifies ‘plantations’. Then this option says that plantations release into the air by swallowing—this can’t be right. Eliminate.

E – Chinese companies can offset their carbon emissions by buying credits in bamboo plantations that by releasing lots of oxygen into the air swallow four times as much carbon as some trees

This is by far the closest we have come to the intent of the sentence. The Chinese can offset emissions by buying bamboo plantations that (correctly refers to plantations) by releasing oxygen swallow carbon. This is the right answer.

anothermillenial in (E), how can plantations swallow four times as much carbon as some trees by releasing lots of oxygen into the air. I believe the meaning conveyed in (E) is incorrect.
(A), on the contrary, seems like a better choice as it says 'Chinese companies can offset their carbon emissions by buying credits in bamboo plantations, (which- referring to the bamboo plantations release) releasing lots of oxygen into the air, (which swallow, again referring to the bamboo plantations) swallowing four times as much carbon as some trees.

A doubt- does a verb-ing form always modify an entire clause preceding it or can it also modify just the noun preceding it?

GMATNinja
The answer is E, but I am not really convinced with the solutions given till now. I strongly feel D should be the correct answer.

The bamboo plantation swallow carbon (cause) and then release oxygen (effect). Option E states the opposite.
Also, you can not decrease the amount of carbon by releasing lots of oxygen. You can decrease the percentage of carbon by releasing lots of oxygen.

Show us the way, sensei !

CrackVerbalGMAT Can you please clarify option D.
As per photosynthesis, CO2 or here carbon is first absorbed and then oxygen is released. If you do not first absorb, then how can you release?

But as per option E, releasing oxygen into the air results in swallowing carbon. What does releasing oxygen into the air then have to do with swallowing carbon?

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