Cold plate-glass windows, towering urban buildings where everyone live

towered buildings in which is preferred rather than towered buildings where

Why is ''in which'' not correct?
thanks for helping

Hello, DoCapalbo. I think you may be getting caught up on the wrong split. Both where, in reference to a place, and its more formal analogue in which are perfectly acceptable in the context of the sentence. Speaking of this sentence, though, the language is way too florid or poetic to appear as such on the GMAT™. I would not worry too much about it. Looking at each of the answers, though, I would identify the key splits as the following:

1. towering versus towered urban buildings—The correct description of urban buildings, perhaps skyscrapers, is towering. Towered seems more fitting of some sort of item stacking: The towered cards fell over as soon as one of the lower layers gave out.

This first key split allows you to focus on (A) and (C), both of which contain the where in question (so you do not need to worry about it).

2. is versus are in the main clause—The subject of that clause is the singular fabric, not the plural objects of the preposition of (i.e. cities and landscapes).

With both of these considerations in mind, only (A), the original sentence, can be correct.

I hope that helps. Not every split in an underlined portion proves to be decisive. With practice, you will get a feel for which ones are more crucial than others. (For starters, subject-verb agreement is a big deal, while idioms are a lesser concern.)

Good luck with your studies.

- Andrew

Hi AndrewN, how were you able to figure out that Towered seems like stacking but Towering does not seem to refer to some continuous activity of towering but rather Towering is acting as a modifier? Can you please help me understand? TIA

Good question, ayushgmatclub1. I think my response has more to do with modern American English than with any specific rule. A person might point to a skyscraper and describe it as towering, but not towered. If I consult my typical sources for a deeper look into such usage, though, I do come across some interesting findings. The following sentence, for example, is listed under "towered" in the Cambridge Dictionary (one of my favorite resources):


I would still say it is safer to describe an actual building, not a drawing of one, as towering, but I cannot argue with my resource. Perhaps it is these sorts of issues with self-created or third-party questions that convince me to stick with official material for Verbal practice, and why I recommend the same for others.

Thank you for following up, and good luck with your studies.

- Andrew

Between A and B, I don't think the issue is towering vs towered. In B we have 'where everyone live' and since everyone is singular it should be where everyone lives which is correct in A