kinjiGC wrote:
Due to the slow-moving nature of tectonic plate movement, the oldest ocean crust is thought to date from the Jurassic period, formed from huge fragments of the Earth's lithosphere and lasted 200 million years.
A. formed from huge fragments of the Earth's lithosphere and lasted 200 million years.
B. forming from huge fragments of the Earth’s lithosphere and lasting 200 million years.
C. forming from huge fragments of the Earth’s lithosphere and lasted 200 million years.
D. formed from huge fragments of the Earth’s lithosphere and lasting 200 million years.
E. formed from huge fragments of the Earth’s lithosphere and has been lasting 200 million years.
"formed" can be either Verb-ed modifier or a verb form.
Now "formed" cannot be verb-er modifier as verb-ed modifier should be placed next to the noun it modifies. So "formed" can only modify "Jurassic period" which is not correct.
So formed can be a verb form where
1) is thought to date from the Jurassic period
2) formed from huge fragments of the Earth's lithosphere
3) and lasted 200 million years
Forms a list.
Now
the oldest ocean crust is formed from huge fragments of the Earth's lithosphere. "is" cannot be an auxiliary verb as the sentence requires was.
Can somebody clarify?
Hi kinjiGC,
D is indeed the credited answer.
Let me draw your attention to a particular exception to the modifier-touch rule
Source: MGMAT SC 5th edition pg. 239 (Rule No.2): RULE: A very short predicate falls between, shifting a very long modifier back.
Right: A new CEO has been hired who will transform the company bv decentralizing
authority to various division heads while increasing their accountability
through the use of public scorecards.
The alternative construction is confusing, because the modifier is extremely lengthy:
Awkward: A new CEO who will transform the company by decentralizing authority
to various division heads while increasing their accountability through the
use of public scorecards has been hired.In essence, in the sentence under question, ‘formed’ very clearly and logically modifies the ‘ocean crust’ and not Jurassic Period. As per the rule, the non-underlined portion ‘is thought to date from the Jurassic period’ is the short predicate which falls in between, shifting the long modifier phrase ‘formed from huge fragments of the Earth’s lithosphere and lasting 200 million years’ from ‘ocean crust’, the noun it intends to modify.
The second split is to be able to recognize how to select ‘formed v/s forming’ and ‘lasted v/s lasting’. Note, that this is a meaning issue that needs to be dealt with carefully. The ‘ocean crust’ is acted upon by the huge fragments and hence is the receiver of the action ‘to form’ performed by the ‘huge fragments’. Any sentence which conveys a meaning where X is acted upon by Y (X is the receiver of the action being performed by Y), the sentence adopts the passive voice to take the form
X action verb-ED (by/from) Y. Vice-versa, when X itself is performing the action, then the sentence would use the verb in the present participle form….
X action verb-ING This means that the ocean crust has been form-ED from fragments… and is (itself) last-ING a certain period
Hope this helps clear your doubts….