arrowsup wrote:
I need help understanding the prepositional phrase in choice D - "down from nearly three-quarters a decade ago" - what is this modifying "a little less than half the population of the state"?
In general if you have a [clause] + [participle phrase] + [prepositional] what does the prepositional phrase modify?
Trying to come up with a general rule that fits this pattern is a bad idea, unfortunately. Every sentence is different, and you'll want to think carefully about the unique context in each case.
And rather than trying to pin down what, exactly, is being modified in (D), you're better off making sure you understand the meaning:
- We know that non-Hispanic Whites account for a little less than half the population of the state.
- It turns out they they used to account for nearly three-quarters of the state's population.
- So it's pretty clear that their share (percentage) of the state's total population is what's gone down.
- If that meaning makes sense to you, you don't need to drive yourself crazy figuring out what exactly is being modified by the prepositional phrase -- this isn't a grammar test, and the GMAT won't ask you something like that!
With that disclaimer in mind, check out this simplified version of choice (D):
Quote:
(D) amounting to a little less than half the population of the state, down from nearly three-quarters a decade ago
Sure, the prepositional phrase ("down from nearly three-quarters a decade ago") seems to be modifying the noun phrase ("a little less than half the population of the state"). But again, how you label the sentence doesn't really matter as long as you understand the meaning: non-Hispanic Whites'
share of the state's total population is down, and that's all we really need to care about.
I hope that helps!
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