Foraging at all times of the day and night, but interspersing their

Question

Foraging at all times of the day and night, but interspersing their feeding with periods of rest that last  between one and eight hours, a sperm whale could eat so  much as a ton of squid a day.

(A) between one and eight hours, a sperm whale could eat so 
(B) between one and eight hours, sperm whales can eat as 
(C) between one to eight hours, sperm whales could eat as
(D) from one to eight hours, sperm whales could eat so 
(E) from one to eight hours, a sperm whale can eat so

Foraging  
 
 (A) Pronoun ( a sperm whale ); Idiom ( so much as )

(B) CORRECT

(C) Parallelism ( between X to Y )

(D) Idiom ( so much as )

(E) Pronoun ( a sperm whale ); Idiom ( so much as )

First glance

The answers begin with either  between  or  from , indicating possible Parallelism or Idiom issues (since between signals the parallelism marker  Between X and Y ).

Issues

(1) Pronoun:  a sperm whale

The original sentence correctly uses the parallelism marker  Between X and Y , so look for something else to start. Before the underline, the sentence refers to  their feeding . What noun goes with this plural pronoun?

Logically, the sperm whales are feeding, but the original sentence uses the singular  whale . A plural pronoun can’t refer to a singular noun. Eliminate answers (A) and (E) for this error.

(2) Idiom:  so much as

Some choices say  so much as  but others say  as much as . Are both okay?

There are circumstances in which you can use  so much as  in a sentence (for example, I have not studied  so much as  one problem today). In this sentence, however, the  so / as much as  language is intended to convey the upper limit of something: Sperm whales are capable of eating  up to  a ton of squid a day. If this is the intended meaning, use  as much as . Eliminate answers (A), (D), and (E) for this error.

(3) Parallelism:  between X to Y

Proper parallelism markers include  between X and Y  or  from X to Y .  Between X to Y  is not a proper construction. Eliminate choice (C).

The Correct Answer

Correct answer (B) uses a proper parallelism marker,  between X and Y  and correctly uses the plural noun  whales  to match the plural pronoun  their . Finally, it employs the idiom  as much as  to indicate the upper limit of the amount that sperm whales can eat in a day.

daagh · Accepted Answer

Between –and / from-to are not such hair - splitting jargons; after all they mean the same thing almost. It is pointless to delve on that , since there are other clearly visible POEs in D and E. D says, 'could eat so much as' , while 'can eat as much as' is the correct expression. 'So much as' is used more in negative expressions as in: He doesn’t drink so much as his wife does. Note the negative connotation ‘doesn’t’. We would not write here, 'he doesn’t drink as much as his wife does'. In addition, 'could' is a problem vis-a-vis ‘can' in this context as can correctly indicates the whales' capacity, whether they do it or not. 
E is a downright subject-pronoun mismatch as in A. Therefore, B is the royal answer without hassle

EMPOWERgmatVerbal · Answer

Hello Everyone!

Let's tackle this question, one issue at a time, and find the correct choice as quickly as possible! This is a pretty straightforward question that focuses mainly on  idioms  and  pronoun-antecedent agreement , so let's start by doing a quick scan over the options, and highlight the major differences in orange:

Foraging at all times of the day and night, but interspersing their feeding with periods of rest that last  between one and eight hours, a sperm whale could eat so  much as a ton of squid a day.

(A)  between  one and eight hours,  a sperm whale  could eat  so  
(B)  between  one and eight hours,  sperm whales  can eat  as  
(C)  between  one to eight hours,  sperm whales  could eat  as 
(D)  from  one to eight hours,  sperm whales  could eat  so  
(E)  from  one to eight hours,  a sperm whale  can eat  so

After a quick glance over the options, we have a few things we can focus on:

1. between vs. from ( idioms )
2. a sperm whale vs. sperm whales ( pronoun-antecedent agreement )
3. so much as vs. as much as ( idioms )

Let's take a look at #2 on our list first, since it deals with pronoun-antecedent agreement.  If we look at the original sentence, we see that there is a pronoun that's not underlined:

Foraging at all times of the day and night, but interspersing   their   feeding with periods of rest that last between one and eight hours, a sperm whale could eat so much as a ton of squid a day.

This pronoun MUST match in number to its antecedent. It's a plural pronoun, so it should have a plural antecedent. Let's see how the options handle this:

(A) between one and eight hours,  a sperm whale  could eat so 
(B) between one and eight hours,  sperm whales  can eat as 
(C) between one to eight hours,  sperm whales  could eat as
(D) from one to eight hours,  sperm whales  could eat so 
(E) from one to eight hours,  a sperm whale  can eat so

We can eliminate options A & E because they use a plural pronoun to refer to a singular antecedent, which doesn't agree!

Now that we've eliminated a couple options, let's deal with #1 & #3 on the list: idioms. There are two we need to focus on, so let's dive in!

(B)  between  one  and  eight hours, sperm whales can eat  as

This is  CORRECT ! It uses the following idioms correctly:

between X and Y
X can eat as much as Y

(C)  between  one  to  eight hours, sperm whales could eat  as

This is  INCORRECT  because the phrase "between X to Y" is NOT the correct way to phrase that idiom. It should be "between X and Y."

(D)  from  one to eight hours, sperm whales could eat  so

This is  INCORRECT  because the phrase "from X to Y" isn't the right idiom to use here, and it's also not idiomatically correct to say "X can eat so much as Y."

There you have it - option B is the correct choice!  Its pronoun and antecedent agree in number, and it uses the correct idiom structures throughout.

Don't study for the GMAT. Train for it.

Abhishek009 · Answer

Foraging at all times of the day and night, but interspersing their feeding with periods of rest that last between one and eight hours, a sperm whale could eat so much as a ton of squid a day.

(A) between one and eight hours, a sperm whale could eat so
(B) between one and eight hours, sperm whales can eat as
(C) between one to eight hours, sperm whales could eat as
(D) from one to eight hours, sperm whales could eat so
(E) from one to eight hours, a sperm whale can eat so

ExpertsGlobal5 · Answer

Dear Friends,

Here is a detailed explanation to this question-

Concepts tested here: Pronouns + Tenses + Idioms

• "as much as" is the correct, idiomatic construction.
• “between A and B” is the correct idiomatic construction; A and B must be comparable and parallel.
• Statements of universal fact are best conveyed through the simple present tense. 
• The simple past tense is used to refer to actions that concluded in the past.

A:  The sentence formed by this answer choice incorrectly uses the plural pronoun "their" to refer to the singular noun "a sperm whale". Further, Option A incorrectly uses the unidiomatic construction "so much as"; please remember, "as much as" is the correct, idiomatic construction.

B:   Correct.  This answer choice correctly uses the simple present tense verb "can eat" to refer to a statement of universal fact. Further, the sentence formed by Option B correctly uses the plural pronoun "their" to refer to the plural noun "sperm whales". Additionally, Option B correctly uses the idiomatic constructions "between A and B" and "as much as".

C:  This answer choice incorrectly uses the simple past tense verb "could eat" to refer to a statement of universal fact; please remember, statements of universal fact are best conveyed through the simple present tense, and the simple past tense is used to refer to actions that concluded in the past. Further, Option C incorrectly uses the unidiomatic construction "between A to B"; please remember, “between A and B” is the correct idiomatic construction; A and B must be comparable and parallel.

D:  This answer choice incorrectly uses the simple past tense verb "could eat" to refer to a statement of universal fact; please remember, statements of universal fact are best conveyed through the simple present tense, and the simple past tense is used to refer to actions that concluded in the past.

E:  The sentence formed by this answer choice incorrectly uses the plural pronoun "their" to refer to the singular noun "a sperm whale". Further, Option A incorrectly uses the unidiomatic construction "so much as"; please remember, "as much as" is the correct, idiomatic construction.

Hence, B is the best answer choice.

To understand the concept of "Simple Tenses" on GMAT, you may want to watch the following video (~1 minute):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZj-SubJwsM

All the best!
Experts' Global Team

varundixitmro2512 · Answer

IMO B

D and E straight eliminated since from one to eight does not convey the intended meaning.
Intended meaning is that the period of rest can be between one hour to eight( not complete eight hour as conveyed by "from").

A & C are are out as "could" does not convey fact, it conveys possibility.

So there should be "can" instead of "could".

thangvietname · Answer

why c is wrong?
because could is used for past time.

we need to show a timeless action here, so , can is used

pls, help explain

varundixitmro2512 · Answer

Brother if you read closely, you will see that this sentence express a fact. Something that is true in current event. Therefore we have to use "can".

If intend of the sentence was to show any possibility i.e something expected to happened under some circumstances then "could" would be the right choice.

atptennis15 · Answer

Foraging at all times of the day and night, but interspersing    their   feeding with periods of rest that last between one and eight hours,   sperm whales   can eat   as much as  a ton of squid a day.

Can we use From and Between split too ? 
Between A and B or From X to Y ?

sayantanc2k · Answer

No, this split cannot be used to eliminate options. Both idioms are correct.

ravi19012015 · Answer

Hello experts, 
Is my understanding correct?

We use Could in order to show a Future act in the Past with reference to some other activity in the past. As there is no such Past activity in this sentence, Could is wrong, therefore we need to show the sentence as A Fact.

sayantanc2k · Answer

"Could" is the simple past tense of "can". Using past tense would imply that the whales could eat before (but may be now they can't). However this is a Universal truth and hence must be expressed in simple present.

(There is no need for reference to another verb in past - probably you mixed up "would" and "could".)

Businessconquerer · Answer

THEIR refer to a plural thing, that we got in the form of sperm whales

as much as is the idiomatic usage

between X and Y; not BETWEEN X to Y

if possible....... someone clear up te difference between "between" and "from"

legendinthewomb · Answer

Why is B right when it uses between x and y hours? 
Shouldn't the right idiom for a range be x to y?

One and 8 hours mean that the whales rest for either 1 or 8 hours and not for, let's say, 4 hours.

I eliminated B for this reason.

Posted from my mobile device

EMPOWERgmatVerbal · Answer

Hello  legendinthewomb !

Great question! This has to do with idioms. There are only 2 acceptable ways to write this particular idiom:

from X to Y
between X and Y

Option C is the only one that gets this wrong (between X to Y is not a correct idiom option).

I hope this helps clear things up! Make sure to tag me at  EMPOWERgmatVerbal  if you have any other questions, and I'll be glad to help!

CrackverbalGMAT · Answer

Foraging at all times of the day and night, but interspersing their feeding with periods of rest that last between one and eight hours, a sperm whale could eat so much as a ton of squid a day.

(A) between one and eight hours, a sperm whale could eat so 
(B) between one and eight hours, sperm whales can eat as 
(C) between one to eight hours, sperm whales could eat as
(D) from one to eight hours, sperm whales could eat so 
(E) from one to eight hours, a sperm whale can eat so

The non-underlined part says “ their  feeding”- This tells us that the subject should be plural.  Eliminate A and E.

From X to Y distorts the meaning of the sentence. The sentence says- "periods of rest that could last anywhere between one and eight hours".  Eliminate D and E. 
 
“Between X and Y” is the correct idiom.  Eliminate C.

Option B is correct -

Foraging at all times of the day and night, but interspersing their feeding with periods of rest that last between one and eight hours, sperm whales can eat as much as a ton of squid a day.

Vishnupriya
GMAT SME

sahayrohit · Answer

Foraging at all times of the day and night, but interspersing  their  feeding with periods of rest that last between one and eight hours, a sperm whale could eat so much as a ton of squid a day.

Their will look for a plural - so A and E out as they have  a sperm whale 
 can  talks about present possibility while  could  talks about past possibility, The whole sentence is in present tense, so C and D out

Correct ans is B

woohoo921 · Answer

For Choice D, can an expert further explain why "from x to y" is incorrect? I have heard "from" used along the lines of "the party will last anywhere from 2 to 3 hours". So, why would this use be unidiomatic in this case?

I realize that this is briefly touched upon in the discussion on this question, but any further clarification on when it would be more appropriate to use "from x to y" vs "between x and y" would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!

sourabhgx · Answer

ExpertsGlobal5 
 between 1 and 8 hours means - period of rest can range from 1 to 8 hrs. Is my understanding correct?

ExpertsGlobal5 · Answer

Hello  sourabhgx ,

We hope this finds you well.

To answer your query, yes; your understanding of this phrase is correct.

Kudos.

We hope this helps.
All the best!
Experts' Global Team

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