jabhatta2
GMATNinja
sweetlyimproved
GMATNinja Thanks for your amazing explanations.
Can you please elaborate on why the use of "which" isn't wrong on option E? How can we generalize this touch-rule exception?
Another example would be that question:
https://gmatclub.com/forum/the-use-of-l ... 83581.html Thanks!
Apologies for my slowness on this one!
Here's a simple way to think about the issue: "which" is fine if it 1) describes a noun or noun phrase; and 2) is reasonably close to this noun. That's it. There is no such thing as a touch rule. It's true that "which" will
often touch what it modifies, as, ideally, we'd like for our modifiers to be as close as possible to whatever they describe, and you can't get any closer than touching. But a tendency is not a rule, and we certainly don't have to memorize exceptions to a rule that doesn't actually exist.
Now take another look at (E):
Quote:
Gusty westerly winds will continue to usher a seasonably cool air mass into the region while a broad area of high pressure builds, which will bring fair and dry weather for several days.
Here, the only noun phrase that's reasonably close to "which" is "a broad area of high pressure." Does it make sense for a broad area of high pressure to bring fair and dry weather? If I'm being honest, I'm not sure. (My knowledge of meteorology is limited to the smiley-faced clouds a TV weatherman slides around his map.)
Hi
GMATNinja - In E), how are you so sure what the
"Which" is modifying ? I keep reading
"Which" is modifying the noun phrase
"a broad area of high pressure "When I read E), i thought the "Which" was perhaps talking about
High Pressure or
Broad area specifically (not the entire Noun Phrase)
How can you be so sure, the "Which" is
NOT talking about
High Pressure specifically or a
Broad area specifically ?
The clause "I'm not sure" appears in the line just before your question!

Dealing with the discomfort of uncertainty is part of the game when it comes to SC. Rather than attempting to understand any confusing aspect of a sentence with 100% certainty, you want to ask yourself if there's a reasonable interpretation available. If there is, don't treat whatever you're evaluating as a definitive error. Take another example:
Tim's map of America, which is dotted with frowny faces and tiny sketches of crying children, depresses him.
If you wanted to evaluate "which" here, the first thing you'd ask yourself is whether there's a noun or noun phrase it could be logically describing. Does it make sense to say that
America is dotted with frowny faces and sketches of crying children? Probably not. Seems far more logical to say that it's the map that's covered in the aforementioned doodles. (And the question of whether "which" is describing the "map" or the "map of America" is an irrelevant one. "Of America" is simply describing the map in question, so the two interpretations are identical.)
Do I know that for
sure that my interpretation is right? Nope. I suppose America could be covered in sad faces. But my understanding seems reasonable, so if I saw this is as an option on the test, I'm not getting rid of it on this basis.
In this case, if you read (E) and thought it might make sense for the "pressure" to bring the fair and dry weather, rather than the "broad area of pressure" you'd still hold on to the answer choice and search for other, more concrete errors.
The takeaway: you don't have to have certainty to get to the right answer! The point of the post is that if you're unsure about an issue, you'd prefer
not to use it as a decision point! So don't agonize over the uncertainty. Rely on the issues you know are wrong first; revisit the confusing element only if you have to.
I hope that helps!