GDT wrote:
MentorTutoringCan you pls provide a better explanation for option A?
Though I selected E as the answer, I do agree that the use of plural patents is not correct.
In A in the non-underlined portion we are given "but petitioners in a Supreme Court case are contesting
it on the grounds that a company cannot copyright nature."
"it" should logically refer to the patent for the compound and not the company, but in the underlined portion "it" and "its" is referring to the company
This made me doubt A as the answer choice as the same pronoun is referring to different antecedents
Thanks in advance!
Hello again,
GDT, and thank you for tagging me. I narrowed the choices down to (A) or (E), and of the two, the former is harder to argue against, in terms of meaning. Compare the differences across the full sentence:
thelosthippie wrote:
(A)Having extracted the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes from human DNA to isolate them as a research subject, Myriad Genetics feels it is entitled to its patent on the new DNA compound, but petitioners in a Supreme Court case are contesting it on the grounds that a company cannot copyright nature.
(E) Having extracted the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes from human DNA to isolate them as research subjects, Myriad Genetics now feels entitled to its patents on the new DNA compound, but petitioners in a Supreme Court case are contesting it on the grounds that a company cannot copyright nature.
Split #1:
A research subject versus
research subjectsAnalysis--Although I
prefer the latter to agree with the plural
genes, the nature of the research is not clear to me from the sentence. It could be that the research is centered exclusively on how the two genes interact in one series of experiments, thereby justifying a singular
subject; it could also be true that each gene was isolated for independent study across different types of experiments, in which case I would argue for the plural
subjects. Since
research is an umbrella term, kind of like
merchandise, which could refer to a good or multiple goods, I cannot make any headway here. This is a draw, in my book. Count: (A) = 0.5, (E) = 0.5.
Split #2:
feels versus
now feelsAnalysis--Why do we need
now? This seemed superfluous to me as soon as I read it. Does
now indicate that Myriad Genetics did
not feel entitled before? My vote is for (A). Count: (A) = 1.5, (E) = 0.5.
Split #3:
it is entitled versus
entitledAnalysis--I generally favor fewer words, since the GMAT™ prefers the same, when it comes to conveying the vital meaning of the sentence. Is it okay to say that Myriad Genetics feels entitled, as opposed to saying that Myriad Genetics feels
it is entitled? Although four out of five answer choices opt for the extra words, I cannot convince myself that the more concise version is wrong. Both answer choices have a company
feeling something. I prefer (E). Count: (A) = 1.5, (E) = 1.5.
Split #4:
patent versus
patentsAnalysis--It all comes down to this one to break the deadlock. The fact of the matter is that we cannot negotiate with
petitioners... are contesting it in the non-underlined part of the sentence. So to what does this
it refer? I would expect the petitioners to dispute a decision. If you argue for
patent, then you have to go with (A). But there is another interpretation. You could argue that petitioners were contesting the company instead, Myriad Genetics. The non-underlined portion could then be interpreted to read,
but petitioners in a Supreme Court case are contesting Myriad Genetics on the grounds that a company cannot copyright nature.Not to be overlooked here is
a company. Sometimes a pronoun can occur in a sentence ahead of its own referent, although it is more typical to do so in an introductory phrase or clause. Furthermore, to contest a person or some other noun is fine, even if people do not exactly walk around saying, "Tyson Fury wants to contest Deontay Wilder in a third bout." Finally, how can we prove conclusively that Myriad Genetics took out either one patent or multiple patents, other than to point at this singular instance of
it at the end of the sentence? If I wanted to play it safe, I would go with (A), but I cannot disprove the latter interpretation I have outlined above. Count: (A) = 2.0, (E) = 2.0.
There you have it. I think either (A) or (E) is justifiable on grammatical or semantic grounds. An extra
now in (E) is not enough for me to see the answer choice off. When in doubt, I stress a cautious approach, so (A) is the better of the two answers in my view, the harder answer to argue against, but I am not going to tell anyone that (E) is wrong for the reason stated in the OE.
Just my two cents. I hope you find them worth the read.
- Andrew
_________________
I am no longer contributing to GMAT Club. Please request an active Expert or a peer review if you have questions.