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Herman Pontzer did the first ever comparative measurements 27 Jun 2015, 01:29
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Herman Pontzer did the first ever comparative measurements of the bone structure of variety of African apes, which showed that human bone structure is essentially same as that of ape’s, having the exception of human pelvis that in becoming shorter, broader, and more bowl shaped supported erect posture and efficient bipedal locomotion.

a.which showed that human bone structure is essentially same as that of ape’s, having the exception of human pelvis that in becoming shorter, broader, and more bowl shaped supported

b.which showing that human bone structure is essentially same as ape, showed the exception of human pelvis that became shorter, broader, and more bowl shaped, supporting

c.which showed that human bone structure is essentially same as that of ape, with the exception of human pelvis that has become shorter, broader, and more bowl shaped to support

d.a study showing that human bone structure is essentially same as that of ape, and it had an exceptional human pelvis that became shorter, broader, and more bowl shaped, supporting

e.a study that showed that human bone structure is essentially same as ape’s, the only exception being the human pelvis that became shorter, broader, and more bowl shaped and supported


hello,

the above is a question posted on a forum and source is said to be egmat..
my doubts are the following ..

1) is 'which' better here or 'a study that showed'....
for the examples quoted by 'e-gmat' in a blog to justify use of which to modify something faraway .. the noun preceding 'which' is a proper noun and a name of a person, so 'which' correctly refers back to what it is intended to..

a)Emily Dickinson’s letters to Susan Huntington Dickinson, which were written over a period beginning a few years before Susan’s marriage to Emily’s brother and ending shortly before Emily’s death in 1886, outnumber her letters to anyone else. (OG 13#29, Choice E)

b)Although she had been known as an effective legislator first in the Texas Senate and later in the United States House of Representatives, Barbara Jordan did not become a nationally recognized figure until 1974, when she participated in the hearings on the impeachment of President Richard Nixon, which were televised nationwide. (GMAT Prep, Choice B)

But is it so here .. NO.. which can refer to an animal, an ape in this case

2) 'with the exception of human pelvis that has become shorter, broader, and more bowl shaped to support"...
It is not the human pelvis that has become shorter, broader..., it is the pelvis that has become shorter... in humans..
it means that human pelvis has become shorter over a period of time , but i am sure the comparison is with that of ape...
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Herman Pontzer did the first ever comparative measurements 05 Jan 2016, 02:14
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Hi Egmat,
Its been six months since a query related to your institute has been asked. Would be grateful if it can be answered either way, with a solution or as a mistake..
Regards
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Herman Pontzer did the first ever comparative measurements 23 May 2017, 16:18
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Is there any update on this? Please let me know if similar topics were discussed elsewhere. Tia
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Herman Pontzer did the first ever comparative measurements 11 Jul 2017, 15:17
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Can a verbal expert please discuss this.
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Herman Pontzer did the first ever comparative measurements 30 Mar 2018, 22:01
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egmat,

Please provide detailed explanation on this one.

Thanks!
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Herman Pontzer did the first ever comparative measurements 27 May 2018, 02:51
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GMATNinja, @e-gmat,

Can you please why option D is incorrect?

Thanks!
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Herman Pontzer did the first ever comparative measurements 08 Jul 2018, 06:33
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Meaning of sentence
Herman Pontzer did comparative measurements of the bone structure of variety of African Apes.
The measurement showed that human bone structure is essentially the same as that of African ape.
But there was an exception. The human pelvis became shorter, broader, and more bowl shaped.
Reason: To support erect posture and bipedal locomotion.

Error Analysis:
1. There is no Subject-Verb Error. All pairs are correct.
2. There is no pronoun and modifier issue.
3. There is comparison error in main sentence..human bone structure is essentially same as that of ape’s...this part of sentence says human bone structure is same as bone structure of ape's bone structure that is completely illogical. Intended comparison is between human bone structure and ape bone structure but this comparison is not correctly presented in sentence.
4. "having the exception" and "in becoming" are wordy.

There is no other error in sentence.

POE:

a.which showed that human bone structure is essentially same as that of ape’s, having the exception of human pelvis that in becoming shorter, broader, and more bowl shaped supported -- Incorrect-As mentioned in error Analysis

b.which showing that human bone structure is essentially same as ape, showed the exception of human pelvis that became shorter, broader, and more bowl shaped, supporting--

Illogical comparison. Human Bone Structure is compared with Ape.
"which showing and showed the exception of" are awkward.

c.which showed that human bone structure is essentially same as that of ape, with the exception of human pelvis that has become shorter, broader, and more bowl shaped to support

Correct Comparison.
Human Bone Structure is compared with Bone Structure of Ape.
"With the exception" is correct idiom
The relative pronoun "WHICH" logically and grammatically refers to measurement because these measurements only showed the bone structure of both the living objects. Because of difference in measurements, the sentence presents intended comparison. All the preceding nouns till "measurements" actually suggest illogical meaning.

d.a study showing that human bone structure is essentially same as that of ape, and it had an exceptional human pelvis that became shorter, broader, and more bowl shaped, supporting

"IT had an exceptional human pelvis" --What had human pelvis ?
Exceptional means extra ordinary. It is very different than saying that exception. This choice changes meaning of sentence and hence incorrect.

e.a study that showed that human bone structure is essentially same as ape’s, the only exception being the human pelvis that became shorter, broader, and more bowl shaped and supported

Observe the list created here. Unintended parallel list changes the meaning of sentence and hence it is incorrect.

I learnt above strategy from egmat so whole credit goes to "EGMAT" :)
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Herman Pontzer did the first ever comparative measurements 08 Jul 2018, 06:34
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chetan2u
Herman Pontzer did the first ever comparative measurements of the bone structure of variety of African apes, which showed that human bone structure is essentially same as that of ape’s, having the exception of human pelvis that in becoming shorter, broader, and more bowl shaped supported erect posture and efficient bipedal locomotion.

a.which showed that human bone structure is essentially same as that of ape’s, having the exception of human pelvis that in becoming shorter, broader, and more bowl shaped supported

b.which showing that human bone structure is essentially same as ape, showed the exception of human pelvis that became shorter, broader, and more bowl shaped, supporting

c.which showed that human bone structure is essentially same as that of ape, with the exception of human pelvis that has become shorter, broader, and more bowl shaped to support

d.a study showing that human bone structure is essentially same as that of ape, and it had an exceptional human pelvis that became shorter, broader, and more bowl shaped, supporting

e.a study that showed that human bone structure is essentially same as ape’s, the only exception being the human pelvis that became shorter, broader, and more bowl shaped and supported


hello,

the above is a question posted on a forum and source is said to be egmat..
my doubts are the following ..

1) is 'which' better here or 'a study that showed'....
for the examples quoted by 'e-gmat' in a blog to justify use of which to modify something faraway .. the noun preceding 'which' is a proper noun and a name of a person, so 'which' correctly refers back to what it is intended to..

a)Emily Dickinson’s letters to Susan Huntington Dickinson, which were written over a period beginning a few years before Susan’s marriage to Emily’s brother and ending shortly before Emily’s death in 1886, outnumber her letters to anyone else. (OG 13#29, Choice E)

b)Although she had been known as an effective legislator first in the Texas Senate and later in the United States House of Representatives, Barbara Jordan did not become a nationally recognized figure until 1974, when she participated in the hearings on the impeachment of President Richard Nixon, which were televised nationwide. (GMAT Prep, Choice B)

But is it so here .. NO.. which can refer to an animal, an ape in this case

2) 'with the exception of human pelvis that has become shorter, broader, and more bowl shaped to support"...
It is not the human pelvis that has become shorter, broader..., it is the pelvis that has become shorter... in humans..
it means that human pelvis has become shorter over a period of time , but i am sure the comparison is with that of ape...
Show more

The relative pronoun "WHICH" logically and grammatically refers to measurement because these measurements only showed the bone structure of both the living objects. Because of difference in measurements, the sentence presents intended comparison. All the preceding nouns till "measurements" actually suggest illogical meaning.
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Herman Pontzer did the first ever comparative measurements 09 Sep 2018, 01:33
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ammuseeru
chetan2u
Herman Pontzer did the first ever comparative measurements of the bone structure of variety of African apes, which showed that human bone structure is essentially same as that of ape’s, having the exception of human pelvis that in becoming shorter, broader, and more bowl shaped supported erect posture and efficient bipedal locomotion.

a.which showed that human bone structure is essentially same as that of ape’s, having the exception of human pelvis that in becoming shorter, broader, and more bowl shaped supported

b.which showing that human bone structure is essentially same as ape, showed the exception of human pelvis that became shorter, broader, and more bowl shaped, supporting

c.which showed that human bone structure is essentially same as that of ape, with the exception of human pelvis that has become shorter, broader, and more bowl shaped to support

d.a study showing that human bone structure is essentially same as that of ape, and it had an exceptional human pelvis that became shorter, broader, and more bowl shaped, supporting

e.a study that showed that human bone structure is essentially same as ape’s, the only exception being the human pelvis that became shorter, broader, and more bowl shaped and supported


hello,

the above is a question posted on a forum and source is said to be egmat..
my doubts are the following ..

1) is 'which' better here or 'a study that showed'....
for the examples quoted by 'e-gmat' in a blog to justify use of which to modify something faraway .. the noun preceding 'which' is a proper noun and a name of a person, so 'which' correctly refers back to what it is intended to..

a)Emily Dickinson’s letters to Susan Huntington Dickinson, which were written over a period beginning a few years before Susan’s marriage to Emily’s brother and ending shortly before Emily’s death in 1886, outnumber her letters to anyone else. (OG 13#29, Choice E)

b)Although she had been known as an effective legislator first in the Texas Senate and later in the United States House of Representatives, Barbara Jordan did not become a nationally recognized figure until 1974, when she participated in the hearings on the impeachment of President Richard Nixon, which were televised nationwide. (GMAT Prep, Choice B)

But is it so here .. NO.. which can refer to an animal, an ape in this case

2) 'with the exception of human pelvis that has become shorter, broader, and more bowl shaped to support"...
It is not the human pelvis that has become shorter, broader..., it is the pelvis that has become shorter... in humans..
it means that human pelvis has become shorter over a period of time , but i am sure the comparison is with that of ape...

The relative pronoun "WHICH" logically and grammatically refers to measurement because these measurements only showed the bone structure of both the living objects. Because of difference in measurements, the sentence presents intended comparison. All the preceding nouns till "measurements" actually suggest illogical meaning.
Show more


The errors while using 'which' includes checking for illogical meaning.
If which can be used for a thing and in turn it conveys an illogical meaning, the error is all about it.
As per your explanation, use of which can never go wrong...
The book is lying on the table, which has 10 pages.
Table cannot have 10 pages, so it should refer back to book and should be correct.
BUT is it so? NO
So correct is : The book, which has 10 pages, is lying on the table.

So your view on illogical meaning is not correct.
And the institute itself has not replied on their own site or here means they feel it is wrong.
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Herman Pontzer did the first ever comparative measurements 02 Oct 2018, 22:58
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chetan2u
ammuseeru
chetan2u
Herman Pontzer did the first ever comparative measurements of the bone structure of variety of African apes, which showed that human bone structure is essentially same as that of ape’s, having the exception of human pelvis that in becoming shorter, broader, and more bowl shaped supported erect posture and efficient bipedal locomotion.

a.which showed that human bone structure is essentially same as that of ape’s, having the exception of human pelvis that in becoming shorter, broader, and more bowl shaped supported

b.which showing that human bone structure is essentially same as ape, showed the exception of human pelvis that became shorter, broader, and more bowl shaped, supporting

c.which showed that human bone structure is essentially same as that of ape, with the exception of human pelvis that has become shorter, broader, and more bowl shaped to support

d.a study showing that human bone structure is essentially same as that of ape, and it had an exceptional human pelvis that became shorter, broader, and more bowl shaped, supporting

e.a study that showed that human bone structure is essentially same as ape’s, the only exception being the human pelvis that became shorter, broader, and more bowl shaped and supported


hello,

the above is a question posted on a forum and source is said to be egmat..
my doubts are the following ..

1) is 'which' better here or 'a study that showed'....
for the examples quoted by 'e-gmat' in a blog to justify use of which to modify something faraway .. the noun preceding 'which' is a proper noun and a name of a person, so 'which' correctly refers back to what it is intended to..

a)Emily Dickinson’s letters to Susan Huntington Dickinson, which were written over a period beginning a few years before Susan’s marriage to Emily’s brother and ending shortly before Emily’s death in 1886, outnumber her letters to anyone else. (OG 13#29, Choice E)

b)Although she had been known as an effective legislator first in the Texas Senate and later in the United States House of Representatives, Barbara Jordan did not become a nationally recognized figure until 1974, when she participated in the hearings on the impeachment of President Richard Nixon, which were televised nationwide. (GMAT Prep, Choice B)

But is it so here .. NO.. which can refer to an animal, an ape in this case

2) 'with the exception of human pelvis that has become shorter, broader, and more bowl shaped to support"...
It is not the human pelvis that has become shorter, broader..., it is the pelvis that has become shorter... in humans..
it means that human pelvis has become shorter over a period of time , but i am sure the comparison is with that of ape...

The relative pronoun "WHICH" logically and grammatically refers to measurement because these measurements only showed the bone structure of both the living objects. Because of difference in measurements, the sentence presents intended comparison. All the preceding nouns till "measurements" actually suggest illogical meaning.


The errors while using 'which' includes checking for illogical meaning.
If which can be used for a thing and in turn it conveys an illogical meaning, the error is all about it.
As per your explanation, use of which can never go wrong...
The book is lying on the table, which has 10 pages.
Table cannot have 10 pages, so it should refer back to book and should be correct.
BUT is it so? NO
So correct is : The book, which has 10 pages, is lying on the table.

So your view on illogical meaning is not correct.
And the institute itself has not replied on their own site or here means they feel it is wrong.
Show more




According to me the example that you have posted is incorrect.
The book is lying on the table, which has 10 pages.

Any relative pronoun modifier cannot jump over a verb to modify the noun entity.
So yes the usage of pronouns such as which can be wrong.


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Nitesh
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Herman Pontzer did the first ever comparative measurements 25 May 2020, 08:21
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generis daagh could you please assist with this query?

As per me, "which" is used correctly here since a modifier can jump over prepositional phrases, and "comparative measurements of the bone structure of variety of African apes" is a long prepositional phrase. Logically, "which" should be able to refer back to comparative measurements.
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Herman Pontzer did the first ever comparative measurements 16 Dec 2021, 19:13
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chetan2u
Herman Pontzer did the first ever comparative measurements of the bone structure of variety of African apes, which showed that human bone structure is essentially same as that of ape’s, having the exception of human pelvis that in becoming shorter, broader, and more bowl shaped supported erect posture and efficient bipedal locomotion.

a.which showed that human bone structure is essentially same as that of ape’s, having the exception of human pelvis that in becoming shorter, broader, and more bowl shaped supported

b.which showing that human bone structure is essentially same as ape, showed the exception of human pelvis that became shorter, broader, and more bowl shaped, supporting

c.which showed that human bone structure is essentially same as that of ape, with the exception of human pelvis that has become shorter, broader, and more bowl shaped to support

d.a study showing that human bone structure is essentially same as that of ape, and it had an exceptional human pelvis that became shorter, broader, and more bowl shaped, supporting

e.a study that showed that human bone structure is essentially same as ape’s, the only exception being the human pelvis that became shorter, broader, and more bowl shaped and supported


hello,

the above is a question posted on a forum and source is said to be egmat..
my doubts are the following ..

1) is 'which' better here or 'a study that showed'....
for the examples quoted by 'e-gmat' in a blog to justify use of which to modify something faraway .. the noun preceding 'which' is a proper noun and a name of a person, so 'which' correctly refers back to what it is intended to..

a)Emily Dickinson’s letters to Susan Huntington Dickinson, which were written over a period beginning a few years before Susan’s marriage to Emily’s brother and ending shortly before Emily’s death in 1886, outnumber her letters to anyone else. (OG 13#29, Choice E)

b)Although she had been known as an effective legislator first in the Texas Senate and later in the United States House of Representatives, Barbara Jordan did not become a nationally recognized figure until 1974, when she participated in the hearings on the impeachment of President Richard Nixon, which were televised nationwide. (GMAT Prep, Choice B)

But is it so here .. NO.. which can refer to an animal, an ape in this case

2) 'with the exception of human pelvis that has become shorter, broader, and more bowl shaped to support"...
It is not the human pelvis that has become shorter, broader..., it is the pelvis that has become shorter... in humans..
it means that human pelvis has become shorter over a period of time , but i am sure the comparison is with that of ape...
Show more

I think the question makes sense and here is the explanation for this.

https://gmatclub.com/forum/noun-modifiers-can-modify-slightly-far-away-noun-135868.html
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Herman Pontzer did the first ever comparative measurements 16 Dec 2021, 19:51
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Roy867


I think the question makes sense and here is the explanation for this.

https://gmatclub.com/forum/noun-modifiers-can-modify-slightly-far-away-noun-135868.html
Show more


If you had read the entire post of mine, you would have realised that I have already discussed about the examples used in the post you are referring to. Anyways, it is an old post of mine to which the institute too has not been able to give a satisfactory answer. I am sure the institute is doing a great job otherwise in verbal part.
So, it really does not make sense to argue on it further. Hence, locking the topic.