In an attempt to produce premium oysters, a firm in Scotland has developed a prototype of a submersible oyster farm, sitting below the surface of the ocean, and it provides ideal conditions for the mollusks' growth.

If you use COMMA + ING, you are modifying the whole preceding clause. This is mainly used to presents the results of an action, to add info to the preceding clause.

A. farm, sitting below the surface of the ocean, and it provides
B. farm, sitting below the surface of the ocean for providing

Options A B use that, and it's clearly wrong.

Now, the remaining options start with "that" <==a noun modifier so we are referring to the "submersible oyster farm" alone.
C. farm that sits below the surface of the ocean and providing
D. farm that sits below the surface of the ocean and provides
E. farm that is sitting below the surface of the ocean and it provides

The only parallel option is D, hence is the correct one. The verb must be parallel as both express an idea about the "submersible oyster farm".

hi,

a)farm, sitting below the surface of the ocean, and it provides ==>
sitting is modifying FIRM..use of IT is ambiguous

B. farm, sitting below the surface of the ocean for providing
==>sitting is modifying FIRM

C. farm that sits below the surface of the ocean and providing
non parallel structure...providing is not parallel to sits

D. farm that sits below the surface of the ocean and provides ===>correct

E. farm that is sitting below the surface of the ocean and it provides
==>use of IT is ambiguous..../// is sitting is wrong verb tense

hence D
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In an attempt to produce premium oysters, a firm in Scotland has developed a prototype of a submersible oyster farm, sitting below the surface of the ocean, and it provides ideal conditions for the mollusks' growth.

A. farm, sitting below the surface of the ocean, and it provides
Wrong. "sitting below the surface of the ocean" is modifier ==> Technically, it should modify the preceding clause ==> Does not make sense

B. farm, sitting below the surface of the ocean for providing
Wrong.
Modifier problem like that of A.
Changes meaning: sit below the surface of the ocean for providing....

C. farm that sits below the surface of the ocean and providing
Wrong. Not parallel.

D. farm that sits below the surface of the ocean and provides
Correct. "Sits" || "provides".

E. farm that is sitting below the surface of the ocean and it provides
Wrong.
Not parallel.
"it" is not clear, it refers to "a firm" or "a prototype"? ==> when see it, its, they, them, their (the deadly five), we need to determine antecedents correctly.

Hope it helps.

I get the parallelism in D. But a farm that "sits", I dunno.

Yes, but since all options use this, we don't need to bother about it.

make sure you understand how ", __ing" modifiers work.

I dropped the bags onto the floor, scaring the dogs.
––> i didn't scare the dogs directly; my action did. but i (the subject) am the person/thing most directly responsible for "scaring the dogs".

in other words, these modifiers should describe the whole preceding action, and be most closely attributable to the subject of that action.

so, in choice B, you're saying that a firm in scotland is actually sitting beneath the surface of the ocean, for some reason related to creating a prototype. hmm. nope.

GOOD EXPLAINATION by Ron

In fact, not just in choice B, but also in the original sentence, this is the issue.

(A) farm, sitting below the surface of the ocean, and it provides - Incorrect.

(B) farm, sitting below the surface of the ocean for providing - Incorrect.

(C) farm that sits below the surface of the ocean and providing - Incorrect.

(D) farm that sits below the surface of the ocean and provides - Correct.

(E) farm that is sitting below the surface of the ocean and it provides - Incorrect.

Answer - (D).

In an attempt to produce premium oysters, a firm in Scotland has developed a prototype of a submersible oyster farm, sitting below the surface of the ocean, and it provides ideal conditions for the mollusks' growth.

(A) farm, sitting below the surface of the ocean, and it provides
(B) farm, sitting below the surface of the ocean for providing
(C) farm that sits below the surface of the ocean and providing
(D) farm that sits below the surface of the ocean and provides
(E) farm that is sitting below the surface of the ocean and it provides

Hi guys,i am new to this forum.Can somebody please explain is it the farm that provides ideal conditions.... for ...growth or it is the location of the farm that provides ideal condition?
Thanks
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(D) farm that sits below the surface of the ocean and provides

It is generally said , with usage of "that" we need to use base form of verb but here None of options use base form of sit or provide.
Can somebody please elaborate on this concept and help me out... VeritasKarishma daagh GMATNinja

push12345, it took me a few minutes to figure out what the real misconception is here.

For starters, the phrase beginning with "that" simply modifies the preceding noun in this sentence. Logically, the "submersible oyster farm" -- a singular noun -- is modified by the phrase "that sits below the surface of the ocean..." Because "farm" is singular, we need to use the singular forms of the verbs, "sits" and "provides." The sentence makes no sense otherwise. We couldn't say that "the farm sit below the surface of the ocean."

I think you might be assuming that the word "that" automatically triggers the use of the subjunctive, and that's absolutely not the case. Try checking out this post about subjunctive -- it's not super-comprehensive, but it'll give you an idea of the types of "bossy words" (demanded that, required that, etc.) that require the use of the subjunctive. I should also mention that the subjunctive really doesn't show up all that often on the GMAT. We can point to a few older questions, but the subjunctive is rarely an issue in newer SC questions.

You might also benefit from this article or this video about the GMAT's many uses of the word "that."

I hope this helps!
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D is the correct answer . It has parallel elements . Sits and Provides .

Kudos PLEASE

I think the correct answer should be
farm that sits below the surface of the ocean and THAT provides.
Pls. correct me. GMATNinja

A firm in Scotland has developed a prototype of a submersible oyster farm that sits below the surface of the ocean and it provides ideal conditions for the mollucks' growth.

The parallel structure is followed farm that sits and provides

Posted from my mobile device

This question is based on Modifiers and Parallelism.

The modifier in this sentence gives two descriptions of the oyster farm. Therefore, the two descriptions should be similar in structure.

In Option A one description is in the form of a participle modifier and the other one in the form of an independent clause. Since they are not parallel, this option can be eliminated.

In Option B, the phrase “sitting below the surface for providing” changes the meaning. It implies that the farm is situated below the surface of the ocean for the purpose of providing…. Since this meaning is not logical, Option B can be eliminated.

In Option C, the participle ‘providing’ is not parallel to the verb ‘sits’. So, Option C can be eliminated.

In Option D, the modifier is in the form of a clause that describes ‘the farm’ and has two verbs ‘sits’ and ‘provides’ that are parallel in structure. So, Option D is correct.

In Option E, the subordinate clause “that is …..ocean” is not parallel to the main clause “it provides…”. So, Option E can also be eliminated.

Therefore, D is the most appropriate option.

Jayanthi Kumar.
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