generis wrote:
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Project SC Butler: Day 16: Sentence Correction (SC2)
In assessing the problems faced by rural migrant workers, the question of whether they are better off materially than the urban working poor is irrelevant.(A) In assessing the problems faced by rural migrant workers, the question of whether they are better off materially than the urban working poor is irrelevant.
(B) The question of whether the rural migrant worker is better off materially than the urban working poor is irrelevant in assessing the problems that they face.
(C) A question that is irrelevant in assessing the problems that rural migrant workers face is whether they are better off materially than the urban working poor.
(D) In an assessment of the problems faced by rural migrant workers, the question of whether they are better off materially than the urban working poor is irrelevant.
(E) The question of whether the rural migrant worker is better off materially than the urban working poor is irrelevant in an assessment of the problems that they face.
OFFICIAL EXPLANATION• Choice A presents a dangling modifier because nothing mentioned in the sentence
can perform the action of
assessing the problems faced by rural migrant workers.Choice A states illogically that
the question is assessing these problems.
• In B, the plural pronoun
they cannot refer as intended [by the author of this question] to the singular
rural migrant worker.
• C is awkward (
) and ambiguous: again, the
question is not assessing
the problems,
and i
rrelevant in assessing could be taken to mean either that the act of assessing the problems is irrelevant OR
that the question described is irrelevant in an assessment of the problems.
• Choice D is best
• As is the case in B, the lack of agreement between
worker and
they makes E wrong.
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This OE is good, except for the use of "awkward" to describe (C).
The author is correct. (C) IS awkward.
Why?The author does an excellent job at explaining why (C) is confusing and ambiguous.
Arro44 rewrote the meaning of the sentence in her or his own words. Bravo!
If you want to assess A´s problem, don't compare A´s wealth to B´s wealth.AdityaHongunti is spot on about why GMAC often prefers the noun form of an ING word if there IS a noun form.
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"an assessment " is correct. This clearly states that "in an assessment , considering bla bla bla is useless" . Here assessment itself is a noun and hence does not need a doer PRONOUN ambiguity - Read carefully.
"They" is not ambiguous.
It's clear from the logic of the sentence that "they" refers to rural migrant workers.
Why would a sentence compare
problems to the
urban working poorin the context of assessing problems OF or FACED BY rural migrant workers?
Or, if we were to move forward for an antecedent, why compare working poor to working poor?
GMAC tolerates a lot more pronoun ambiguity than many people realize.
If it is clear from the structure / logic / cue words in the sentence which noun SHOULD be the antecedent,
GMAC allows that noun to stand for the pronoun.
Noun/pronoun disagreement. B and E use the singular "worker."
When answer choices are long, look for single words that differ:
-- worker vs. workers
-- assessing vs. assessment
Answers by forum membersAlthough neither answer is entirely correct in analysis,
both posters chose the correct answer, and both had a couple of standout details.
I am encouraged when I see people "dare" to post.
It's a tie.
Kudos to both!If I could award two kudos to each of you, I would. Why?
Your efforts will help others learn.
And you were brave. I respect that quality.
_________________
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