Last visit was: 19 Nov 2025, 05:51 It is currently 19 Nov 2025, 05:51
Home
GMAT
Messages
Tests
Schools
Events
Rewards
Chat
My Profile
Close
GMAT Club Daily Prep
Thank you for using the timer - this advanced tool can estimate your performance and suggest more practice questions. We have subscribed you to Daily Prep Questions via email.

Customized
for You

we will pick new questions that match your level based on your Timer History

Track
Your Progress

every week, we’ll send you an estimated GMAT score based on your performance

Practice
Pays

we will pick new questions that match your level based on your Timer History
Not interested in getting valuable practice questions and articles delivered to your email? No problem, unsubscribe here.
Go to My Error Log Learn more
Close
Request Expert Reply
Confirm Cancel
Back to Forum
Create Topic
   1   2   3 
555-605 Level|   Modifiers|      
User avatar
Fido10
User avatar
Joined: 12 Aug 2020
Last visit: 27 Aug 2024
Posts: 103
Own Kudos:
165
Given Kudos: 298
Location: Morocco
Products:
My Reviews
Posts: 103
Kudos: 165
In little more than a decade, Argentina has become the world’s leading 05 Mar 2023, 07:54
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
GMATGuruNY
Mo2men
souvik101990
In little more than a decade, Argentina has become the world’s leading exporter of honey, with nearly 90,000 tons a year sold to foreign markets, almost half of which going to the United States.

(A) with nearly 90,000 tons a year sold to foreign markets, almost half of which going

(B) with the sale of nearly 90,000 tons a year to foreign markets, and almost half of it that goes

(C) with the sale to foreign markets of nearly 90,000 tons a year, with almost half of it going

(D) selling nearly 90,000 tons a year to foreign markets, and almost half of it goes

(E) selling nearly 90,000 tons a year to foreign markets, with almost half going

Show Spoiler
https://www.nytimes.com/2002/03/05/business/us-and-argentina-fight-over-honey.html

But here on the humid pampas, where fields of alfalfa and clover stretch to the horizon, the emergence of a flourishing honey industry belies that notion. In little more than a decade, Argentina has become the world's leading exporter of honey, selling nearly 90,000 tons a year to foreign markets, with almost half of it going to the United States.


Dear GMATGuruNY

1- Why is choice A incorrect? doesn't the construction 'with nearly 90,000 tons a year sold to foreign markets' answer the question HOW Argentina became biggest exporter?

2- Is 'almost half of which' wrong?

Thanks

RULE: which must serve as part of a CLAUSE.
A clause includes both a subject and a verb.

RULE: A VERBing may function as a verb only if it is preceded by a helping verb such as is, was, etc.
John IS going.
Mary WAS going.
The children HAVE BEEN going.
A VERBing without a helping verb functions either as a MODIFIER or as a NOUN.

A: Argentina has become the world’s leading exporter of honey, with nearly 90,000 tons a year sold to foreign markets, almost half of which going to the United States.
Here, going is not a verb but a MODIFIER describing half of which.
The portion in red does not include a verb and thus does not constitute a clause.
As a result, this usage of which is invalid.
Eliminate A.

Other issues:

A reader might at first construe that which refers to MARKETS, the nearest eligible antecedent.
But semantically, the intended referent seems to be 90,000 TONS.
Since the referent for which is not immediately clear, eliminate A.

The modifier in blue is a bit ambiguous: it does not make crystal clear WHO has sold 90,000 tons to foreign markets.
It could be that 90,000 tons are sold by Argentina ALONE.
It could be that 90,000 tons are sold by all of the world's honey-producing countries COMBINED.
Since both interpretations are possible, we should check whether an alternate answer choice clarifies the intended meaning.

Generally, COMMA + VERBing after a clause serves to express an action attributed to the preceding subject.
E: Argentina has become the world’s leading exporter of honey, selling nearly 90,000 tons a year to foreign markets.
Here, selling unambiguously refers to ARGENTINA -- the preceding subject -- clearly conveying that ARGENTINA is selling 90,000 tons to foreign markets.

Since E conveys a clearer meaning than A, eliminate A.
Show more


Dear GMATGuruNY,
Thank you so much for your answer,
In your "other issues" part, Which cannot refer to something other than 90.000tons, so there is no ambiguity regarding the reference of which, since, logically, half of the markets cannot go to the united states !
Am I right ?

Thanks
User avatar
GMATGuruNY
User avatar
Joined: 04 Aug 2010
Last visit: 18 Nov 2025
Posts: 1,344
Own Kudos:
3,796
Given Kudos: 9
Schools:Dartmouth College
Expert
Expert reply
Posts: 1,344
Kudos: 3,796
In little more than a decade, Argentina has become the world’s leading 20 Mar 2023, 12:55
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Fido10
In your "other issues" part, Which cannot refer to something other than 90.000tons, so there is no ambiguity regarding the reference of which, since, logically, half of the markets cannot go to the united states !
Am I right ?
Show more

A: with nearly 90,000 tons a year sold to foreign markets, almost half of which
Here, half seems to refer to markets -- the nearest preceding plural noun -- with the result that the red portion seems to be discussing half of the MARKETS.
Since the intention is for half to refer to 90,000 tons, the structure in A is not viable.
User avatar
devendra.c
User avatar
Joined: 06 Sep 2023
Last visit: 14 Feb 2024
Posts: 7
Own Kudos:
2
Given Kudos: 88
Posts: 7
Kudos: 2
In little more than a decade, Argentina has become the world’s leading 21 Oct 2023, 06:00
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
souvik101990
In little more than a decade, Argentina has become the world’s leading exporter of honey, with nearly 90,000 tons a year sold to foreign markets, almost half of which going to the United States.

(D) selling nearly 90,000 tons a year to foreign markets, and almost half of it goes

Show more

GMATNinja sayantanc2k DmitryFarber

Can someone comment on the use of the word 'and' in option D?

Is the clause following 'and' an independent clause? Which is why 'and' isn't problematic there?

If not, then what needs to be parallel to what?

Thanks!
User avatar
DmitryFarber
User avatar
Manhattan Prep Instructor
Joined: 22 Mar 2011
Last visit: 08 Nov 2025
Posts: 3,020
Own Kudos:
8,563
 [1]
Given Kudos: 57
Expert
Expert reply
GMAT Focus 1: 745 Q86 V90 DI85
Posts: 3,020
Kudos: 8,563
 [1]
In little more than a decade, Argentina has become the world’s leading 31 Oct 2023, 23:45
1
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
devendra.c

Yes, the part after "and" is an independent clause. That means it doesn't have to be parallel to anything--it is its own statement. However, that is also the problem. At this point in the sentence, we want a modifier to add detail about where Argentina's honey sales go, but D gives us a whole new statement. Looking past most of the modifiers to the larger structure, we get something like this:

Argentina has become the leading exporter of honey, and almost half of it goes to the United States.

This isn't a completely illogical thing to say, but in that case, "it" means honey in general. We might wonder whether it's half of Argentina's honey or half of all the honey in the world that goes to the US. But even if that felt clear, it would still seem odd to put this whole new clause in place when the intervening modifier gets into detail about export quantities. Since this last part adds details about those exports, it makes sense as an additional modifier that builds on what we just read.
   1   2   3 
Moderators:
GMATNinja
GMAT Club Verbal Expert
7443 posts
GMATNinjaTwo
GMAT Club Verbal Expert
231 posts
miag
188 posts