In some types of pine tree, a thick layer of needles protects the buds

Hello Everyone!

Let's tackle this question, one thing at a time, and find the correct choice as quickly as possible! First, here is the original question, with the major differences between the options highlighted in orange:

In some types of pine tree, a thick layer of needles protects the buds from which new growth proceeds; consequently they are able to withstand forest fires relatively well.

(A) a thick layer of needles protects the buds from which new growth proceeds; consequently they are able to withstand forest fires relatively well
(B) a thick needle layer protects buds from where new growth proceeds, so that they can withstand forest fires relatively well
(C) a thick layer of needles protect the buds from which new growth proceeds; thus, they are able to withstand relatively well any forest fires
(D) since the buds from which new growth proceeds are protected by a thick needle layer, consequently they can therefore withstand forest fires relatively well
(E) because the buds where new growth happens are protected by a thick layer of needles, they are able to withstand forest fires relatively easily as a result

After a quick glance over the options, there are a few things we can focus on to narrow down our choices:

1. protects / protect / are protected by (verb tense & active/passive voice)


2. from which / from where / where (agreement)
3. consequently / so that / thus / they (conjunctions & punctuation)

Let's start with #1 on our list: verb tenses. This should be an easier grammar concept to focus on first, and it should narrow down a few options quickly. To do this, we need to make sure that the subjects and verbs agree in number, and we must also make sure to use active voice whenever possible (the GMAT does not like passive voice answers). Here is how each option breaks down:

(A) a thick layer of needles protects the buds from which new growth proceeds; consequently they are able to withstand forest fires relatively well -> GOOD (The singular subject "a thick layer" agrees with singular verb "protects," so let's keep this option for later!)

(B) a thick needle layer protects buds from where new growth proceeds, so that they can withstand forest fires relatively well --> GOOD (The subject and verb in this option are both singular, just like option A, so let's also keep this option for later!)

(C) a thick layer of needles protect the buds from which new growth proceeds; thus, they are able to withstand relatively well any forest fires --> INCORRECT (This is wrong because the singular subject (a thick layer) should have a singular verb. Instead, this sentence uses a plural verb (protect), which doesn't agree.)

(D) since the buds from which new growth proceeds are protected by a thick needle layer, consequently they can therefore withstand forest fires relatively well --> INCORRECT (This is wrong because it uses passive voice! It switches the subject and object of the sentence. The GMAT prefers active voice over passive voice whenever possible, so let's rule this out.)

(E) because the buds where new growth happens are protected by a thick layer of needles, they are able to withstand forest fires relatively easily as a result --> INCORRECT (This is wrong because it uses passive voice! It switches the subject and object of the sentence. The GMAT prefers active voice over passive voice whenever possible, so let's rule this out.)

We can eliminate options C, D, and E because they use the wrong verb tenses or passive voice.

Now that we have this narrowed down to just 2 options, let's take a closer look at #2 and #3 on our list to determine which is the better option:

(A) a thick layer of needles protects the buds from which new growth proceeds; consequently they are able to withstand forest fires relatively well

This is the CORRECT choice! It uses the correct phrasing "from which" to indicate that the growth comes from the buds, not from some location around the buds. It also uses the conjunction "consequently" to show a cause/effect relationship, and the semicolon is used correctly to split the two independent clauses up nicely.

(B) a thick needle layer protects buds from where new growth proceeds, so that they can withstand forest fires relatively well

This is INCORRECT for a couple reasons. First, the phrase "from where" is confusing to readers because it changes the meaning slightly. Instead of saying the growth comes from the buds themselves, this sentence says the buds happen to be in the same area where new growth appears on its own, which doesn't make sense. Second, the subordinating conjunction "so that" does NOT need a comma before it.

There you go - option A is the correct choice!


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