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555-605 Level|   Idioms/Diction/Redundancy|   Modifiers|   Pronouns|   Subject Verb Agreement|                        
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In some types of pine tree, a thick layer of needles protects the buds 10 Jun 2022, 06:41
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I see many answer explanations stating that D and E could be ruled out because there is the usage of Passive voice in those options. While I understand that GMAT prefers active over passive, I am unable to understand if this could be a deterministic error in ruling out those options.
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In some types of pine tree, a thick layer of needles protects the buds 10 Jun 2022, 06:57
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glagad
I see many answer explanations stating that D and E could be ruled out because there is the usage of Passive voice in those options. While I understand that GMAT prefers active over passive, I am unable to understand if this could be a deterministic error in ruling out those options.
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Hello glagad,

We hope this finds you well.

To answer your query, the use of passive voice and other redundancies are never deterministic errors on GMAT; stylistic issues, such as redundancy, can only be used to select the best among otherwise error-free answer choices.

We hope this helps.
All the best!
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In some types of pine tree, a thick layer of needles protects the buds 14 Jun 2022, 06:37
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I noticed that some have mentioned that they ruled out D due to its use of the passive voice.

I didn't actually eliminate it for this reason at all, I just saw a glaring redundancy problem, please could someone tell me if my logic is correct or incorrect (if incorrect, please tell me why)?

The sentence says "Since...., consequently", surely the "consequently" isn't required at all given that the sentence said "since"?
To make matters even worse, the sentence says "Consequently... therefore", which only furthers the redundancy, as when you have "consequently", you don't need "therefore", and when you have "since", you don't even need "consequently" to begin with. Therefore, this sentence is a redundant mess.

Is this understanding correct?
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In some types of pine tree, a thick layer of needles protects the buds 20 Jun 2022, 14:13
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PVOG
I noticed that some have mentioned that they ruled out D due to its use of the passive voice.

I didn't actually eliminate it for this reason at all, I just saw a glaring redundancy problem, please could someone tell me if my logic is correct or incorrect (if incorrect, please tell me why)?

The sentence says "Since...., consequently", surely the "consequently" isn't required at all given that the sentence said "since"?
To make matters even worse, the sentence says "Consequently... therefore", which only furthers the redundancy, as when you have "consequently", you don't need "therefore", and when you have "since", you don't even need "consequently" to begin with. Therefore, this sentence is a redundant mess.

Is this understanding correct?
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(D) is indeed a redundant mess. As mentioned in this post, redundancy is a gray area, but the "since... consequently... therefore" is ridiculous enough to give us a vote for (A) over (D).

The word order is also a bit better in (A):

  • The opening modifier, "In some types of pine tree," is the same in both (A) and (D).
  • After the comma in (A), we immediately get something that fits with that opening modifier: what happens in some types of pine tree? "A thick layer of needles protects..." In other words, the opening modifier clearly describes the main clause in (A), so the sentence is direct and logical.
  • After the comma in (D), we get a dependent clause ("since the buds from which new growth proceeds are protected by a thick needle layer"). So it's perfectly reasonable for the reader to skip over that dependent clause and pair the opening modifier with the first and only independent clause ("[the buds] can therefore withstand forest fires relatively well"). But that main clause is the result of what happens in some types of pine tree (which is the protection of the buds). So it makes more sense for the part about the protection of the buds to come right after the opening modifier, as it does in (A): "In some types of pine tree, X happens; as a result, the buds are able to withstand..."
  • Is that a definite error in (D)? No, but it's another vote in favor of (A).

The passive voice isn't inherently wrong. The problem in (D) is the meaning ambiguity that results from usage of the passive voice. In other contexts, the passive voice could be perfectly appropriate, and maybe even preferable to the active voice.

I hope that helps!
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In some types of pine tree, a thick layer of needles protects the buds 03 Aug 2022, 04:51
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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
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I think the quant section of MGMAT is a bit tougher than official ones
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In some types of pine tree, a thick layer of needles protects the buds 22 Nov 2022, 12:57
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abhimahna
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Ok per your analysis what is verb in D? Is it non-run-on sentence per your analysis?

In D and E , I don't find any subject verb problem.

But remember, GMAC usually prefers sentences which are

1. in Active form
2. Clear and short(meaning Not Awkward)

Both D and E are in passive form while we have an answer choice in active form which is not incorrect grammatically and logically. Hence, A is preferred over D and E.

Also, E has 'where' and as per GMAC rules, where is used only for Places.

Always find the BEST answer out of those given, if not 100% accurate.

o, A is the BEST answer choice out of 5 given
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abhimahna
Hello,
I did not see any rules of GMAC where they directly says that ''Active is more preferable than passive''. Requesting other experts to clarify the matters, please.
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In some types of pine tree, a thick layer of needles protects the buds 22 Nov 2022, 13:46
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GMATNinja
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Hi GMATNinja

Thanks for your two cents.

Do you agree that we need a semi-colon before independent marker words as consequently or however
as mentioned in the link you provided?
At least a semi-colon on OA before consequently would have made my life easier to then treat the clause as an independent one.
I hope you see my rationale ;)
Sure, if "consequently" or "however" is the beginning of the 2nd independent clause in a sentence, then there should be a semicolon preceding it. That's part of why (A) is the correct answer here: "consequently" is preceded by a semicolon.

Shobhit7
A Conjuctive Adverb (consequently) should be preceded by a semi colon and followed by a comma.

Why is comma missing in Choice A?

Posted from my mobile device
It's a funny thing: commas have been disappearing from English over the past few decades, so this is somewhat of a grey area now. When I was a kid, our teachers taught us to put commas after words such as "consequently" and "however." But now, those commas are optional. I still use them, but plenty of editors would disagree with me.

Partly because there's disagreement about the correct uses of commas, it's very rare that commas are a deciding factor on the GMAT, unless the comma somehow affects the meaning of the sentence. So in general, you don't want to worry about commas too much on the GMAT. More on that issue -- and on GMAT punctuation in general -- in this video.

I hope this helps!
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GMATNinja
Sir,
Can I write the choice A alternatively like below? just a little curiosity to know...My intension is to remove semi-colon from choice A!
Quote:
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
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(A1) a thick layer of needles protects the buds from which new growth proceeds,and thus they are able to withstand forest fires relatively well
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In some types of pine tree, a thick layer of needles protects the buds 22 Nov 2022, 14:05
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EMPOWERgmatVerbal
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!


Don't study for the GMAT. Train for it.
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Hi GMATGuruNY, GMATNinja, AjiteshArun, MartyTargetTestPrep, RonPurewal
Can you confirm the bold part, please? It hurts me a lot :(
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In some types of pine tree, a thick layer of needles protects the buds 23 Nov 2022, 04:01
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TheUltimateWinner

Hello,
I did not see any rules of GMAC where they directly says that ''Active is more preferable than passive''. Requesting other experts to clarify the matters, please.
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Hey TheUltimateWinner

Happy to answer this.

Yes, the Active Voice is indeed preferred to the Passive Voice, but only in cases where the Active version is closer to the intended meaning and only because the Active is less wordy, more direct, and more rhetorical than the Passive Voice.

That said, this must not be construed as "All Passive versions are automatically incorrect". There are several cases in which the passive voice is more suited to an idea.

Hence, always lead with "Meaning Analysis", and find the choice that communicates the intended meaning in the most economical and rhetorical manner.


Hope this helps.

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In some types of pine tree, a thick layer of needles protects the buds 23 Nov 2022, 04:25
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TheUltimateWinner
EMPOWERgmatVerbal
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!


Don't study for the GMAT. Train for it.
Hi GMATGuruNY, GMATNinja, AjiteshArun, MartyTargetTestPrep, RonPurewal
Can you confirm the bold part, please? It hurts me a lot :(
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Hello TheUltimateWinner,

We hope this finds you well.

To answer your query, the active voice is, indeed, preferred on GMAT because it is more direct and concise, however, as is the case with all other matters of style, conciseness is the least important factor in GMAT SC and should only be considered to select between two otherwise error-free answer choices.

We hope this helps.
All the best!
Experts' Global Team
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In some types of pine tree, a thick layer of needles protects the buds 29 Nov 2022, 12:42
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EMPOWERgmatVerbal
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!


Don't study for the GMAT. Train for it.
Hi GMATGuruNY, GMATNinja, AjiteshArun, MartyTargetTestPrep, RonPurewal
Can you confirm the bold part, please? It hurts me a lot :(

Hello TheUltimateWinner,

We hope this finds you well.

To answer your query, the active voice is, indeed, preferred on GMAT because it is more direct and concise, however, as is the case with all other matters of style, conciseness is the least important factor in GMAT SC and should only be considered to select between two otherwise error-free answer choices.

We hope this helps.
All the best!
Experts' Global Team
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ExpertsGlobal5
Thanks for response. I thought, ''conciseness'' is the most important factor in GMAT. So, i have learned a different things todays. thanks again..
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In some types of pine tree, a thick layer of needles protects the buds 30 Nov 2022, 01:44
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If we look at the part before the underline portion,

"In some types of pine tree" is a modifier. It will modify "a thick layer of needles".

In D and E, we have "since" and "because".

"In some types of pine tree" cannot modify "since" and "because"

Eliminate D and E

In option C, verb "protect" is plural.

The subject is "a thick layer", which is singular.

Eliminate C

In option B,

"from where" modify buds.

"from where" can modify a place. Eliminate B

Hence A is answer
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In some types of pine tree, a thick layer of needles protects the buds 23 May 2023, 02:22
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EMPOWERgmatVerbal
Mathisxy
I think that 'a thick layer of needles' should be followed by 'protect' instead of 'protects' because it's NEEDLEs. Also, I think that the expression 'a large amount of needles' should also be followed by 'protect' rather than 'protects'. Is the logic of these two sentence the same? If it's the same, then we should use protect...

Hello Mathisxy!

In the official explanation, they explain this:

The subject is the singular layer, not the plural needles. Of needles is a prepositional phrase; a prepositional phrase isn’t allowed to be the main subject of a sentence. Therefore, the correct verb pairing is the singular protects.

Sometimes, you'll find prepositional phrases in between the subject and the verb. This is an easy way to throw off GMAT test takers! Here is what you're dealing with:

a thick layer of needles protect/protects

The phrase "of needles" is a prepositional phrase. It cannot be the subject, so your verb has to agree with what's right before it - in this case, it's the singular word "layer." Therefore, you need singular "protects" to match!

Even if you go with your other option, the rule is still the same:

a large amount of needles protect/protects

Even though this isn't how we phrase it in English (I totally agree with daagh on this one), the rule is still the same. The phrase "of needles" isn't the subject - the singular word "amount" is. Therefore, use the singular "protects."

I hope this helps! Feel free to tag me at EMPOWERgmatVerbal if you have any questions!
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hii EMPOWERgmatVerbal!
I'm still confused about the prepositional phrase thing...I know that 'a large amount of needles' is not correct cuz 'a large amount of' should be followed by an UC noun. But what about the expressions 'a team of workers' and 'a pair of shoes'...? They should be plural, right ? So how can we decide whether or not the noun in the prepositional phrase is the real subject ?
Thanks in advance!
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In some types of pine tree, a thick layer of needles protects the buds 20 Jul 2023, 23:17
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MartyTargetTestPrep GMATNinja

Quote:

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
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In option (A), there are 2 possible antecedents of "they" - "some types of pine tree" and "buds" - that can consequently withstand forest fires. After reading all the posts on this topic, I am still unable to understand why this pronoun is unambiguous.

OA = (A)
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In some types of pine tree, a thick layer of needles protects the buds 21 Jul 2023, 01:03
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SlowTurtle
In option (A), there are 2 possible antecedents of "they" - "some types of pine tree" and "buds" - that can consequently withstand forest fires. After reading all the posts on this topic, I am still unable to understand why this pronoun is unambiguous.

OA = (A)
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I think it makes a little more sense that the trees are what can withstand forest fires, but it's true that the (A) version isn't ideal because it's not 100 percent clear what "they" refers to.

At the same time, the other versions use "they" in basically the same way. So, the fact that what "they" refers to in the (A) version is debatably ambiguous doesn't differentiate the (A) version from the other versions.

Also, the other versions all have clear errors.

So, we can safely choose (A).
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In some types of pine tree, a thick layer of needles protects the buds 24 Jul 2023, 07:19
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enigma123
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
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As per the MGMAT SC guide, in " a thick layer of needles .... (Option A)" needles should be considered as the subject. I have attached the explanation and examples from MGMAT Guide :

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The phrase THE number of takes a singular verb, but A number of takes a plural verb.
The number of hardworking students in this class IS quite large.
This sentence follows the normal rule: eliminate the middlemen {of hardworking students in this class).

The subject is the number (singular), which agrees with the singular verb is.
A number of students in this class ARE hard workers.
On the other hand, a number of is an idiomatic expression. In modern English, it has become equivalent to some or many. As a result, we consider students the subject.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hi GMATNinja, MartyTargetTestPrep Could you help me understand?
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In some types of pine tree, a thick layer of needles protects the buds 25 Jul 2023, 07:17
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As per the MGMAT SC guide, in " a thick layer of needles .... (Option A)" needles should be considered as the subject. I have attached the explanation and examples from MGMAT Guide :

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The phrase THE number of takes a singular verb, but A number of takes a plural verb.
The number of hardworking students in this class IS quite large.
This sentence follows the normal rule: eliminate the middlemen {of hardworking students in this class).

The subject is the number (singular), which agrees with the singular verb is.
A number of students in this class ARE hard workers.
On the other hand, a number of is an idiomatic expression. In modern English, it has become equivalent to some or many. As a result, we consider students the subject.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
experts please clarify
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In some types of pine tree, a thick layer of needles protects the buds 25 Jul 2023, 08:12
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Johnny1989
As per the MGMAT SC guide, in " a thick layer of needles .... (Option A)" needles should be considered as the subject. I have attached the explanation and examples from MGMAT Guide :

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The phrase THE number of takes a singular verb, but A number of takes a plural verb.
The number of hardworking students in this class IS quite large.
This sentence follows the normal rule: eliminate the middlemen {of hardworking students in this class).

The subject is the number (singular), which agrees with the singular verb is.
A number of students in this class ARE hard workers.
On the other hand, a number of is an idiomatic expression. In modern English, it has become equivalent to some or many. As a result, we consider students the subject.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
experts please clarify
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Yes, Johnny1989, but notice that layer is not a counting word such as number. You seem to be applying a case-specific recommendation too broadly. Otherwise, many collective nouns would flout the so-called rule: a case of 12 cans is on its way (not are), or a chain of stores has closed (not have).

Good luck with your studies.

- Andrew
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In some types of pine tree, a thick layer of needles protects the buds 25 Jul 2023, 20:25
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AndrewN
Johnny1989
As per the MGMAT SC guide, in " a thick layer of needles .... (Option A)" needles should be considered as the subject. I have attached the explanation and examples from MGMAT Guide :

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The phrase THE number of takes a singular verb, but A number of takes a plural verb.
The number of hardworking students in this class IS quite large.
This sentence follows the normal rule: eliminate the middlemen {of hardworking students in this class).

The subject is the number (singular), which agrees with the singular verb is.
A number of students in this class ARE hard workers.
On the other hand, a number of is an idiomatic expression. In modern English, it has become equivalent to some or many. As a result, we consider students the subject.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
experts please clarify
Yes, Johnny1989, but notice that layer is not a counting word such as number. You seem to be applying a case-specific recommendation too broadly. Otherwise, many collective nouns would flout the so-called rule: a case of 12 cans is on its way (not are), or a chain of stores has closed (not have).

Good luck with your studies.

- Andrew
Show more


Thank you for pointing out my mistake. From now on I will be careful with case-specific recommendations.

Thank you so much, AndrewN
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