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555-605 Level|   Parallelism|      
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Lungfish have some characteristics similar to those of mammals 15 Aug 2016, 09:33
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Lungfish have some characteristics similar to those of mammals, and in other ways they more closely resemble fish.

(A) and in other ways they more closely resemble fish
(B) and other similar to those of fish
(C) and some fish-like characteristics
(D) in addition to several fish characteristics
(E) and some characteristics similar as fish
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B
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Lungfish have some characteristics similar to those of mammals 27 Jul 2017, 04:20
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daagh
Choice B: Lungfish have some characteristics similar to those of mammals, and other similar to those of fish -

Some clarifications sought.

1. Why would just say other and not others, in line with the plurality of characteristics?
2. Is a contrast intended o not? If intended, why the contrast marker 'but' is missing?
3. If the list contains just two phrases, why a comma is used before the 'and'?
shiv
Lungfish have some characteristics -- Lungfish is used as plural here' look at the non-underlined verb "have"
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Hello daagh, some really good questions and I thought it will be a good learning for me, hence trying to answer the questions. Please correct me if i am wrong.

1. Why would just say other and not others, in line with the plurality of characteristics? - Because the parallelism starts after "Lungfish have some" so the part after and will be "some other" - Hence the usage of other is correct here and not others.
2. Is a contrast intended o not? If intended, why the contrast marker 'but' is missing? - I don't think we need a contrast here, because we are saying some characteristics are like X and others like Y. Also I feel the contrast should be at the level of species, as - mammals vs aquatic animals and not mammals vs fish (i am not 100% sure about this tough)
3. If the list contains just two phrases, why a comma is used before the 'and'? - I believe though we are joining phrases here, we use comma to separate list in order to avoid confusion as we are using some characteristics and we need clear distinction between other characteristics.

Thanks
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Lungfish have some characteristics similar to those of mammals 15 Aug 2016, 09:50
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Quote:
A and in other ways they more closely resemble fish
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they refers to mammals or Lungfish ? - weak contender
Quote:
B and other similar to those of fish
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maintains the parallel structure. to those of mammals and to those of fish.
Quote:
C and some fish-like characteristics
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parallel structure is broken
Quote:
D in addition to several fish characteristics
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parallel structure is broken
Quote:
E and some characteristics similar as fish
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similar as is incorrect usage.

Answer is B
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Lungfish have some characteristics similar to those of mammals 22 Jun 2017, 11:16
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Lungfish have some characteristics similar to those of mammals, and in other ways they more closely resemble fish.

Shouldn't the verb be has for the subject lungfish (singular)?


A and in other ways they more closely resemble fish
B and other similar to those of fish
C and some fish-like characteristics
D in addition to several fish characteristics
E and some characteristics similar as fish
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Lungfish have some characteristics similar to those of mammals 22 Jun 2017, 11:34
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Choice B: Lungfish have some characteristics similar to those of mammals, and other similar to those of fish -

Some clarifications sought.

1. Why would just say other and not others, in line with the plurality of characteristics?
2. Is a contrast intended o not? If intended, why the contrast marker 'but' is missing?
3. If the list contains just two phrases, why a comma is used before the 'and'?
shiv
Lungfish have some characteristics -- Lungfish is used as plural here' look at the non-underlined verb "have"
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Lungfish have some characteristics similar to those of mammals 27 Jul 2017, 03:54
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paidlukkha
Lungfish have some characteristics similar to those of mammals, and in other ways they more closely resemble fish.

A and in other ways they more closely resemble fish
B and other similar to those of fish
C and some fish-like characteristics
D in addition to several fish characteristics
E and some characteristics similar as fish
Show more


B should be plural "others" NOT "other " singular

B implies that there is one single characteristic in lungfish with is similar to many characteristics of Fish.
maybe a typo.

Experts please share your view.
Is it possible for B to be correct in its present form?
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Lungfish have some characteristics similar to those of mammals 27 Jul 2017, 13:41
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ydmuley

Hello daagh, some really good questions and I thought it will be a good learning for me, hence trying to answer the questions. Please correct me if i am wrong.

1. Why would just say other and not others, in line with the plurality of characteristics? - Because the parallelism starts after "Lungfish have some" so the part after and will be "some other" - Hence the usage of other is correct here and not others.
2. Is a contrast intended o not? If intended, why the contrast marker 'but' is missing? - I don't think we need a contrast here, because we are saying some characteristics are like X and others like Y. Also I feel the contrast should be at the level of species, as - mammals vs aquatic animals and not mammals vs fish (i am not 100% sure about this tough)
3. If the list contains just two phrases, why a comma is used before the 'and'? - I believe though we are joining phrases here, we use comma to separate list in order to avoid confusion as we are using some characteristics and we need clear distinction between other characteristics.

Thanks
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Hello ydmuley,

Wonderful explanation there. I have shown my appreciation for your post already. :-)

Just want to add something to your response to daagh 1st question.

IMHO, the sentence says that Lungfish have some characteristics similar to those of mammals, and other (characteristics) similar to those of fish.

Since plural characteristics is understood after other, we need not write others.


Thanks. :-)
Shraddha
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Lungfish have some characteristics similar to those of mammals 28 Jul 2017, 00:22
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egmat



Hello ydmuley,

Wonderful explanation there. I have shown my appreciation for your post already. :-)

Just want to add something to your response to daagh 1st question.

IMHO, the sentence says that Lungfish have some characteristics similar to those of mammals, and other (characteristics) similar to those of fish.

Since plural characteristics is understood after other, we need not write others.


Thanks. :-)
Shraddha
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I think you just hit the nail Shraddha egmat for that point.

Let's wait for the feedback from daagh to get his opinion.

Thanks again for clarification :-D
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Lungfish have some characteristics similar to those of mammals Updated on: 28 Jul 2017, 04:38
Originally posted by daagh on 28 Jul 2017, 02:42.
Last edited by daagh on 28 Jul 2017, 04:38, edited 1 time in total.
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ydmuley wrote

Quote:
Hello daagh, some really good questions and I thought it will be a good learning for me, hence trying to answer the questions. Please correct me if i am wrong.

1. Why would just say other and not others, in line with the plurality of characteristics? - Because the parallelism starts after "Lungfish have some" so the part after and will be "some other" - Hence the usage of other is correct here and not others.

2. Is a contrast intended o not? If intended, why the contrast marker 'but' is missing? - I don't think we need a contrast here, because we are saying some characteristics are like X and others like Y. Also I feel the contrast should be at the level of species, as - mammals vs aquatic animals and not mammals vs fish (i am not 100% sure about this tough)
3. If the list contains just two phrases, why a comma is used before the 'and'? - I believe though we are joining phrases here, we use comma to separate list in order to avoid confusion as we are using some characteristics and we need clear distinction between other characteristics.

1. Considering that 'other' is used as an adjective and not as plural noun, the singular 'other' is good enough

2. There is no intended contrast, considering that, these two types of characteristics are inherent traits of the species. The sentence is just expressed in an indicative mode or declarative mode rather than in a comparison mode
To illustrate this, I will say I have two shirts, one blue, and the other red. I would not say I have two shirts, one blue but the other red.

3. Why a list with just two phrases but not two clear sentences is separated by a comma before the 'and' between the two arms may not be a decision point since, punctuation is not tested in GMAT. Maybe the comma has been used over enthusiastically to distinguish the last item in a list from the prior ones. However, the crux is whether the presence of the comma changes the meaning or causes confusion. As long as the answer is no, the use of comma is passable, I suppose. It may also be noted that a comma before and may rather add to the clarity of the context in general rather than acting in the negative. I agree with ydmuley
ydmuley wrote

Hello daagh, some really good questions and I thought it will be a good learning for me, hence trying to answer the questions. Please correct me if i am wrong.



1. Why would just say other and not others, in line with the plurality of characteristics? - Because the parallelism starts after "Lungfish have some" so the part after and will be "some other" - Hence the usage of other is correct here and not others.

2. Is a contrast intended o not? If intended, why the contrast marker 'but' is missing? - I don't think we need a contrast here, because we are saying some characteristics are like X and others like Y. Also I feel the contrast should be at the level of species, as - mammals vs aquatic animals and not mammals vs fish (i am not 100% sure about this tough)
3. If the list contains just two phrases, why a comma is used before the 'and'? - I believe though we are joining phrases here, we use a comma to separate list in order to avoid confusion as we are using some characteristics and we need clear distinction between other characteristics.
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1. Considering that 'other' is used as an adjective and not as plural noun, the singular 'other' is good enough

2. There is no intended contrast, considering that, these two types of characteristics are inherent traits of the species. The sentence is just expressed in an indicative mode or declarative mode rather than in a comparison mode
To illustrate this, I will say I have two shirts, one blue, and the other red. I would not say I have two shirts, one blue but the other red.

3. Why a list of just two phrases but not two clear sentences is separated by a comma+and between the two arms may not be a decision point since punctuation is not tested in GMAT. Maybe the comma has been used over enthusiastically to distinguish the last item in a list from the prior one. However, the crux is whether the presence of the comma changes the meaning or causes confusion. As long as the answer is no, the use of the comma is passable, I suppose. It may also be noted that a comma before 'and' may rather add to the clarity of the context in general rather than act in the negative. I agree with ydmuley
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Lungfish have some characteristics similar to those of mammals 28 Jul 2017, 04:19
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daagh
ydmuley wrote

1. Considering that 'other' is used as an adjective and not as plural noun, the singular 'other' is good enough

2. There is no intended contrast, considering that, these two types of characteristics are inherent traits of the species. The sentence is just expressed in an indicative mode or declarative mode rather than in a comparison mode
To illustrate this, I will say I have two shirts, one blue, and the other red. I would not say I have two shirts, one blue but the other red.

3. Why a list of just two phrases but not two clear sentences is separated by a comma between the two arms may not be a decision point since punctuation is not tested in GMAT. Maybe the comma has been used over enthusiastically to distinguish the last item in a list from the prior ones. However, the crux is whether the presence of the comma changes the meaning or causes confusion. As long as the answer is no, the use of the comma is passable, I suppose. It may also be noted that a comma before and may rather add to the clarity of the context in general rather than act in the negative. I agree with ydmuley
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Thank you daagh giving more clarity on those three points. As usual, your explanations are of high class. :-D
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Lungfish have some characteristics similar to those of mammals 09 May 2018, 08:26
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Can somebody please explain, what is wrong with choice D?

Many thanks in advance
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Lungfish have some characteristics similar to those of mammals 09 May 2018, 10:44
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Hi Chetna, easiest way to eliminate D is the incorrect phrase fish characteristics. So, here fish is used as an adjective, modifying the noun characteristics.

The correct usage is: characteristics of fish.

For example, would you ever say:

In India. people color is generally brown.

Again, the issue with the above sentence is that people is used as an adjective, modifying the noun color. But this is absurd (one can have brown color, white color, black color, but one can't have people color).

The correct usage is:

In India. the color of people is generally brown.
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Lungfish have some characteristics similar to those of mammals 16 May 2018, 09:00
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I hope answer is E as although not seeming but only option which do not distort meaning or other than parallelism errors.
In b , we have those and other which refers to same characteristics and definitely meaning distorted imo.

Posted from my mobile device
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Lungfish have some characteristics similar to those of mammals 19 May 2018, 02:55
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paidlukkha
Lungfish have some characteristics similar to those of mammals, and in other ways they more closely resemble fish.

A and in other ways they more closely resemble fish
B and other similar to those of fish
C and some fish-like characteristics
D in addition to several fish characteristics
E and some characteristics similar as fish
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when we use 'and ' , i think both sides of and should be parallel. In that way , both sides of and should have clause. i think , 'B ' can not be the answer for this question.
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Lungfish have some characteristics similar to those of mammals 23 Jul 2019, 10:32
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This question is based on paralellism .
Observe the part of sentence before and
Lungfish have some characteristics similar to those of mammals

So after and the sentence should follow the same structure. Look at option B closely.
and other similar to those of fish
Here those clearly points to characteristics and the structure is also similar

So the correct option is B :)
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Lungfish have some characteristics similar to those of mammals 10 Dec 2019, 09:32
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Hi EducationAisle,
Would B still be better if D would say "in addition to several fish-like characteristics"?
Thanks!


EducationAisle
Hi Chetna, easiest way to eliminate D is the incorrect phrase fish characteristics. So, here fish is used as an adjective, modifying the noun characteristics.

The correct usage is: characteristics of fish.

For example, would you ever say:

In India. people color is generally brown.

Again, the issue with the above sentence is that people is used as an adjective, modifying the noun color. But this is absurd (one can have brown color, white color, black color, but one can't have people color).

The correct usage is:

In India. the color of people is generally brown.
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Lungfish have some characteristics similar to those of mammals 10 Dec 2019, 10:35
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mview

Would B still be better if D would say "in addition to several fish-like characteristics"?
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Hi! I would still prefer B.

Have often seen GMAT use this structure: some...., other....

Rather than: some...., in addition to...

Also, a completely new word several in D, while perhaps not entirely incorrect, is less preferable to option B.
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Lungfish have some characteristics similar to those of mammals 10 Dec 2019, 10:58
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I believe that "other" in answer B) is simply a typo. That should be "others" instead.

Imagine the following sentences:

1) Linda has some books written by women, and other written by men.

2) Some guys have all the luck; other have all the pain.

Sorry, folks, that's not English. Even a fifth-grader could tell you that. ;) "Other," when used as a noun, needs an s at the end in order to be plural.

Similarly, using "other" in answer B) makes zero sense. However, using "others" would make perfect sense.

Did this question really appear in the Official Guide? If so, what year? It seems to me as though this question has never been properly verified.

In fact, check out this question, which is almost a carbon copy:

https://gmatclub.com/forum/chimpanzees- ... -4917.html
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Lungfish have some characteristics similar to those of mammals 10 Dec 2019, 18:58
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Hi! believe that when the sentence says other, it means other (characteristics).

I agree that others would have been fine as well.

Would be interesting to see if someone can trace this question to an official source and post the correct version.
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Lungfish have some characteristics similar to those of mammals 11 Dec 2019, 00:35
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is this from official source. ?
sc is so difficult that we should learn from official source. other sources are for practice only
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