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27 May 2021, 22:57
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E
Be sure to select an answer first to save it in the Error Log before revealing the correct answer (OA)!
Difficulty:
15%
(low)
Question Stats:
77% (01:29) correct
23%
(01:40)
wrong
based on 301
sessions
History
Date
Time
Result
Not Attempted Yet
Manipulating ecosystems to wipe out disease-carrying mosquitoes seems like a good way to eradicate malaria overnight, an idea whose benefits outweigh their environmental costs.
A) to wipe out disease-carrying mosquitoes seems like a good way to eradicate malaria overnight, an idea whose benefits outweigh their
B) to wipe out disease-carrying mosquitoes seem to be a good way to eradicate malaria overnight, an idea whose benefits outweigh its
C) that wipe out disease-carrying mosquitoes seems to be a good way to eradicate malaria overnight, whose benefits outweigh its
D) to wipe out disease-carrying mosquitoes seem like a good way of eradicating malaria overnight is an idea whose benefits outweigh their
E) to wipe out disease-carrying mosquitoes seems to be a good way to eradicate malaria overnight, an idea whose benefits outweigh its
27 May 2021, 23:01
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OFFICIAL EXPLANATION
THE PROMPT
Manipulating ecosystems to wipe out disease-carrying mosquitoes
(1) seems to be a good way to eradicate malaria quickly, and
(2) [is] an idea whose benefits outweigh its environmental costs
• Structure of this sentence?
Let's look at the part at the end and correct a pronoun error: "an idea whose benefits outweigh its environmental costs."
→ That whole thing is called a summative modifier.
The writer makes up a word (usually a noun phrase) that "summarizes" or encapsulates the idea expressed in the previous clause (hence "summative").
This noun phrase describes the noun-thing that happened in the previous clause and gives more detail about that clause.
A summative modifier is a special kind of appositive.
→ Why am I talking about this issue even though it is not a decision point?
GMAC likes to test these summative modifiers.
They are integral to sophisticated prose.
If you see a strange-looking modifier (or bunch of words that appear to be "tacked on" to the sentence), check to see whether that modifier or that bunch of words uses a noun phrase to capture the idea expressed in the previous clause.
→ in this case, "an idea" refers to the fact that manipulating ecosystems to wipe out disease-carrying mosquitoes seems to be a good way to eliminate malaria quickly.
THE OPTIONS
→ what thing has benefits and costs? An idea.
→ an idea is singular. Its benefits outweigh ITS costs. (Not their.)
That is, the plural their cannot refer back to the singular idea
ELIMINATE A
→ The singular subject manipulating ecosystems requires the singular verb seems (not seem).
ELIMINATE B
→ With the full sentence, we have
Manipulating ecosystems that wipe out disease-carrying mosquitoes
→ The ecosystems themselves do not wipe out the mosquitoes.
• what does whose refer to?
I suppose we could argue that the only logical candidate is manipulating ecosystems.
That whose is a long way from the noun it allegedly describes; noun modifiers should be as close as possible to their nouns.
The meaning problem, above, is fatal. This one is harder to analyze. Pick one error and move on.
ELIMINATE C
→ The singular subject manipulating ecosystems requires the singular verb seems (not seem).
• noun/pronoun disagreement
The benefits of the idea outweigh the costs of the idea, requiring the singular its to refer to the singular idea.
ELIMINATE D
• the singular verb seems is correctly paired with its singular subject, "manipulating ecosystems to wipe out disease-carrying mosquitoes."
(Gerund clauses -- verbING clauses in which the verbING acts as a noun -- are always singular.)
• the pronoun usage is correct.
→ the idea's benefits (its benefits) outweigh the idea's (its ideas) environmental costs.
The answer is E.
COMMENTS
We have a nice collection of veterans and newcomers, all of whom wrote answers with good analysis.
Keep up the good work.
Kudos to all.
Project SC Butler: Sentence Correction (SC2)
THE PROMPT
Quote:
Manipulating ecosystems to wipe out disease-carrying mosquitoes seems like a good way to eradicate malaria overnight, an idea whose benefits outweigh their environmental costs.
• Meaning?Manipulating ecosystems to wipe out disease-carrying mosquitoes
(1) seems to be a good way to eradicate malaria quickly, and
(2) [is] an idea whose benefits outweigh its environmental costs
• Structure of this sentence?
Let's look at the part at the end and correct a pronoun error: "an idea whose benefits outweigh its environmental costs."
→ That whole thing is called a summative modifier.
The writer makes up a word (usually a noun phrase) that "summarizes" or encapsulates the idea expressed in the previous clause (hence "summative").
This noun phrase describes the noun-thing that happened in the previous clause and gives more detail about that clause.
A summative modifier is a special kind of appositive.
→ Why am I talking about this issue even though it is not a decision point?
GMAC likes to test these summative modifiers.
They are integral to sophisticated prose.
If you see a strange-looking modifier (or bunch of words that appear to be "tacked on" to the sentence), check to see whether that modifier or that bunch of words uses a noun phrase to capture the idea expressed in the previous clause.
→ in this case, "an idea" refers to the fact that manipulating ecosystems to wipe out disease-carrying mosquitoes seems to be a good way to eliminate malaria quickly.
THE OPTIONS
Quote:
A) to wipe out disease-carrying mosquitoes seems like a good way to eradicate malaria overnight, an idea whose benefits outweigh their
• noun/pronoun disagreement→ what thing has benefits and costs? An idea.
→ an idea is singular. Its benefits outweigh ITS costs. (Not their.)
That is, the plural their cannot refer back to the singular idea
ELIMINATE A
Quote:
B) to wipe out disease-carrying mosquitoes seem to be a good way to eradicate malaria overnight, an idea whose benefits outweigh its
• subject-verb agreement→ The singular subject manipulating ecosystems requires the singular verb seems (not seem).
ELIMINATE B
Quote:
C) that wipe out disease-carrying mosquitoes seems to be a good way to eradicate malaria overnight, whose benefits outweigh its
• that creates a nonsensical sentence→ With the full sentence, we have
Manipulating ecosystems that wipe out disease-carrying mosquitoes
→ The ecosystems themselves do not wipe out the mosquitoes.
• what does whose refer to?
I suppose we could argue that the only logical candidate is manipulating ecosystems.
That whose is a long way from the noun it allegedly describes; noun modifiers should be as close as possible to their nouns.
The meaning problem, above, is fatal. This one is harder to analyze. Pick one error and move on.
ELIMINATE C
Quote:
D) to wipe out disease-carrying mosquitoes seem like a good way of eradicating malaria overnight is an idea whose benefits outweigh their
• subject-verb agreement→ The singular subject manipulating ecosystems requires the singular verb seems (not seem).
• noun/pronoun disagreement
The benefits of the idea outweigh the costs of the idea, requiring the singular its to refer to the singular idea.
ELIMINATE D
Quote:
E) to wipe out disease-carrying mosquitoes seems to be a good way to eradicate malaria overnight, an idea whose benefits outweigh its
• I do not see any errors• the singular verb seems is correctly paired with its singular subject, "manipulating ecosystems to wipe out disease-carrying mosquitoes."
(Gerund clauses -- verbING clauses in which the verbING acts as a noun -- are always singular.)
• the pronoun usage is correct.
→ the idea's benefits (its benefits) outweigh the idea's (its ideas) environmental costs.
The answer is E.
COMMENTS
We have a nice collection of veterans and newcomers, all of whom wrote answers with good analysis.
Keep up the good work.
Kudos to all.
27 May 2021, 23:16
Kudos
Bookmarks
My answer is (E). It took me 01:21.
(A) "their environmental costs" should be "its environmental costs"; "its" refers tp "an idea".
(B) "seem" should be "seems" because the subject "Manipulating ecosystems to wipe out disease-carrying mosquitoes" is singular.
(C) (1) "whose benefits" = "malaria's benefits" is nonsensical. (2) "that wipe out" modifies "ecosystems", but we do not have such ecosystems to manipulate.
(D) Not a sentence. There are two verbs: seem like & "is".
Also, see (A) and (B).
(A) "their environmental costs" should be "its environmental costs"; "its" refers tp "an idea".
(B) "seem" should be "seems" because the subject "Manipulating ecosystems to wipe out disease-carrying mosquitoes" is singular.
(C) (1) "whose benefits" = "malaria's benefits" is nonsensical. (2) "that wipe out" modifies "ecosystems", but we do not have such ecosystems to manipulate.
(D) Not a sentence. There are two verbs: seem like & "is".
Also, see (A) and (B).
