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09 May 2017, 23:18
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yt770
Hi yt770
Please find below my comments:
1. When you join two independent clauses that tend to present contrasting pieces of information, you use "comma +but". However, it does NOT mean that this is the only use of "comma + but". But is a connector/conjunction that has many uses. For instance, take a look at the following sentence:
The play is good, but not that good.
The above sentence is a shortened version of a sentence taken from https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/but. Of course it is not a GMAT like sentence, but the focus is on the use of "but" here. Essentially, the author has made a statement (The play is good) and then qualified it by using the "but" portion (but not that good). Such constructions are absolutely logical and grammatical. Nothing wrong with them.
2. As regards choice B in the Official Question, please check it from a meaning standpoint. So, let's take a look at the whole sentence this choice forms and compare it with the meaning given by the original choice:
A. Medicare, the United States government's health insurance program for the elderly and disabled, covers the full cost of
home health care, but not with other nonhospital services where 20 percent of the costs must be paid by beneficiaries.
As you can see, it is quite clear that from this section "where 20 percent of the costs must be paid by beneficiaries" in the underlined portion, the author intends to give us more information about the other non-hospital services. The author wants to convey that for these services the beneficiaries must pay 20% of the costs. So, if the costs for these other non-hospital services to a beneficiary is $100, then the beneficiary must pay $20 from his/her own pocket. (I have assumed that there is no ambiguity in your understanding of the meaning of the non-underlined section; however, please do let me know if you need more clarity on the same). However, does this connection come out clearly in choice B? Not at all. Why is that the case? Let's take a look at choice B now:
B. Medicare, the United States government's health insurance program for the elderly and disabled, covers the full cost of
home health care, but not of other nonhospital services, making beneficiaries pay 20 percent of the costs.
Now, as you have written in your reply, you considered the "but not of other nonhospital services" a part of the previous clause. Fair enough. Let's go with that understanding and see how "making beneficiaries pay 20 percent of the costs" adds to the meaning.
Essentially, we end up with the following structure:
Some insurance program covers the full cost of one type of services in a group, but not of the other services in the group, making beneficiaries pay 20 percent of the costs.
So, if we take "making beneficiaries pay 20 percent of the costs" to modify the previous clause, we end up saying that because the program covers full cost of X, but not of Y, beneficiaries pay 20% of the costs. My question to you is, which costs are being talked about at the end? Is it clear that we are talking only about the "other non-hospital services"?
You can also think of it this way, is it because the full-cost of home-services is covered (but not of other services) that the beneficiaries pay an amount? Does the action denoted by "cover" account for part, if not full, of the reason that the beneficiaries need to pay the 20%? This does not make much logical sense, right?
It is for the above reasons that Choice B fails to give a clear, logical meaning.
Hope the above analysis helps!
Cheers!
10 May 2017, 05:48
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yt770
1. COMMA+ BUT can also be used for Idioms: NOT X, BUT Y. Option C is such an usage (X, BUT NOT Y)
2. Although many good guides state that the comma+ present participle modifier modifies the entire previous clause, technically this modifier is a verb modifier, referring the verb (action) of the previous clause. This conceptual clarity would help sort out quite a few issues as the one you stated.
03 Jan 2019, 12:51
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rohansherry
GMATNinja
Hi, I watched your videos on SC and they got me thinking ... whether in B, D, and E "the costs" relate the costs that are really intended here. I think "the costs" refer back to "the full cost of home health care" - are they? I mean that such a meaning doesn't make sense, but to me the structure seems to imply that. You may also wonder why I don't think that the same is true for A and C. Honestly, I don't have a strong case. For C, I guess that that modifier "for which" connects the idea that we're talking about the costs for nonhospital services. As for A, not sure.
Thanks
