AjiteshArun
Hello,
I can't figure out why the right side (the size of the population, however, will...in the area) is not the independent clause! Could you clarify, please?
Thanks__
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Hi TheUltimateWinner,

I'm sure you've already gone through the post just above yours. If we're looking for another way to approach this, we could always fall on back on "sound", and check whether that part of the sentence sounds like a complete sentence.

The number of which will be dictated by {something}. ← The of which makes it very hard to read this as a complete sentence. This construction needs a noun before it.

Keep in mind that the of which does not refer to the number. Instead, there should be something else, of which the number will be dictated.
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Both (B) and (C) look fine, but (C) is more clearer in clearing the ambiguity. The "population" can be of the "officials" or "wolves"?

Hello, lakshya14. Although (C) does clarify what, exactly, is being counted, it incorrectly places a comma before however where a semicolon ought to be, thereby creating a comma splice. Yes, however is a transition word that can take either a semicolon or a comma before it, but the comma version is only used to interrupt a single clause. Compare:

1) Mr. Jones forbade his students from texting in class; however, he felt it would be okay to do so personally while his students were taking a test.

2) Mr. Jones forbade his students from texting in class; he, however, felt it would be okay to do so personally while his students were taking a test.

In addition, since the wolf population is mentioned earlier in the sentence in the non-underlined portion, a subsequent reference to the population can be understood to apply to the wolves rather than the officials, especially since the wolf population falls closer to the potentially ambiguous element.

I hope that helps clarify the issue. (B) is a much stronger answer in the end.

- Andrew
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AndrewN
Can you post about how to identify IC and DC i usually misses this thing that's why i was confused between option B and C
Thought however is used with DC only and chose option C
Need help on this issue

Posted from my mobile device

Hello, saby1410. You have to be careful not to be overzealous about adhering to or, especially, creating so-called rules. To identify an independent clause, you need to be able to spot a subject, something that either is a noun or that acts in the capacity of a noun, and a verb. Certain verbs require an object to function—e.g., I fixed is not a sentence, but I fixed the mower is fine—while other verbs do not. Concerning however specifically, the majority of the time, it is used to either introduce an independent clause or interrupt one as part of a contrasting element. My post just about yours illustrates two ways in which however functions in this manner. There are certain cases in which however can be used to introduce a dependent clause or phrase, but such cases are rare, and offhand, I cannot think of any I have seen in official GMAT™ material. An example might be, However infrequently seen, the moose is not exactly a unicorn in the woodlands of Canada.

Keep an eye on the subject and verb of a sentence, and many SC questions will seem easier to you. I hope that helps with your query. Thank you for thinking to ask.

- Andrew
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dear AndrewN,
I am curious about the number of wolves will be dictated in C, is it correct ?

Hello, zoezhuyan. Let me put it this way: The number [of something] will be dictated by [something] is not incorrect. It is a passive construct, of course, but that is a matter of stylistic preference, and besides, all five iterations of the sentence in this question adhere to the same form. (C) can be eliminated for other reasons that have been discussed in earlier posts, my own included, but not because of anything inherently wrong with the clause in question. (We are allowed to count individual wolves or an entire population of them.)

- Andrew
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Do connectors like For, and , but, or, yet, so need to be preceded by a comma ?

Hi Aditi, when these connectors are used to connect two Independent clauses, they should be preceded by a comma.

Having said that, the presence or absence of comma in such instances should not be the sole reason to pick/eliminate an answer choice.
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Hello aditijain1507,

We hope this finds you well.

To answer your query, "and", "but", "or", and "yet" are conjunctions, meaning they must be preceded by a comma when they are used to join independent clauses and when they are used to introduce the last element in a list of more than two elements. "for" can be used as a preposition and as conjunction; when it is used as a conjunction, the same rules apply, however, "for" is typically not used to introduce elements in a list.

We hope this helps.
All the best!
Experts' Global Team
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nope, not always, actually there're quite a few exceptions have shown in official problems.

D) has the problem with `which`,
It has 2 contenders 1) Officials 2) Wolves, that is why the confusion.

Dear Friends,

Here is a detailed explanation to this question-



Meaning is crucial to solving this problem:
Understanding the intended meaning is key to solving this question; the intended core meaning of this sentence is that state wildlife officials are scheduled to take over the job of increasing the wolf population in the federally designated recovery area, but the size of the population will ultimately be dictated by the number of prey in the area.

Concepts tested here: Meaning + Modifiers + Grammatical Construction

• "who/whose/whom/which/where", when preceded by a comma, refer to the noun just before the comma.
• A comma cannot join two independent clauses; such usage leads to the error of comma splice; to correct this error, the comma must be replaced with a semicolon or comma followed by a conjunction such as "and", "but" etc.
• “when” is used to refer to a point in time.

A: This answer choice incorrectly modifies “the federally designated recovery area” with “the number of which”, illogically implying that the number of the federally designated recovery area will ultimately be dictated by the number of prey in the area; the intended meaning is that the size of the wolf population will ultimately be dictated by the number of prey in the area; please remember, "who/whose/whom/which/where", when preceded by a comma, refer to the noun just before the comma.

B: Correct. This answer choice avoids the modification error seen in Option A, as it does not use the “comma + which” construction; Option B uses the phrase “the size of the population, however, will”, conveying the intended meaning – that state wildlife officials are scheduled to take over the job of increasing the wolf population in the federally designated recovery area, but the size of the population will ultimately be dictated by the number of prey in the area. Additionally, Option B correctly uses a semicolon to join the independent clauses “state wildlife officials are scheduled to take over...recovery area” and “the size of the population, however, will…area”.

C: This answer choice incorrectly uses a comma to join the independent clauses “state wildlife officials are scheduled to take over...recovery area” and “however, the number of wolves will…area”; please remember, a comma cannot join two independent clauses; such usage leads to the error of comma splice; to correct this error, the comma must be replaced with semicolon or comma followed by a conjunction such as "and", "but" etc.

D: This answer choice alters the meaning of the sentence through the phrase “the number of which will”; the construction of this phrase leads to an incoherent meaning, as there is no logical referent for the pronoun phrase “the number of which”; the intended meaning is that the size of the wolf population will ultimately be dictated by the number of prey in the area.

E: This answer choice alters the meaning of the sentence through the phrase “when the size of the population will”; the use of “when” incorrectly implies that state wildlife officials are scheduled to take over the job of increasing the wolf population in the federally designated recovery area, at the time when the size of the population will ultimately be dictated by the number of prey in the area; the intended meaning is that state wildlife officials are scheduled to take over the job of increasing the wolf population in the federally designated recovery area, but the size of the population will ultimately be dictated by the number of prey in the area; please remember, “when” is used to refer to a point in time.

Hence, B is the best answer choice.

To understand the concept of "Which", "Who", "Whose", and "Where" on GMAT, you may want to watch the following video (~1 minute):



To understand the concept of "Comma Splices" and "Run-ons" on GMAT, you may want to watch the following video (~6 minutes):



All the best!
Experts' Global Team
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Errors:

1. "which" is a Noun-Modifier. Must always refer to closest Noun possible.
"the number of which" ... It seems to refer to "wolf", but wolf is an adjective to "population". "the number of wolf population" does not seems logical.

Eliminate A and D.

2. "however" is not a conjunction or sub-ordinator. It cant start a new clause just with a comma.

Option C - run on sentence.

3. "when the size of population...." it does not make any sense with previous clause.
",when..." is an adverbial modifier. must modify the verb of previous clause.
"wildlife official are scheduled ....., when the size of population..." .... does not make any sense to me.

4. in option D, "; the number of which..." its not an IC. So usage of ";" is wrong. Semicolon is used to separate two IC, beside other usages.