Next month, state wildlife officials are scheduled to take over the

Next month, state wildlife officials are scheduled to take over the job of increasing the wolf population in the federally designated recovery area, the number of which will however ultimately be dictated by the number of prey in the area.

This topic mostly tests the use of the conjugative adverb 'however'. For more reference visit <https://web.sonoma.edu/users/f/farahman/subpages/utilities/however.pdf>

A. area, the number of which will however - The adverb 'however', when interrupting a clause with the adverb however, use a comma before and after the adverb --, however,

B. area; the size of the population, however, will-- correctly done in this choice.

C. area, however the number of wolves will -- When you are writing a compound sentence, then use a semicolon before however- and a comma after --- area; however,

D. area; the number of which will, however, -- the clause after the semi-colon is not an IC. The number of which is equal to which.


E. area, when the size of the population will, however, --- When cannot be used to refer to a place
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Hello Everyone!

Let's take a closer look at this question, and find a quick way to narrow down the options so we can come to the correct answer! To begin, here is the original question, with any major differences between each option highlighted in orange:

Next month, state wildlife officials are scheduled to take over the job of increasing the wolf population in the federally designated recovery area, the number of which will however ultimately be dictated by the number of prey in the area.

A. area, the number of which will however
B. area; the size of the population, however, will
C. area, however the number of wolves will
D. area; the number of which will, however,
E. area, when the size of the population will, however,

After a quick glance over each option, it's clear that there are a lot of differences between each one. Here are the two major differences that jumped out at me as easy ways to knock off 2-3 answers at a time:

1. Proper punctuation with the word "however"
2. Modifier-antecedent agreement (using "the number of which" / "the size of the population" / "the number of wolves")

Since punctuation is often an easy place to start, let's tackle #1 on our list: using proper punctuation with the word "however." We commonly use this word in one of 3 ways:

However as an interjection = must use commas on both sides, and typically comes after the subject of a sentence/clause.
The new teacher, however, is lenient about using cell phones during class.

However at beginning of sentence = put a comma after the word however.
I don't mind that you wear shoes in the house. However, your sneakers scuffed my newly installed wood floors!

However as a conjunctive adverb = semicolon goes before it, and comma goes after it / both clauses are independent
She was a great piano player; however, she ended up with carpal tunnel syndrome a few years ago and had to quit.

Now that we know more about how to punctuate the word "however" correctly, let's see how each option stacks up:

A. area, the number of which will however --> WRONG
(This is an example of using "however" as an interjection. Therefore, it needs commas on both sides)

B. area; the size of the population, however, will --> OK

C. area, however the number of wolves will --> WRONG
(This is an example of using "however" as a conjunctive adverb. It must have a semicolon before and a comma after the word!)

D. area; the number of which will, however, --> OK

E. area, when the size of the population will, however, --> OK

We can eliminate options A & C because of punctuation errors.

Now that we're left with options B, D, and E, let's look more closely at any modifier-antecedent agreement issues:

B. area; the size of the population, however, will

This is CORRECT because it is clear that the size of the wolf population is dictated by how many prey are around. The punctuation also makes it clear these are two independent clauses being paired up because they tackle a similar topic.

D. area; the number of which will, however,

This is INCORRECT because the phrase "the number of which" sounds like it's referring to what's directly before it - the area. Earlier in the sentence, it says that the wildlife officials are increasing the wolf population in an already designated area, so we know the size of the area isn't changing! This sentence is wrong because it changes the meaning!

E. area, when the size of the population will, however,

This is INCORRECT because it changes the meaning of the original sentence! By saying "when," this sentence now states that the wildlife officials will only increase the population WHEN something happens? It doesn't work to say that here - they are increasing the population, and it will be based on the amount of prey available. They are not waiting for the wolf population to do anything BEFORE they take action, so this doesn't really make sense.

There you go - option B is the correct answer! It uses proper punctuation, and it doesn't distort the original meaning!


Don't study for the GMAT. Train for it.
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Next month, state wildlife officials are scheduled to take over the job of increasing the wolf population in the federally designated recovery area, the number of which will however ultimately be dictated by the number of prey in the area.

A. area, the number of which will however - Use of Comma to join two Independent clauses is incorrect. Moreover use of "The number" to modify POPULATION is incorrect
B. area; the size of the population, however, will - Correct since two Independent clauses are joined by semicolon
C. area, however the number of wolves will - Semi colon should be used before HOWEVER
D. area; the number of which will, however, - Use of "The number" to modify POPULATION is incorrect
E. area, when the size of the population will, however, - Why do we need to use WHEN

​​Next month, state wildlife officials are scheduled to take over the job of increasing the wolf population in the federally designated recovery area, the number of which will however ultimately be dictated by the number of prey in the area.

(A) area, the number of which will however
“Which” refers to the wolf population. But you cannot have the number of wolf population. It is either the number of wolves or the size of the wolf population. Eliminate.

(B) area; the size of the population, however, will
A semicolon is used to connect two independent clauses. The error in A has been corrected in option B.

(C) area, however the number of wolves will
The number of wolves is correct. However, we cannot use a comma to connect two independent clauses. “However” cannot be used as a conjunction to connect two independent clauses. Eliminate.

I was tired, however, I could not sleep- Incorrect.
I was tired. However, I could not sleep- correct.
I was tired; however, I could not sleep- correct.
I was tired but I could not sleep- correct. “But” is a conjunction and hence can be used as a connector.

(D) area; the number of which will, however,
Same as A. Eliminate.

(E) area, when the size of the population will, however,
“When” is incorrect as there is no reference to time. Eliminate.
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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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Next month, state wildlife officials are scheduled to take over the job of increasing the wolf population in the federally designated recovery area, the number of which will however ultimately be dictated by the number of prey in the area.

A. area, the number of which will however
--> which can not stand for wolf because wolf is singular and plays the role of an adjective.
B. area; the size of the population, however, will
C. area, however the number of wolves will
D. area; the number of which will, however,
--> which can not stand for wolf because wolf is singular and plays the role of an adjective.
E. area, when the size of the population will, however,

Hi mikemcgarry

I would to to ask if the phrase the number of wolf is correct? Is it mandatory to use plural form after the number of?

Many thanks for you great explanation!
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Yes, it is mandatory to use plural - "the number of wolf" is wrong because there are more than one wolves.

Hello Arpit/adkikani,

I am not sure if your doubt still persists. Here is the explanation nonetheless.

In Choice D, which CANNOT refer to the wolf population because then Choice D will have the phrase the number of the wolf population.

This expression is incorrect the population cannot have any number. Choice A has the same error.

We can say either the size of the wolf population or the number of wolves.


Hope this helps.
Thanks.
Shraddha
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seed,

You are correct. In C, "the number of wolves" is totally fine.

Next month, state wildlife officials are scheduled to take over the job of increasing the wolf population in the federally designated recovery area, the number of which will however ultimately be dictated by the number of prey in the area.

A. area, the number of which will however : 'which' incorrectly refers to area
B. area; the size of the population, however, will : Right. We can keep this one. The statement after the semicolon is independent and there is no incorrect reference of 'which' in this one.
C. area, however the number of wolves will : sounds incorrect. There should be a semicolon before however. Also, since the original statement talks about the population, it is better to refer to the wolf population after the punctuation , rather than the number of wolves. (though this would only be a preference , not a point of elimination)
D. area; the number of which will, however, : 'which' incorrectly refers to area
E. area, when the size of the population will, however, : Looks like the officials will take over the job only when the size of the population is determined by the prey in that area.

Answer : B

While it helps to understand how however is used, it's not strictly necessary if you're focusing on just looking at whether the sentences are complete, incomplete, or runon.

Consider first the use of the semicolon: In (B) it's used correctly, as there is a complete sentence on either side. But in (D), what's to the right of the semicolon isn't a complete sentence, so you can't use a semicolon. Next look at that same spot, but at the comma. Remember that commas can't have a complete sentence on either side of them unless they have one of the FANBOYS (for, and, nor, but or, yet, so). You can't eliminate (A) based on this rule, but you can eliminate (C) since "however" isn't a valid word to use to link sentences with a comma.

Eliminating (E) is a matter of looking at the word "when". Since when should be used to talk about time. And while we are talking about a count taking place next month, the effect of the prey population on the wolf population doesn't happen next month. That's just illogical, so (E) is also out. For (A), you have a modifier containing the word "which". Whenever you see the word "which," that modifier needs to be right next to what it's modifying to prevent an illogical meaning. Notice that the modifier "the number of which" is right next to "area". This is illogical! You should be talking about the number of wolves, not the number of area.

So all in all, no, you don't need to know how to use 'however' here.

Hey!
Next month, state wildlife officials are scheduled to take over the job of increasing the wolf population in the federally designated recovery area, the number of which will however ultimately be dictated by the number of prey in the area.

'the number of which' does not modify 'wolf population'. If it does, according to you, how can the sentence mean number of population? Population is uncountable noun. Option A would go wrong because there are two independent clauses and they are joined by a mere comma. Independent clauses can be joined by a semi colon. Independent clauses must stand for itself. So option A, C and E can be cancelled out.

In option D, the wordings are same as option A except for the usage of semi colon and comma. The phrase "a number of which" should only be used directly after the noun that "which" is modifying: "... wolves, a number of which..." and in option A & D, 'which' refers to area. Totally distorts the meaning.

Option B, which I believe is the answer, firstly uses semicolon to separate independent causes, and no incorrect reference of 'which' and most importantly, the reference of wolf population as 'size of population' is correct unlike other options which said number of population.

Hope it helps!

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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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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C. area, however the number of wolves will

So the reason for eliminating C is 1) the two independent clause joined by ',' and 2) usage of however. Correct?

I see the usage of 'The number of wolves' is correct in C and that's why I picked it ignoring the above two reasons to eliminate it.

"Which" always refers to the noun immediately preceding it. In the case of 'D', it refers to "area" and not the wolf population, hence you can eliminate this.

We can't say "the number of population". Correct phrase is "the size of population".

Also, we need a comma to separate "however" from rest of the sentence


A. area, the number of which will however

B. area; the size of the population, however, will

C. area, however the number of wolves will

D. area; the number of which will, however,

E. area, when the size of the population will, however,
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The which should refer to the entire noun phrase in that kind of construction.

Indian food, which is very spicy...

Here, the which clearly refers to Indian food, and the sentence is not trying to say either that Indian is spicy or that food (generally) is spicy. I can't think of an exception to this.

In something like the ingredients of the dish, which... the which can point to either dish alone or the ingredients of the dish.
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Next month (modifies the main subject following comma), state wildlife officials (main subject) are scheduled (main verb) 'to take over the job of increasing the wolf population' (this sentence modifies main verb) 'in the federally designated recovery area' (this sentence modifies increasing the wolf population), 'the number of which' (dependent clause modifying area) will however ultimately 'be dictated' (verb) by the number of prey in the area.

Understanding meaning of a sentence would clear 50% of everyone's doubt in SC questions. So the paragraph states that some officials scheduled to takeover a job to handle the growing wolf population in some areas. However, the size of the population will ultimately be determined by the number of prey in the area.

Being able to spot an independent clause and a dependent clause is key to identifying the type of sentence. An independent clause contains a subject and a predicate and makes sense by itself. Independent clauses can be joined either by using a semicolon or by using a comma followed by a coordinating conjunction (and, but, or, etc.).

I have tried to answer your doubts below your questions:



Hope it helps!