A cannot be correct because amounting... Is a fragment not sentence.
And why D is correct because, it is the increase which should be || and it is parallel.

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daagh

Thanks.
I could eliminate answer choices with "which' immediately. But, I am trying to understand the modifier rule here using the correct answer choices of similar questions.
There is no term 'merger' ; I referred about the phenomenon of merger in the question.
Coming to the point :
If
One automobile manufacturer has announced plans to increase the average fuel efficiency of its sport utility vehicles by 25 percent over the next five years, amounting to roughly five miles per gallon....
is incorrect because 'amounting' does not aptly modify manufacturer(but 'increase the average fuel efficiency') i.e participle modifier can modify the result of prev clause and apply to subject of the clause.
Then, how
The two oil companies agreed to merge their refining and marketing operations in the Midwest and the West, forming a new company that would control ....
can be correct? 'forming' is not the result of 'the two companies agreed' but the result of 'merge their...'

I just wanted to understand that can the participle modifier ( after comma) work this way i.e without applying to the subject of last clause.
Eliminations help me to get the answer right but i want to understand the rule.

Sumi

Let's look at it. An increase amounting to five miles per gallon is not a universal factor. It is a goal in the context because the idea is still at the nascent phase. The goal will differ from manufacturer to manufacturer and from the type of vehicle-to-vehicle. Therefore, to get at what amounts to five miles per gallon, one must correlate it with the manufacturer, the manufacturer's goal, and the intended type of vehicle. One cannot leave out any single factor. That is the reason the adverbial modifiers are required to modify the entire previous clause.
In the second example, the merger itself is the result of the two companies wanting to unite. Forming a new company is not the result of a merger, but a specific outcome of the two companies' way of operating going forward.
The take-away: Adverbial modifiers do modify the entire previous clause and because when we say a clause, it includes the subject. There is no way one can ignore the subject's connection in adverbial modifier either by chance or by choice.
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daagh

.

Following your reasoning, adverbial modifiers are required for "One automobile manufacturer has announced plans to increase the average fuel efficiency of its sport utility vehicles by 25 percent over the next five years,.....".
I don't see any other reason why (A)amounting to roughly five miles per gallon, and representing is incorrect except it has ",and". Comma is not required. It will be very difficult to eliminate a choice based on punctuation (,) during exam hours.

Option D could be much better if it were written as below. However, it is best choice among given options.
(D) an increase that would amount to roughly five miles per gallon and that would represent

gvij2017
No, the parallelism should not be an issue in (D) an increase that would amount to roughly five miles per gallon and (that) would represent... "that" in the beginning of the sentence is understood for latter as well.
(that) in latter case is optional.

However, I want to understand if adverbial modifier in (A) is incorrect just because of a comma (before and) or there is any other reason.

I will try to answer:
1. "verb-ing + comma" can modify the clause in two ways - the resultant verb-ing must represent either the result or the how aspect of the previous clause.
In this case, the verb-ing represents the result - "forming a new company" is the result of the two companies agreeing to merge.
The "verb-ing" is not modifying "merger". Rather it is modifying "two companies agreed".

I hope that clears your doubt!

aniket16c
Thanks.
The same was explained by daagh too on my query for this particular question.
However, the same logic should work in below sentence too.
One automobile manufacturer has announced plans to increase the average fuel efficiency of its sport utility vehicles by 25 percent over the next five years,amounting to roughly five miles per gallon, and representing the first significant change in the fuel efficiency of any class of passenger vehicle in almost two decades.

Why is (A) wrong here?

Ron (MGMAT) quotes - Punctuation (comma) is not tested in GMAT, then what else is wrong in A?

egmat can you please take up this one? I don't understand how to eliminate A. I mean D sure sounds better than A, but still don't have a concrete explanation to eliminate A.

Thanks!

Hi GMATGuruNY,

One automobile manufacturer has announced plans to increase the average fuel efficiency of its sport utility vehicles by 25 percent over the next five years, amounting to roughly five miles per gallon, and representing the first significant change in the fuel efficiency of any class of passenger vehicle in almost two decades.

(A) amounting to rougly five miles per gallon, and representing
(B) amounting to rougly five miles per gallon, and it would represent
(C) an increase that would amount to roughly five miles per gallon and it would represent
(D) an increase that would amount to roughly five miles per gallon and would represent
(E) which is an increase amounting to roughly five miles per gallon, representing


Request your help to understand whether both Present participle modifier (amounting and representing) to convey result of preceding action "to increase"
and
Noun Modifier (an increase) are correct in the context of this sentence, other errors aside.

My reasoning is that ing is incorrect because:
1) plans for any one to increase - not necessarily the manufacturer. Indirect doer i.e. doer of increase not clear.
In this it would be helpful if you help with the role of "to increase"
If its an adjective modifying plans then => plans for anyone to increase (anyone is subject)
If its an adverb infinitive of purpose then => manufacturer is the implied subject. (In this case this reason for ing being incorrect is not valid).

2) Also the cause has not occurred yet for the effect to occur as represented by ING.

Can you help with this question.

TIA

One automobile manufacturer has announced plans to increase the average fuel efficiency of its sport utility vehicles, amounting to roughly five miles per gallon.

Here, to increase serves as an adjective modifying plans.
Question: What KINDS of plans?
Answer: plans TO INCREASE the average fuel efficiency

Since to increase is an adjective, COMMA + amounting seems to refer to the portion in green -- the preceding subject and verb -- implying that the MANUFACTURER was AMOUNTING.
This meaning is nonsensical.
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i got the below excerpt from the forum. Ron says that , squinting describes the action of leaning and leaning in this case is adjective. Watchmaker is the subject and is leaning.
As per your quote above I get that to increase is adjective and the ing doesn't apply to "to increase" in its adjective form.
Is it because plans to increase has no Subject as plans is the implied object of increase. Some one will use to the plan to increase.

Quote"
- I peeked into the workshop and saw the master watchmaker leaning over the table, squinting at the tiny parts of an old Rolex.
Ron: here, comma + "squinting..." describes the action of "leaning over the table".
"leaning" isn't technically a verb, but it still represents an action (and is ultimately derived from a verb).
Once again, comma + squinting is not referring to the subject of the sentence “I” and its action “peeked” or “saw”, but referring to the nearest action “squinting” and its performer “the master watchmaker”."

Also in the below question one of the answer choices as quoted.
Many house builders offer rent-to-buy programs, which enables a family with insufficient savings for a conventional down payment to move into new housing, applying part of the rent to a purchase later.

Does applying modify "to move" or offer ?

Thank You Sir.!

Generally, COMMA + VERBing refers to the nearest preceding action that has an EXPLICIT GRAMMATICAL AGENT.
In the green portion above, leaning is provided an explicit grammatical agent: the master watchmaker.
As a result, COMMA + squinting refers to the portion in green, conveying the following meaning.
When the watchmaker was LEANING, he simultaneously was SQUINTING.



Here, to move has an explicit grammatical agent: a family.
As a result, COMMA + applying refers to the green portion above, conveying the following meaning:
When A FAMILY is enabled TO MOVE, the family will simultaneously be APPLYING part of the rent.



Here, to increase is not given an explicit grammatical agent.
As a result, COMMA + amounting seems to refer not to the infinitive in red but to the preceding portion in green.
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