Organized in 1966 by the Fish and Wildlife Service, the Breeding Bird

I chose C for this problem. Let me try to explain the difference between B and C:

b) population changes of ----> the noun here is "changes", so it's wrong to say "changes of" is wrong because not idiomatic
c) changes in the populations of -----> "populations of" is idiomatic

hope this helps

C


(A) for monitoring of population changes of as many as, or of
(B) to monitor population changes of as many, or
(C) to monitor changes in the populations of
(D) that monitors population changes of
(E) that monitors changes in populations of as many as, or

D and E are incorrect because the routes don't do the monitoring.

In GMAT.... as many as or more is not correct and hence GMAT gives you the liberty to correct this....! Refer Manhattan SC Guide...

I stumbled upon this golden post in MGMAT.
https://www.manhattanprep.com/gmat/foru ... 17266.html

It says - as many as would imply less than or equal to 250 whereas more than would imply greater than 250. Thus, A is not saying anything. Therefore the original sentence is illogical!

egmat

Can you clarify why option d and e are wrong. I understand that the "to+verb" is used to express purpose but some of the posts here mention that the "that" seems to refer to routes. However "that" is a singular pronoun and as such can only refer to the survey.

@daagh : please check, whether "changes in populations of" is correct.

Hello IIMC,


I am not sure of you still have the same doubt. Here is my two cents nonetheless.

The expression changes in the populations of has been used in the correct answer choice of the said official sentence. This means that it is a correct expression.

The word populations has been used to refer to population of more than 250 bird bird species, each species having individual population.


Thanks.
Shraadha

Hello rishi02,


I know this a very old doubt. However, the reply may just help someone who may have the similar doubt.


When that is used as a relative pronoun modifier to modify the preceding noun entity, it can modify both singular and plural noun entity. When used just as a pronoun to refer to a noun or a pronoun in the sentence, that acts as singular pronoun and as such refers only to a singular noun entity.


In the official sentence in discussion, that has been used as the noun modifier in Choices D and E.

In both these choices, that is meant to modify the noun entity annual roadside counts along established routes. So essentially, that modifies the plural noun annual roadside counts**. Hence it must take plural verb. But in Choices D and E, that takes singular verb monitors. Hence, we do have SV number agreement error here.



** Here, we see the case of far-away noun modification by the noun modifier that that modifies the noun entity placed a bit far-away from the modifier. This is absolutely correct modification. How this modification works has been covered in great details in our very popular article named Noun Modifiers can modify a slightly far-away Noun in the following link:
https://gmatclub.com/forum/noun-modifiers-can-modify-slightly-far-away-noun-135868.html



Hope this helps.
Thanks.
Shraddha

Since monitors is followed by 'that' in choice D, I'm sure that 'that' is not referring to routes. From the meaning point of view it is clear that it is the Breeding Bird Survey that's monitoring the changes in the populations of 250 bird species.

How can 'that' jump over a verb 'uses'. Is this the reason that this choice is incorrect ?

Please help me with the reason for eliminating choice D. generis

Posted from my mobile device

RashedVai , you wrote

True. But that IS referring to counts.
Counts are tallies.

In the noun phrase annual roadside counts along established routes, the main noun is counts.
-- Annual and roadside are adjectives.
Every year on the side of the road, machines or people conduct (take) counts of birds.
-- along established routes is a prepositional modifier of counts that tells us where these counts (tallies) are located.

Careful. The Breeding Bird Survey is not itself a monitoring device.
How does the Breeding Bird Survey actually DO the monitoring?
You missed the word uses.
. . . the Breeding Bird Survey uses [annual roadside counts along . . ]

X uses Y to Z.
-- The BB Survey uses counts to monitor birds.


The word "that" does not jump over any verb.
That refers to counts.

Verbs such as use require an object. ("transitive verb")
Wrong: To monitor species, the Bird Survey uses.
Correct: To monitor species, the Bird Survey uses counts (tally systems).

Here is (D) in the sentence:
Organized in 1966 by the Fish and Wildlife Service, the Breeding Bird Survey uses annual roadside COUNTS [PLURAL] along established routes that monitors [SINGULAR] population changes of more than 250 bird species, including 180 songbirds.

Count is rarely a noun except in phrases such as head count.
Counts, plural, may sound even more strange in its noun form.
Counts are tallies—action nouns.

We might not know that counts is a noun.
But it cannot be a verb; it has no subject, and we need a direct object for uses.

Hence we know that somewhere between uses and that, there must be a noun.
Uses requires an object, a something.
That is a pronoun that refers to a noun.

The Bird Survey uses
annual roadside counts along established routes
to monitor bird species.

The word counts is plural.
That refers to counts.
That is a relative pronoun, similar to who.

The verb in a relative [pronoun] clause must always agree with the antecedent of the relative pronoun.
-- That monitors is incorrect. The verb monitors is singular and does not agree with plural counts.
-- Wrong: Counts that monitors. Subject verb disagreement.
-- Correct: Counts that monitor.

Eliminate D on the basis of subject/verb disagreement.

The right idiom to follow here would be ‘use X to … Y’

At a glance, you can see that only Options B and C stick to this idiom.

Eliminate Options A, D and E.

Option B uses the wrong structure with ‘as many, or more’. Eliminate.

Option C is concise and clear. It uses the right expression.

Option C is the best choice.

Hope this helps!

(A) for monitoring of population changes of as many as, or of
(1) idiom error: “the BBS uses…counts…for monitoring…”

(B) to monitor population changes of as many, or
(1) “as many, or” this should be “as many as…”

(C) to monitor changes in the populations of
best option

(D) that monitors population changes of
(1) SV agreement error: “monitors” should be “monitor” to agree with the plural “counts”

(E) that monitors changes in populations of as many as, or
(1) SV agreement error: “monitors” should be “monitor” to agree with the plural “counts”

Even if we correct the error of SVA, the sentence with that ( D & E ) will still be wrong. There should be human beings to monitor something. Monitoring can not be done with counts/things.