Suryanshi wrote:
In Option D, Isn't "including" working as a present participle ? and as per that rule, it would be modifying subject of the previous tense which is "female cowbirds" and that would be wrond.
In Option C, "those" clearly refers to the noun "nests" and hence clarifies the meaning.
Hence, Answer should be option C.
Assumption-: I am assuming the intended meaning of the sentence is that female cowbirds lay eggs in the nests of other birds and those nests could be of warblers, vireos, flycatchers... etc.
Please clarify where I am going wrong with this.
Hello,
Suryanshi. Your query reminds me of something
GMATNinja often says in his SC posts, namely that you sometimes have to read each part with a literal interpretation, at face value, rather than with your mind already made up. My take on each of the following below:
AbdurRakib wrote:
Unable to build nests or care for their young, a female cowbird lays up to 40 eggs a year in the nests of other birds, including warblers, vireos, flycatchers, and thrushes.
(A) a female cowbird lays up to 40 eggs a year in the nests of other birds, including
Analysis: What is a singular
female cowbird doing as the subject of the main clause when the possessive pronoun
their is used immediately before? This option will not work.
AbdurRakib wrote:
(B) a female cowbird will use the nests of other birds to lay up to 40 eggs a year, including those of
Analysis: I struck this one at about the same time as option (A), not even bothering to read beyond the first three words.
AbdurRakib wrote:
(C) female cowbirds use the nests of other birds to lay up to 40 eggs a year, including those of
Analysis: People talk this way all the time, and I cannot argue that your interpretation is incorrect. The problem is that, taken in a literal sense,
those of could also refer to
eggs, as in,
female cowbirds... lay up to 40 eggs a year, including [the eggs] of warblers, vireos, flycatchers, and thrushes. How nice of the cowbirds to take on the labor duties of the other birds! See how silly that is? Of course, no bird can lay eggs on behalf of other pregnant birds, but grammatically speaking, the second interpretation makes just as much sense as the first. For more on -ing modifiers, I would suggest reading
this article. In terms of this question and answer choice, the ambiguity of meaning rules it out.
AbdurRakib wrote:
(D) female cowbirds lay up to 40 eggs a year in the nests of other birds, including
Analysis: Now the issue has been worked out, with the -ing modifier reaching back to
in the nests of other birds. Again, the -ing modifier is much more flexible than a "touch rule" would lead you to believe. (Please refer to the article I linked to above.)
AbdurRakib wrote:
(E) up to 40 eggs a year are laid by female cowbirds in the nests of other birds, including
Analysis: There is no need for a passive construct in this sentence, and the phrase about eggs here does not clearly or logically deliver on the setup of the introductory phrase,
Unable to build nests or care for their young. You need to know
what or
whom their refers to, and
female cowbirds should be front and center in the main clause.
I hope that helps. If you need further clarification, please ask.
- Andrew
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