Dear Friends,
Here is a detailed explanation to this question-
sondenso wrote:
The cottontail rabbit population in Orange County, California, has increased unchecked in recent years as a result of the removal of the native fox population and the clearing of surrounding woodlands.
(A) years as a result of the removal of
(B) years as a result of removing
(C) years, resulting from the removing of
(D) years, which is result of removing
(E) years, which is a result of the removal of
Meaning is crucial to solving this problem:Understanding the intended meaning is key to solving this question; the intended meaning of this sentence is that the cottontail rabbit population in Orange County has increased unchecked in recent years because of the removal of the native fox population and the clearing of surrounding woodlands.
Concepts tested here: Meaning + Modifiers + Parallelism• Any elements linked by a conjunction (“and” in this sentence) must be parallel.
• The introduction of present participle ("verb+ing"- “resulting” in this case) after comma generally leads to a cause-effect relationship.
• "who/whose/whom/which/where", when preceded by a comma, refer to the noun just before the comma.
A: Correct. This answer choice avoids the modifier errors seen in Options C, D, and E through its use of the phrase “as a result of”; the construction of this phrase correctly conveys that the cottontail rabbit population in Orange County has increased unchecked in recent years, and
this increase is the result of the removal of the native fox population and the clearing of surrounding woodlands. Further, Option A maintains parallelism between “the removal of the native fox population” and “the clearing of surrounding woodlands”.
B: The sentence formed by this answer choice fails to maintain parallelism between “removing the native fox population” and “the clearing of surrounding woodlands”; remember, any elements linked by a conjunction (“and” in this sentence) must be parallel.
C: This answer choice alters the meaning of the sentence through the phrase “resulting from the removing of”; the use of the “comma + present participle (“verb+ing” – “resulting” in this sentence) incorrectly implies that the cottontail rabbit population in Orange County has increased unchecked in recent years because
the cottontail rabbit population in Orange County is the result of the removal of the native fox population and the clearing of surrounding woodlands; the intended meaning is that the cottontail rabbit population in Orange County has increased unchecked in recent years, and
this increase is the result of the removal of the native fox population and the clearing of surrounding woodlands; remember, the introduction of present participle ("verb+ing"- “resulting” in this case) after comma generally leads to a cause-effect relationship.
D: This answer choice incorrectly modifies “recent years” with “which is result of instituting”, illogically implying that
the recent years are the result of the removal of the native fox population and the clearing of surrounding woodlands; the intended meaning is that
the increase in the cottontail rabbit population in Orange County is the result of the removal of the native fox population and the clearing of surrounding woodlands; remember, "who/whose/whom/which/where", when preceded by a comma, refer to the noun just before the comma. Further, the sentence formed by Option D fails to maintain parallelism between “removing the native fox population” and “the clearing of surrounding woodlands”; remember, any elements linked by a conjunction (“and” in this sentence) must be parallel.
E: This answer choice incorrectly modifies “recent years” with “which is a result of the removal”, illogically implying that
the recent years are the result of the removal of the native fox population and the clearing of surrounding woodlands; the intended meaning is that
the increase in the cottontail rabbit population in Orange County is the result of the removal of the native fox population and the clearing of surrounding woodlands; remember, "who/whose/whom/which/where", when preceded by a comma, refer to the noun just before the comma.
Hence, A is the best answer choice.To understand the concept of "Comma Plus Present Participle for Cause-Effect Relationship", you may want to watch the following video (~2 minutes):
To understand the use of "Which, Who, Whose, and Where" on GMAT, you may want to watch the following video (~1 minute):
All the best!
Experts' Global Team