In preparation for the cold winter months, it was the usual custom fo

mikemcgarry
Please help ! don't you think that answer B is incorrect because the " it " may incorrectly refer to summer,
while answer choice " D" contain no error

Could anyone of the moderators
please explain why B is correct even though it contains a parallelism error?(it should be "preserving it either by smoking or by salting" rite?)

Although B is the correct answer isn't the modifier preserving incorrectly modifying summer ? Should not it modify the meat !

IMO : B

As the sentence starts with "In preparation for...", the next word after comma should be the subject/Noun which is being modified by "In preparation for". So Eliminate A,C,E.

(B) prehistoric people usually gathered as much meat as they could during the summer, preserving it either by smoking or salting
Correct option

(D) prehistoric people had the usual custom of gathering and preserving as much meat, either by smoking or salting it, as they could during the summer
red marked part incorrectly says that both gathering and preserving of meat is done by smoking or salting. whereas, only preserving is done by smoking/salting.

Can you please let me know what preserving is modifying in option B , Summer or Meat( which should be )

", Verb-ing" modifies preceding clause
You may refer this post by e-gmat:https://gmatclub.com/forum/noun-noun-modifiers-the-most-versatile-modifier-137292.html

Hi LoneSurvivor, such present participial phrases (preserving...) modify the subject of the preceding clause, in this case prehistoric people.

p.s. Our book EducationAisle Sentence Correction Nirvana discusses Participial phrases, their application and examples in significant detail. If you or someone is interested, PM me your email-id; I can mail the corresponding section.

Thanks for your mention about the book. But the proceeding subject is summer not the people I guess.

Hi! The subject is prehistoric people.

Thanks I too think so there is problem with the modifier here.

Hello, people, let’s knock this one out. I have to say I wasn’t, though I got to the answer in roughly a minute, too pleased with this one’s answer choice.

In preparation for the cold winter months, it was the usual custom for prehistoric people to gather and preserve, with smoke or by salting it, as much meat that they could during the summer.


(A) it was the usual custom for prehistoric people to gather and preserve, with smoke or by salting it, as much meat that they could during the summer.

In preparation... would have to modify a person(s) generally. This is a freebie elimination since the first part modifies it nonsensically.

(B) prehistoric people usually gathered as much meat as they could during the summer, preserving it either by smoking or salting

So, the modification looks good. In preparation.... prehistoric people. Yes. What else? Ah, I see an either/ or. Let’s check the parallelism... Now here’s what I don't like, people: Either/or should be ridiculously parallel. Here, the case could be made that it should be either by smoking or by salting. On the actual exam raise a yellow flag here and move on.

(C) it was the usual custom of prehistoric people to gather and preserve, either with smoke or by salting, as much meat that they could during the summer

As explained above with (A) this is another Freebie elimination because of the nonsensical modification of it

(D) prehistoric people had the usual custom of gathering and preserving as much meat, either by smoking or salting it, as they could during the summer

I would have hoped this would have fixed the either/or issue. But what smacks first is the nonsensical, awkward had. There is no need for it, and there is a theory that unless there are TWO past events, one taking place before another, you do not need this in a sentence. I still, mind you, might have chosen this if the either/or part had been more parallel than (B). As it stands, however, the same exact word choice is used; so this one is just a worse version of (B)

(E) it was usually that prehistoric people would gather and preserve as much meat as they could, which was either smoked or salted during the summer

Same dangling modifier issue as (A) and (C)

So, we end up with (B), people. The knight disapproves!

From what I understand about the Verbing's, I don't think usage of Verbing is appropriate either in this sentence. It is neither describing the How part nor the result part. People gathered meat, preserving it ... doesn't make sense with that perspective.

I will just leave this sentence and not bother on it at all. A very poorly written SC question in my opinion.

usual custom? ---- something that is custom is already usual.
B is to point without any clumsiness

(B) prehistoric people usually gathered as much meat as they could during the summer, preserving it either by smoking or salting

if correct answer is "B", how are "by smoking" and "salting" parallel ?

Hello, shameekv1989. I came across this question through another response, but when I read yours, along with a couple others above that touched on the same issue, I thought I would add that a verb-ing participial phrase can modify just about anything preceding it in the sentence, as mikemcgarry deftly explains in this post in a forum dedicated to the subject. It is a slippery grammar topic, to say the least. Whether you want to pass on this question is still your prerogative, though.

- Andrew

Hi Shreyas

When assessing parallelism, it helps to consider the sentence as a mathematical expression with parentheses. We have some leeway in where to place the parentheses, but, as in a mathematical operation, the terms outside the parentheses must be applied to every term inside upon expansion. Let us consider an example.

At the next meeting, the company directors will (assess the yearly plan, discuss the compensation policy, and make a final decision regarding closure of the Bosnian operations).

Note the placement of the parentheses - on expansion, the portion outside, "directors will", needs to be applied to each item inside ie; "assess...", "discuss..." and "make...". This is a correct construction and it maintains parallelism. Alternatively, we could also have:

At the next meeting, the company directors (will assess the yearly plan, will discuss the compensation policy, and will make a final decision regarding closure of the Bosnian operations).

Here, the parentheses are applied after "directors", which must now be applied to every item inside ie; "will assess...", "will discuss..." and "will make...". This construction is also correct and maintains parallelism.

Let us consider answer option (B) using this logic.

In preparation for the cold winter months, prehistoric people usually gathered as much meat as they could during the summer, preserving it either by (smoking or salting).

If we place the parentheses as shown above, "by" will then be applied to both "smoking" and "salting", thereby maintaining parallelism.

Hope this helps.