Potassium, whose outer electron is easily lost, is a highly reactive m

The answer is clearly A.
However, "whose" is used in this question for the possessive case of "which" used as an adjective
Example: a word whose meaning escapes me; an animal whose fur changes color.

Usually whose refer to people, in this case it referred to potassium.

Can anyone tell me why D is wrong?

Thanks.

MAGOOSH OFFICIAL EXPLANATION:

A question about potassium, the 19th element on the Periodic Table. The five answers are all different, so we must treat each separately.

(A) Use of the possessive “whose” is perfectly fine either for a person or for an inanimate object. This option is grammatically and logically correct. This is a promising choice.

(B) This option is a run-on sentence with a comma splice. This is incorrect.

(C) This option commits the famous missing-verb mistake. We get a main subject, “a highly reactive metal,” and this subject never gets a full verb. This is incorrect.

(D) This is grammatically correct but awkward. It makes the electron, rather than potassium the element, the focus of the sentence, which casts the entire sentence into the passive. This is far from ideal.

(E) This choice is logically incorrect. It implies that any “highly reactive metal that easily loses its outer electron” would be called potassium, as if potassium were the name of a category of metals with similar properties, rather than a single metal. While you don’t need to understand chemistry (see below), you do need to keep the meaning consistent with the prompt. The prompt identifies potassium as a single metal, so we have to stick with that interpretation.

Choice (D) is a questionable answer, so (A) is by far the best answer here.



BTW, this is more than you need to know for the GMAT, but if you are interested in the chemistry, then on the Periodic Table of the Elements, all the IA elements below hydrogen are highly reactive metals that easily lose an outer electron. These include lithium, sodium, potassium, rubidium, and caesium (a radioactive liquid that explodes on contact with air or water!) Potassium is the name of one metal in this category, not the name of the category. Sometimes the category is known as the Alkali Metals or the IA Elements.

Potassium, whose outer electron is easily lost, is a highly reactive metal.
- Meaning : Potassium is a highly reactive metal. Here, Outer electron is easily lost is a modifier.

(D) The outer election of potassium, a highly reactive metal, is easily lost
- Meaning : The outer electron of potassium is easily lost. Here, a highly reactive metal is a modifier.
Change in the meaning.

You can find similar differences is other options as well.

Hence D is wrong.

Quite honestly, I don't find much wrong with answer D other than that "electron" is spelled "election"

Part of me wonders, if this is the real reason D is not the right answer.

This question comes from Magoosh. Would GMAC write a question as deceptive as this?

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