Primarily grazers, large tortoise concentrations feed on grasses and

Question

Primarily grazers, large tortoise concentrations  feed on grasses and other plants, forming extensive areas of very low, well-cropped turf.

(A) Primarily grazers, large tortoise concentrations 
(B) Primarily grazers, large concentrations of tortoises 
(C) Primarily grazers, tortoises in large concentrations 
(D) Large tortoise concentrations, since they are primarily grazers, 
(E) Large concentrations of tortoises, being primarily grazers,

tkorzhan18 · Answer

C is a correct answer choice.
Primarily grazers modify tortoises in large concentration. Tortoises feed on grasses and other plants.

sssanskaar · Answer

C is the correct choice. "Primary grazers" should modify "tortoises".

dcummins · Answer

Primarily grazers, large tortoise concentrations  feed on grasses and other plants, forming extensive areas of very low, well-cropped turf.

(A) Primarily grazers,  large tortoise concentrations  - Incorrect - the subject of A is Concentrations. How can "concentrations" be grazers?
(B) Primarily grazers,  large concentrations  of tortoises - same issue as A
(C) Primarily grazers, tortoises in large concentrations - Correct. The subject of the sentence is Tortoises and Primarily Grazers modifies this subject correctly
(D)  Large tortoise concentrations , since they are primarily grazers, - same issue as A
(E)  Large concentrations  of tortoises, being primarily grazers - same issue as A

Vaishali2004 · Answer

Can someone please give a detailed explanation for why E is wrong?

EducationAisle · Answer

Hi Vaishali, option E uses "being".

"being" is not really a GMAT favorite; there are only  few  very specific instances on GMAT, when the usage of "being" is considered acceptable (for example when "being" is used as a gerund). E is not one of them.

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

ExpertsGlobal5 · Answer

Hello  Vaishali2004 ,

We hope this finds you well.

Having gone through the question and your query, we believe we can answer your doubt.

Option E incorrectly modifies "Large concentrations of tortoises" with "being primarily grazers", illogically implying that the   concentrations   are primarily grazers; the intended meaning is that the   tortoises themselves   are primarily grazers; remember, in a “noun + comma + phrase” construction, the phrase must correctly modify the noun; this is one of the most frequently tested concepts on GMAT sentence correction.

Further, Option E is needlessly wordy due to its use of the word "being"; “being” is only to be used when it is part of a noun phrase or represents the passive continuous verb tense; the use of passive continuous must be justified in the context.

To understand the use of "Being" on GMAT, you may want to watch the following video (~2 minutes):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2w9FNmjwtw

To understand the concept of "Phrase Comma Subject" and "Subject Comma Phrase" on GMAT, you may want to watch the following video (~1minute):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xx_5LxK5Bh0

All the best!
Experts' Global Team

VerbalBot · Answer

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Primarily grazers, large tortoise concentrations feed on grasses and

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GMAT Sentence Correction (SC - EA only) Questions

Primarily grazers, large tortoise concentrations feed on grasses and

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