Last visit was: 19 Nov 2025, 07:25 It is currently 19 Nov 2025, 07:25
Home
GMAT
Messages
Tests
Schools
Events
Rewards
Chat
My Profile
Close
GMAT Club Daily Prep
Thank you for using the timer - this advanced tool can estimate your performance and suggest more practice questions. We have subscribed you to Daily Prep Questions via email.

Customized
for You

we will pick new questions that match your level based on your Timer History

Track
Your Progress

every week, we’ll send you an estimated GMAT score based on your performance

Practice
Pays

we will pick new questions that match your level based on your Timer History
Not interested in getting valuable practice questions and articles delivered to your email? No problem, unsubscribe here.
Go to My Error Log Learn more
Close
Request Expert Reply
Confirm Cancel
User avatar
gmexamtaker1
User avatar
Joined: 16 Jul 2018
Last visit: 13 Feb 2023
Posts: 210
Own Kudos:
79
Given Kudos: 261
Products:
My Reviews
Posts: 210
Kudos: 79
Question about a verbal problem in Manhattan sentence correction book 15 Apr 2019, 08:20
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Hello guys,
I need some assistance regarding the following question which is from the Manhattan sentence correction book.

As a solution to a problem, the following is provided.

Voters want to elect a president who genuinely cares about health care, the environment, and the travails of ordinary men and women, and who has the experience, wisdom, and strength of character required for the job.

I am puzzled with the first part of the sentence who genuinely cares about health care, the environment, and the travails of ordinary men and women , shouldn't health care has a THE too? From what I know we either should put a "the" behind every noun that is part of the parallel structure or none like in the second part of the sentence, but in this case health care is lacking one , while environment and the travails have one...

Archived Topic
Hi there,
This topic has been closed and archived due to inactivity or violation of community quality standards. No more replies are possible here.
Where to now? Join ongoing discussions on thousands of quality questions in our Verbal Questions Forum
Still interested in this question? Check out the "Best Topics" block below for a better discussion on this exact question, as well as several more related questions.
Thank you for understanding, and happy exploring!
User avatar
AjiteshArun
User avatar
Major Poster
Joined: 15 Jul 2015
Last visit: 18 Nov 2025
Posts: 5,949
Own Kudos:
5,080
 [3]
Given Kudos: 732
Location: India
GMAT Focus 1: 715 Q83 V90 DI83
GMAT 1: 780 Q50 V51
GRE 1: Q170 V169
Expert
Expert reply
GMAT Focus 1: 715 Q83 V90 DI83
GMAT 1: 780 Q50 V51
GRE 1: Q170 V169
Posts: 5,949
Kudos: 5,080
 [3]
Question about a verbal problem in Manhattan sentence correction book 15 Apr 2019, 08:35
2
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
UNSTOPPABLE12
From what I know we either should put a "the" behind every noun that is part of the parallel structure or none like in the second part of the sentence, but in this case health care is lacking one , while environment and the travails have one...
Show more
No, that's not correct. Whether we use a the or not depends on whether the noun requires it. For example,

I have the following on my list: India, the Himalayas, and Sri Lanka.

The next step includes negotiations between the central bank, most companies affected by the policy, and the government.
User avatar
gmexamtaker1
User avatar
Joined: 16 Jul 2018
Last visit: 13 Feb 2023
Posts: 210
Own Kudos:
79
 [2]
Given Kudos: 261
Products:
My Reviews
Posts: 210
Kudos: 79
 [2]
Question about a verbal problem in Manhattan sentence correction book 15 Apr 2019, 08:48
1
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
AjiteshArun
UNSTOPPABLE12
From what I know we either should put a "the" behind every noun that is part of the parallel structure or none like in the second part of the sentence, but in this case health care is lacking one , while environment and the travails have one...
No, that's not correct. Whether we use a the or not depends on whether the noun requires it. For example,

I have the following on my list: India, the Himalayas, and Sri Lanka.

The next step includes negotiations between the central bank, most companies affected by the policy, and the government.
Show more


Thanks for the prompt response !
User avatar
AjiteshArun
User avatar
Major Poster
Joined: 15 Jul 2015
Last visit: 18 Nov 2025
Posts: 5,949
Own Kudos:
5,080
 [1]
Given Kudos: 732
Location: India
GMAT Focus 1: 715 Q83 V90 DI83
GMAT 1: 780 Q50 V51
GRE 1: Q170 V169
Expert
Expert reply
GMAT Focus 1: 715 Q83 V90 DI83
GMAT 1: 780 Q50 V51
GRE 1: Q170 V169
Posts: 5,949
Kudos: 5,080
 [1]
Question about a verbal problem in Manhattan sentence correction book 15 Apr 2019, 08:55
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
UNSTOPPABLE12
Thanks for the prompt response !
Show more
Glad I could help. :)

What you mentioned in your first post applies if all the elements in the list need a the. Then we can take the the "common".

I'd like to review the notes, syllabus, and study material.

Here we'd not want a stray the in the list.

I'd like to review the notes, syllabus, and the study material.
User avatar
gmexamtaker1
User avatar
Joined: 16 Jul 2018
Last visit: 13 Feb 2023
Posts: 210
Own Kudos:
79
Given Kudos: 261
Products:
My Reviews
Posts: 210
Kudos: 79
Question about a verbal problem in Manhattan sentence correction book 15 Apr 2019, 09:09
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
AjiteshArun
UNSTOPPABLE12
Thanks for the prompt response !
Glad I could help. :)

What you mentioned in your first post applies if all the elements in the list need a the. Then we can take the the "common".

I'd like to review the notes, syllabus, and study material.

Here we'd not want a stray the in the list.

I'd like to review the notes, syllabus, and the study material.
Show more

I was ready to ask you this very exact clarification , thanks AjiteshArun , so basically, health care didn't decisively need a "the", however would it be incorrect if we alternatively put a "the" before health care ?
User avatar
AjiteshArun
User avatar
Major Poster
Joined: 15 Jul 2015
Last visit: 18 Nov 2025
Posts: 5,949
Own Kudos:
5,080
 [1]
Given Kudos: 732
Location: India
GMAT Focus 1: 715 Q83 V90 DI83
GMAT 1: 780 Q50 V51
GRE 1: Q170 V169
Expert
Expert reply
GMAT Focus 1: 715 Q83 V90 DI83
GMAT 1: 780 Q50 V51
GRE 1: Q170 V169
Posts: 5,949
Kudos: 5,080
 [1]
Question about a verbal problem in Manhattan sentence correction book 15 Apr 2019, 09:27
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
UNSTOPPABLE12
I was ready to ask you this very exact clarification , thanks AjiteshArun , so basically, health care didn't decisively need a "the", however would it be incorrect if we alternatively put a "the" before health care ?
Show more
I think so. Adding a the before health care would make it seem as if we are referring to a specific health care.

1. The health care received by the elderly...
2. The health care in the US...

These two sound fine to me. However, (4) doesn't:

3. ... the only item on the President's agenda: health care.
4. ... the only item on the President's agenda: the health care.
User avatar
EducationAisle
User avatar
Joined: 27 Mar 2010
Last visit: 18 Nov 2025
Posts: 3,891
Own Kudos:
3,579
 [1]
Given Kudos: 159
Location: India
Schools: ISB
GPA: 3.31
Expert
Expert reply
Schools: ISB
Posts: 3,891
Kudos: 3,579
 [1]
Question about a verbal problem in Manhattan sentence correction book 15 Apr 2019, 22:35
1
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Hi UNSTOPPABLE12, I would like to add that from a parallelism perspective, we should not be looking at a word on word similarity (for example, since two elements in the sentence under consideration start with the, it does not mandate that the third element should also start with the). The reason why your sentence is correct in its current form, is because all three elements of the list are noun-phrases. That is sufficient.

For example, following sentence is correct:

I enjoy rising planes, flowing rivers, and beautiful sunsets.

Just because two of the three elements in the above sentence start with an -ing form, does not necessitate that the third element (sunsets) should also have start with an -ing form. Again, all three elements are noun-phrases and hence this sentence is correct from a parallelism perspective.

p.s. Articles (a/an/the) are not explicitly tested on GMAT. So, it might not be a good idea to choose/reject an option based on article usage alone.
User avatar
gmexamtaker1
User avatar
Joined: 16 Jul 2018
Last visit: 13 Feb 2023
Posts: 210
Own Kudos:
79
Given Kudos: 261
Products:
My Reviews
Posts: 210
Kudos: 79
Question about a verbal problem in Manhattan sentence correction book 16 Apr 2019, 13:33
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
EducationAisle, thanks for providing your assistance in this topic, indeed a word on word approach is wrong especially when we are dealing with articles such as the , however may I ask you, if we had the following three cases with the word "because" wouldn't options 3 and 4 be incorrect, as they violate the parallel structures or does it again depend on what do the x,y,z represent.

1) because x,y and z.
2) because x, because y and z
3) because x, y and because z
User avatar
EducationAisle
User avatar
Joined: 27 Mar 2010
Last visit: 18 Nov 2025
Posts: 3,891
Own Kudos:
3,579
 [1]
Given Kudos: 159
Location: India
Schools: ISB
GPA: 3.31
Expert
Expert reply
Schools: ISB
Posts: 3,891
Kudos: 3,579
 [1]
Question about a verbal problem in Manhattan sentence correction book 16 Apr 2019, 22:52
1
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Hi @UNSTOPPABLE12, at least from a parallelism perspective, this is how you fix these sentences:

1) because x,y and z.
- Correct

2) because x, AND because y and z

3) because x AND y, and because z[/quote]
avatar
Sarjaria84
avatar
Joined: 31 Aug 2018
Last visit: 30 Jun 2020
Posts: 74
Own Kudos:
23
Given Kudos: 445
GMAT 1: 610 Q46 V28
GMAT 1: 610 Q46 V28
Posts: 74
Kudos: 23
Question about a verbal problem in Manhattan sentence correction book 24 Jul 2019, 04:31
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
AjiteshArun
UNSTOPPABLE12
Thanks for the prompt response !
Glad I could help. :)

What you mentioned in your first post applies if all the elements in the list need a the. Then we can take the the "common".

I'd like to review the notes, syllabus, and study material.

Here we'd not want a stray the in the list.

I'd like to review the notes, syllabus, and the study material.
Show more

AjiteshArun

Many Thanks for your explanation.

I have a doubt, if I don't use 'who' in the second part will the below sentence structure be wrong then ?

- Voters want to elect a president who genuinely cares about health care, the environment, and the travails of ordinary men and women and has the experience, wisdom, and strength of character required for the job.

Isn't ellipsis playing a role here?


Thanks
Saurabh
User avatar
ccooley
User avatar
Manhattan Prep Instructor
Joined: 04 Dec 2015
Last visit: 06 Jun 2020
Posts: 931
Own Kudos:
1,642
 [1]
Given Kudos: 115
GMAT 1: 790 Q51 V49
GRE 1: Q170 V170
Expert
Expert reply
GMAT 1: 790 Q51 V49
GRE 1: Q170 V170
Posts: 931
Kudos: 1,642
 [1]
Question about a verbal problem in Manhattan sentence correction book 24 Jul 2019, 10:31
1
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Sarjaria84
AjiteshArun
UNSTOPPABLE12
Thanks for the prompt response !
Glad I could help. :)

What you mentioned in your first post applies if all the elements in the list need a the. Then we can take the the "common".

I'd like to review the notes, syllabus, and study material.

Here we'd not want a stray the in the list.

I'd like to review the notes, syllabus, and the study material.

AjiteshArun

Many Thanks for your explanation.

I have a doubt, if I don't use 'who' in the second part will the below sentence structure be wrong then ?

- Voters want to elect a president who genuinely cares about health care, the environment, and the travails of ordinary men and women and has the experience, wisdom, and strength of character required for the job.

Isn't ellipsis playing a role here?


Thanks
Saurabh
Show more

This sentence is correct with or without the second 'who'! Think of it in terms of the 'root phrase' and the two parallel elements. Without the second 'who', the root phrase is shown in red, and the parallel elements are shown in blue:

Voters want to elect a president who genuinely cares about health care, the environment, and the travails of ordinary men and women and has the experience, wisdom, and strength of character required for the job.

This sentence is correct because either of the blue pieces can be placed alongside the red piece to form a correct sentence:

Voters want to elect a president who genuinely cares about health care, the environment, and the travails of ordinary men and women .

Voters want to elect a president who has the experience, wisdom, and strength of character required for the job.

With the second 'who', it works like this:

Voters want to elect a president who genuinely cares about health care, the environment, and the travails of ordinary men and women and who has the experience, wisdom, and strength of character required for the job.

Still correct, because both of these work:

Voters want to elect a president who genuinely cares about health care, the environment, and the travails of ordinary men and women.

Voters want to elect a president who has the experience, wisdom, and strength of character required for the job.
User avatar
anonymousCentaur
User avatar
Current Student
Joined: 09 Jan 2020
Last visit: 23 Mar 2022
Posts: 50
Own Kudos:
30
 [1]
Given Kudos: 135
Location: India
Schools: Duke Fuqua (A)
GMAT 1: 730 Q50 V38
GPA: 3.48
WE:Programming (Computer Software)
Schools: Duke Fuqua (A)
GMAT 1: 730 Q50 V38
Posts: 50
Kudos: 30
 [1]
Question about a verbal problem in Manhattan sentence correction book 29 Feb 2020, 03:57
1
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
I have another question on this same statement. The book writes the solution as:

Voters want to elect a president who genuinely cares about healthcare, the environment, the travails of ordinary men and women, and who has the experience, wisdom, and strength of character required for the job.

Why is there a comma here? Isn't the structure something like "a president who X and who Y".
Why does the book write it as "a president who X, and who Y".
The comma is bothering me.
User avatar
gmexamtaker1
User avatar
Joined: 16 Jul 2018
Last visit: 13 Feb 2023
Posts: 210
Own Kudos:
79
Given Kudos: 261
Products:
My Reviews
Posts: 210
Kudos: 79
Question about a verbal problem in Manhattan sentence correction book 29 Feb 2020, 05:35
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
monilSoni
I have another question on this same statement. The book writes the solution as:

Voters want to elect a president who genuinely cares about healthcare, the environment, the travails of ordinary men and women, and who has the experience, wisdom, and strength of character required for the job.

Why is there a comma here? Isn't the structure something like "a president who X and who Y".
Why does the book write it as "a president who X, and who Y".
The comma is bothering me.
Show more


Hey MonilSoni I think the reason is because otherwise "and who has the experience" would be part of the list "healthcare, the environment, the travails of ordinary men and women"
but actually we want to to parallel it with this part "a president who genuinely cares" so with this comma we separate the parallelisms to 2 parts without causing any issue in parallelisms.
Let's see what the experts will say.
avatar
Singer101994
avatar
Joined: 23 Aug 2021
Last visit: 08 Mar 2025
Posts: 1
Given Kudos: 1
Posts: 1
Kudos: 0
Question about a verbal problem in Manhattan sentence correction book 02 Sep 2021, 08:14
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Voters want to elect a president who genuinely cares about health care, the environment, and the travails of ordinary men and women, and who has the experience, wisdom, and strength of character required for the job.

Hi all, can someone help me with ",and" after the environment and wisdom? Shouldn't they follow X, Y and Z simply?

Thanks in advance.

Posted from my mobile device
User avatar
VerbalBot
User avatar
Non-Human User
Joined: 01 Oct 2013
Last visit: 04 Jan 2021
Posts: 18,832
Own Kudos:
986
Posts: 18,832
Kudos: 986
Question about a verbal problem in Manhattan sentence correction book 27 Dec 2022, 11:47
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Hello from the GMAT Club VerbalBot!

Thanks to another GMAT Club member, I have just discovered this valuable topic, yet it had no discussion for over a year. I am now bumping it up - doing my job. I think you may find it valuable (esp those replies with Kudos).

Want to see all other topics I dig out? Follow me (click follow button on profile). You will receive a summary of all topics I bump in your profile area as well as via email.

Archived Topic
Hi there,
This topic has been closed and archived due to inactivity or violation of community quality standards. No more replies are possible here.
Where to now? Join ongoing discussions on thousands of quality questions in our Verbal Questions Forum
Still interested in this question? Check out the "Best Topics" block above for a better discussion on this exact question, as well as several more related questions.
Thank you for understanding, and happy exploring!
Moderators:
miag
189 posts
u1983
Current Student
710 posts
MikeScarn
Current Student
275 posts