Last visit was: 06 Sep 2026, 02:20 It is currently 06 Sep 2026, 02:20
Home
Messages
Tests
Schools
Events
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
Back to Forum
Create Topic
605-655 (Medium)|   Pronouns|      
User avatar
souvik101990
User avatar
Joined: 19 Mar 2012
Last visit: 15 Aug 2026
Posts: 4,309
Own Kudos:
53,613
 [36]
Given Kudos: 2,326
Location: United States (WA)
Concentration: Leadership, General Management
Schools: Ross '20 (M)
GMAT 1: 760 Q50 V42
GMAT 2: 740 Q49 V42 (Online)
GMAT 3: 760 Q50 V42 (Online)
GPA: 3.8
WE:Marketing (Non-Profit and Government)
Products:
My Reviews
Expert
Expert reply
Schools: Ross '20 (M)
GMAT 3: 760 Q50 V42 (Online)
Posts: 4,309
Kudos: 53,613
 [36]
Since 1868, approximately thirty-five shipwrecks have been recorded of Updated on: 06 Mar 2019, 00:42
Originally posted by souvik101990 on 11 Aug 2015, 10:59.
Last edited by Bunuel on 06 Mar 2019, 00:42, edited 1 time in total.
Renamed the topic and edited the question.
7
Kudos
Add Kudos
29
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
00:00
Start Timer
Pause Timer
Resume Timer
Show Answer
Hide
Show
History
D
Be sure to select an answer first to save it in the Error Log before revealing the correct answer (OA)!

Difficulty:

45% (medium)

Question Stats:

55% (01:14) correct 45% (01:18) wrong based on 1003 sessions

History

Date
Time
Result
Not Attempted Yet


Since 1868, approximately thirty-five shipwrecks have been recorded off Alaska, a region known for their treacherous seas—less than those recorded off the coast of Massachusetts.

A. their treacherous seas—less than that

B. its treacherous seas, a number fewer than that

C. its treacherous seas, which is less than those

D. its treacherous seas—fewer than have been

E. their treacherous seas, fewer than the ones

Day 22 Question of the Verbal Contest: Race Against the GMAT Club Timer
Please make sure to post a brief reply without revealing your solution to enter the contest!
ShowHide Answer
Official Answer
D
Most Helpful Reply
User avatar
mikemcgarry
User avatar
Magoosh GMAT Instructor
Joined: 28 Dec 2011
Last visit: 06 Aug 2018
Posts: 4,475
Own Kudos:
31,104
 [12]
Given Kudos: 130
Expert
Expert reply
Posts: 4,475
Kudos: 31,104
 [12]
Since 1868, approximately thirty-five shipwrecks have been recorded of 05 Jun 2017, 17:07
5
Kudos
Add Kudos
7
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Skywalker18
GMATNinja , EMPOWERgmatRichC , sayantanc2k , daagh ,mikemcgarry , other experts -
I am stuck between options B and D. In B doesn't "a number fewer than that" modify thirty-five?

What is the use of Dash?
Show more
Dear Skywalker18,

I see that the brilliant sayantanc2k already gave you a good response. I will add a few thoughts. :-)

First, about (B), I would say there are three categories
1) uncountable, for which we use "more" and "less" (less talk and more action)
2) countable, for which we use "more" and "fewer" (more women and fewer men)
3) numerals, for which we use "greater" and "less" (\(\pi\) is less than 4 and greater than 3)

The dash, technically know as an em-dash, is a piece of punctuation that indicates the continuation of a thought, even though there's, as it were, a break in the grammatical flow. This may be an example or a further clarification.
I went home early--I was coming down with the flu.
We also use a pair of dashes to set off either examples or an aside comment.
Early 18th century composers--Bach, Handel, Vivaldi--used the concerto as their primary orchestral form. (examples)
Reagan deregulated savings and loans banks--what a disastrous decision!--and thereby precipitated the S& L crises a few years later. (an aside comment)

Here, in (D), the phrase "fewer than have been recorded off the coast of Massachusetts" is an afterthought. It could be omitted, and the sentence would be grammatically whole. This extra information adds further significance to the facts stated in the sentence, and putting this comment after a dash gives it a kind of dramatic flair.

Much of the use of the dash concerns its rhetorical effect. I will remind you that the GMAT SC absolutely does not test punctuation. If you read sophisticated writing, you will develop intuition for the dash, but this is more than you need to know for the GMAT.

Does all this make sense?
Mike :-)
User avatar
Cadaver
User avatar
Joined: 03 Oct 2014
Last visit: 09 Oct 2018
Posts: 114
Own Kudos:
105
 [7]
Given Kudos: 89
Location: India
Concentration: Operations, Technology
Schools: ISB '17 Tepper '18 Oxford'17 IIMU'17 (A) Kelley '16 NTU '17 NUS '17
GMAT 1: 720 Q48 V40
WE:Engineering (Aerospace and Defense)
Products:
My Reviews
Schools: ISB '17 Tepper '18 Oxford'17 IIMU'17 (A) Kelley '16 NTU '17 NUS '17
GMAT 1: 720 Q48 V40
Posts: 114
Kudos: 105
 [7]
Since 1868, approximately thirty-five shipwrecks have been recorded of 11 Aug 2015, 23:17
4
Kudos
Add Kudos
3
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
souvik101990


Since 1868, approximately thirty-five shipwrecks have been recorded off Alaska, a region known for their treacherous seas—less than those recorded off the coast of Massachusetts.

A. their treacherous seas—less than that

B. its treacherous seas, a number fewer than that

C. its treacherous seas, which is less than those

D. its treacherous seas—fewer than have been

E. their treacherous seas, fewer than the ones

Day 22 Question of the Verbal Contest: Race Against the GMAT Club Timer
Please make sure to post a brief reply without revealing your solution to enter the contest!
Show more

Narrowed down to B/D

Tenses play a major role here...

Since the original argument mentions "since" and the process is going on we have to use Present Perfect Continuous i.e. "have been"


Option - D
General Discussion
avatar
narmadadhruv
avatar
Joined: 30 May 2015
Last visit: 09 Jun 2017
Posts: 34
Own Kudos:
46
 [4]
Given Kudos: 28
WE:Analyst (Internet and New Media)
Posts: 34
Kudos: 46
 [4]
Since 1868, approximately thirty-five shipwrecks have been recorded of 11 Aug 2015, 11:52
3
Kudos
Add Kudos
1
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Since 1868, approximately thirty-five shipwrecks have been recorded off Alaska, a region known for their treacherous seas—less than those recorded off the coast of Massachusetts.

A. their treacherous seas—less than that=>wrongly refers to shipwrecks; should be its

B. its treacherous seas, a number fewer than that=>there should be a hyphen here

C. its treacherous seas, which is less than those=>wrongly refers to seas

D. its treacherous seas—fewer than have been=>sounds good

E. their treacherous seas, fewer than the ones=>their wrongly refers to ship-wrecks; should be its

Rgds.
User avatar
Nevernevergiveup
User avatar
Retired Moderator
Joined: 18 Sep 2014
Last visit: 20 Aug 2023
Posts: 997
Own Kudos:
3,130
 [1]
Given Kudos: 79
Location: India
Products:
My Reviews
Posts: 997
Kudos: 3,130
 [1]
Since 1868, approximately thirty-five shipwrecks have been recorded of 12 Aug 2015, 10:37
1
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Quote:
Since 1868, approximately thirty-five shipwrecks have been recorded off Alaska, a region known for their treacherous seas—less than those recorded off the coast of Massachusetts.

A. their treacherous seas—less than that

B. its treacherous seas, a number fewer than that

C. its treacherous seas, which is less than those

D. its treacherous seas—fewer than have been

E. their treacherous seas, fewer than the ones
Show more

Since Alaska is a region, singular verb it is needed. not plural verb their.
In option C, Which wrongly refers to modifies to treacherous seas(plural subject).
Between B and D, I picked up B as i felt that a number would refer to 35 shipwrecks.......i.e., subject of the sentence.

but I'm still confused between B and D.

Eagerly waiting for OA and explanation.
User avatar
Skywalker18
User avatar
Retired Moderator
Joined: 08 Dec 2013
Last visit: 15 Nov 2023
Posts: 1,969
Own Kudos:
10,391
 [1]
Given Kudos: 171
Status:Greatness begins beyond your comfort zone
Location: India
Concentration: General Management, Strategy
GPA: 3.2
WE:Information Technology (Consulting)
Products:
My Reviews
Posts: 1,969
Kudos: 10,391
 [1]
Since 1868, approximately thirty-five shipwrecks have been recorded of 03 Jun 2017, 10:24
1
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
GMATNinja , EMPOWERgmatRichC , sayantanc2k , daagh ,mikemcgarry , other experts -
I am stuck between options B and D. In B doesn't "a number fewer than that" modify thirty-five?

What is the use of Dash?
User avatar
GMATNinja
User avatar
GMAT Club Verbal Expert
Joined: 13 Aug 2009
Last visit: 03 Sep 2026
Posts: 7,399
Own Kudos:
71,570
 [4]
Given Kudos: 2,182
Status: GMAT/GRE/LSAT tutors
Location: United States (CO)
GMAT 1: 780 Q51 V46
GMAT 2: 800 Q51 V51
GRE 1: Q170 V170
GRE 2: Q170 V170
Products:
GMAT Club Tests
Expert
Expert reply
GMAT 2: 800 Q51 V51
GRE 1: Q170 V170
GRE 2: Q170 V170
Posts: 7,399
Kudos: 71,570
 [4]
Since 1868, approximately thirty-five shipwrecks have been recorded of 12 Jun 2017, 09:36
3
Kudos
Add Kudos
1
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
mikemcgarry
I will remind you that the GMAT SC absolutely does not test punctuation. If you read sophisticated writing, you will develop intuition for the dash, but this is more than you need to know for the GMAT.
Show more

I can't even begin to express how enthusiastically I agree with mikemcgarry here. Some people make their living as "style experts", debating the nuances of English grammar and usage and punctuation -- and those guys can't even agree on how to use dashes or commas. And the GMAT wisely goes out of its way NOT to test you on punctuation, other than some very basic stuff on semicolon usage.

So what should you do whenever you see a dash on the GMAT? Look for other issues. There are exactly zero official GMAT questions that test your understanding of how to use dashes. So don't worry about them! :-D
User avatar
AkshdeepS
User avatar
Joined: 13 Apr 2013
Last visit: 08 Aug 2026
Posts: 1,420
Own Kudos:
1,966
Given Kudos: 1,002
Status:It's near - I can see.
Location: India
Concentration: International Business, Operations
GPA: 3.01
WE:Engineering (Real Estate)
Products:
My Reviews
Posts: 1,420
Kudos: 1,966
Since 1868, approximately thirty-five shipwrecks have been recorded of 06 Apr 2019, 23:06
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
[quote="souvik101990"]

Since 1868, approximately thirty-five shipwrecks have been recorded off Alaska, a region known for their treacherous seas—less than those recorded off the coast of Massachusetts.

Region "singular" So we need singular pronoun "its". Eliminate A and E.

B. Appositive "a number..." wrongly modifying "treacherous seas" instead of modifying "35 shipwrecks". Eliminate B.

C. "which" is wrongly modifying "treacherous seas". Eliminate.

D. Correct.

A. their treacherous seas—less than that

B. its treacherous seas, a number fewer than that

C. its treacherous seas, which is less than those

D. its treacherous seas—fewer than have been

E. their treacherous seas, fewer than the ones
avatar
thereisaFire
avatar
Joined: 04 Jun 2020
Last visit: 12 Aug 2022
Posts: 72
Own Kudos:
14
Given Kudos: 209
Location: India
GMAT 1: 660 Q49 V30
GMAT 1: 660 Q49 V30
Posts: 72
Kudos: 14
Since 1868, approximately thirty-five shipwrecks have been recorded of 20 Jul 2021, 09:25
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Quote:

Since 1868, approximately thirty-five shipwrecks have been recorded off Alaska, a region known for their treacherous seas—less than those recorded off the coast of Massachusetts.

B. its treacherous seas, a number fewer than that

D. its treacherous seas—fewer than have been
Show more

Hi AjiteshArun VeritasKarishma

I chose choice B over choice D

Choice B: "a number fewer than that(number) recorded off the coast of Massachusetts" refers to "thirty-five shipwrecks". And "that" refers to "number"

Choice D: I eliminated this choice as I could not figure out what type of modifier is "fewer than have been recorded off the coast of Massachusetts". Is it a noun modifier? I don't see any noun/relative pronoun.

Mr. X, who is the most experienced member, is responsible for what has happened to the club.
Here "who" is the noun modifier that modifies Mr. X
(I was looking for a similar analogy in choice D, but did not find anything)

Please explain.
User avatar
KarishmaB
User avatar
Joined: 16 Oct 2010
Last visit: 05 Sep 2026
Posts: 16,645
Own Kudos:
81,193
 [4]
Given Kudos: 491
Location: Pune, India
Expert
Expert reply
Active GMAT Club Expert! Tag them with @ followed by their username for a faster response.
Posts: 16,645
Kudos: 81,193
 [4]
Since 1868, approximately thirty-five shipwrecks have been recorded of 20 Jul 2021, 22:30
2
Kudos
Add Kudos
2
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
thereisaFire
Quote:

Since 1868, approximately thirty-five shipwrecks have been recorded off Alaska, a region known for their treacherous seas—less than those recorded off the coast of Massachusetts.

B. its treacherous seas, a number fewer than that

D. its treacherous seas—fewer than have been

Hi AjiteshArun VeritasKarishma

I chose choice B over choice D

Choice B: "a number fewer than that(number) recorded off the coast of Massachusetts" refers to "thirty-five shipwrecks". And "that" refers to "number"

Choice D: I eliminated this choice as I could not figure out what type of modifier is "fewer than have been recorded off the coast of Massachusetts". Is it a noun modifier? I don't see any noun/relative pronoun.

Mr. X, who is the most experienced member, is responsible for what has happened to the club.
Here "who" is the noun modifier that modifies Mr. X
(I was looking for a similar analogy in choice D, but did not find anything)

Please explain.
Show more

Option (B) basic structure:
...approximately thirty-five shipwrecks have been recorded off Alaska, ..., a number fewer than that recorded off the coast of Massachusetts.

"a number" seems to be renaming "35" but it is too far from 35.
Also, a number is greater than or less than another number. A number is not fewer than or more than another number.
We say "35 is less than 50", not "35 is fewer than 50".
So (B) is not correct.


Option (D) basic structure:
...approximately thirty-five shipwrecks have been recorded off Alaska, ..., fewer than have been recorded off the coast of Massachusetts.

Here we are comparing how many shipwrecks were recorded.
Alaska recorded 35 ship wrecks. Coast of M recorded fewer shipwrecks.

So (D) is correct.
avatar
thereisaFire
avatar
Joined: 04 Jun 2020
Last visit: 12 Aug 2022
Posts: 72
Own Kudos:
14
Given Kudos: 209
Location: India
GMAT 1: 660 Q49 V30
GMAT 1: 660 Q49 V30
Posts: 72
Kudos: 14
Since 1868, approximately thirty-five shipwrecks have been recorded of 21 Jul 2021, 01:38
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
VeritasKarishma
thereisaFire
Quote:

Since 1868, approximately thirty-five shipwrecks have been recorded off Alaska, a region known for their treacherous seas—less than those recorded off the coast of Massachusetts.

B. its treacherous seas, a number fewer than that

D. its treacherous seas—fewer than have been

Hi AjiteshArun VeritasKarishma

I chose choice B over choice D

Choice B: "a number fewer than that(number) recorded off the coast of Massachusetts" refers to "thirty-five shipwrecks". And "that" refers to "number"

Choice D: I eliminated this choice as I could not figure out what type of modifier is "fewer than have been recorded off the coast of Massachusetts". Is it a noun modifier? I don't see any noun/relative pronoun.

Mr. X, who is the most experienced member, is responsible for what has happened to the club.
Here "who" is the noun modifier that modifies Mr. X
(I was looking for a similar analogy in choice D, but did not find anything)

Please explain.

Option (B) basic structure:
...approximately thirty-five shipwrecks have been recorded off Alaska, ..., a number fewer than that recorded off the coast of Massachusetts.

"a number" seems to be renaming "35" but it is too far from 35.
Also, a number is greater than or less than another number. A number is not fewer than or more than another number.
We say "35 is less than 50", not "35 is fewer than 50".
So (B) is not correct.


Option (D) basic structure:
...approximately thirty-five shipwrecks have been recorded off Alaska, ..., fewer than have been recorded off the coast of Massachusetts.

Here we are comparing how many shipwrecks were recorded.
Alaska recorded 35 ship wrecks. Coast of M recorded fewer shipwrecks.

So (D) is correct.
Show more

Thanks for elaborating.

I understood the error in choice B and the comparison present in choice D.

However, in choice D, since the phrase "fewer than have been recorded off the coast of Massachusetts" is presented as a modifier (modifying 35 shipwrecks), I would like to understand the type of modifier "fewer than" is here.

I actually eliminated this choice thinking of a modifier error as I supposed that this modifier "fewer than" is not clear enough to refer to "35 shipwrecks" and convey the intended meaning.

Can you please explain with some examples.
User avatar
VerbalBot
User avatar
Non-Human User
Joined: 01 Oct 2013
Last visit: 04 Jan 2021
Posts: 19,646
Own Kudos:
1,037
Posts: 19,646
Kudos: 1,037
Since 1868, approximately thirty-five shipwrecks have been recorded of 13 Nov 2022, 09:41
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Automated notice from GMAT Club VerbalBot:

A member just gave Kudos to this thread, showing it’s still useful. I’ve bumped it to the top so more people can benefit. Feel free to add your own questions or solutions.

This post was generated automatically.
Moderators:
GMATNinja
GMAT Club Verbal Expert
7399 posts
AbhishekP220108
Verbal Forum Moderator
705 posts