Dear AbdurRakib,

This is another fantastic SC question: these official questions are so good!

This one explores what I call the "Once Outside or Twice Inside" rule for parallelism. See:
GMAT Parallelism: Once Outside or Twice Inside

For most constructions, both the "once outside" and "twice inside" patterns would be correct. In this context, with the idiom "regard as," the "once outside" pattern sounds awkward and unnatural, and only the "twice inside" pattern has the correct feel. Thus, the correct pattern here would be
regard A not as X but as Y
The only answer choice that fits this pattern is (C), which has to be the answer.

Does all this make sense?
Mike
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Imo C
Correct idiom should be not as X but as y.

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Experts -- could you help me understand if, written as below, B would be a correct sentence?
Trying to understand the difference between participle modifier here.

B. not as a single substance but as a biological family of complex molecules playing
C. not as a single substance but as a biological family of complex molecules that play

Hey I am no expert, but IMO option B ( present participle phrase without comma) is grammatically correct, because it modifies molecules in same way as does option C. But meaning subtly changes ( I am not very sure- but lets discuss)
In option C you are quoting a general fact "molecules play an important..."- which is true always ( general truth/fact is presented in simple present tense)
In option B you are quoting a fact which can be true for current/present situation "molecules playing an important....." ( What we are saying is that molecules are playing an important role- (and maybe they have always and will always continue to play that role , but currently they are playing an important role)

So if I had an option between B and C i would have marked C, but GMAT will not give these 2 sentences together unless there is some other bigger mistake in other part of sentence. For example if the non underline portion had another participle in parallel, then option B would have been much better.

mikemcgarry
a biological family of complex molecules that play an important

Shouldn't it be family that plays and not family that play?
That is why I chose b as answer

Dear kaushalik,

I'm happy to respond.

The noun "family" is a collective noun. This means that it includes many members, but is a singular noun. Because it's a singular noun, it must have a singular verb. This is ALWAYS true for collective nouns:
The company is . . .
The baseball team is . . .
The university faculty is . . .
The interim government is . . .
See:
Subject-Verb Agreement on GMAT Sentence Correction

Does this make sense?
Mike
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Exactly @mikemcgurry
So family should take singular verb
The family PLAYS
And not the family PLAY

Agree with this. Way is it not saying plays?

Hello sevenplusplus,

I am not sure if you still have this doubt. However, here is my two cents on the same.

Both the versions of the answer choice that you have presented in your post convey the same meaning.

In the context of this sentence, that play = playing. There is absolutely no different in the meaning expressed by these two expressions.

Hence, you will never get such answer choices for the same question.


Hope this helps.
Thanks.
Shraddha
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Hello kaushalik and gmattaker111,

I will be glad to help you with this one.

Let's take a look at the sentence with the correct answer choice C:

Researchers now regard interferon not as a single substance but as a biological family of complex molecules that play an important, though not entirely defined, role in the immune system.


Per the context of the sentence, it is the complex molecules that play an important role in the immune system. It does not make sense to say that the biological family plays an important role in the immune system.

Hence, the noun modifier that in this sentence modifies the immediate preceding noun entity complex molecules. Since that stands for a plural noun entity, it takes plural verb play.


Hope this helps.
Thanks.
Shraddha
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A - not parallel ..as not a single substance but it is......
B - seems correct
C - not as seems more preferable than as not...
D - not to be a single ....but rather a ....not parallel
E - but instead ...redundant...being a biological...wordy..


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Help me check my thought process !!!!

A. as not a single substance, but it is rather a biological family of complex molecules that play
not parallel here

B. as not a single substance but as a biological family of complex molecules playing
not parallel here

C. not as a single substance but as a biological family of complex molecules that play
not as noun ... but as noun ... parallel!

D. not to be a single substance but rather a biological family of complex molecules playing
In my opinion, this is redundant. "but" and "rather" both suggest a change. (Need someone help me clarify my thought process)

E. not as a single substance but instead as being a biological family of complex molecules that play
Same with D, and "being" doesn't seem necessary. But I don't know if this is the correct way to identify errors

A. as not a single substance, but it is rather a biological family of complex molecules that play
B. as not a single substance but as a biological family of complex molecules playing
C. not as a single substance but as a biological family of complex molecules that play
D. not to be a single substance but rather a biological family of complex molecules playing
E. not as a single substance but instead as being a biological family of complex molecules that play

Ans (C) not as X...but as Y (Correct Idiom)

Correct +1

Correct idiom is "Not as X but as Y" wherein both X and Y must be parallel entities.

It's (C) "Not + prepositional phrase" and "but + prepositional phrase"
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GMATNinja VeritasPrepKarishma egmat

Other than knowing idioms, can I use playing in (B) or molecules that play in (C) to perform PoE?
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Hello Arpit/ adkikani,

Thank you for the query.

IMHO, we cannot use that play Vs. playing to reject or select any answer because in the context of this official sentence, these expressions are certainly interchangeable.


Hope this helps.
Thanks.
Shraddha
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But similarly we have another word POLICE.

" the police " are and not the "police is ".

CAN YOU SHED SOME LIGHT ON THESE

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