In June of 1989, Princeton Township approved a developer's plans to bu

I would be wary of making a hierarchy like PEMDAS for SC, because there are a number of errors where everything has to be correct. Let me clarify what I said above: it's not that the Tense rule trumps the SVA rule, in the sense that it's okay to have an error in the latter as long as the former is correct; however, it is true that, once you get the tense right, the SVA doesn't matter because past perfect doesn't change with singular/plural. However, SVA is tested more often and more obviously than Tense issues, so in general, you should look for SVA rules first.

I will, however, suggest the following, in terms of how quickly you can pick up on errors:

Tier 1 - Modification, Parallelism, Comparisons. I call these "Tier 1" because they are easy to spot: ANY sentence with comparison keywords, long modifying phrases, relative pronouns, or parallel constructions should jump out at you, and you should look for this first. A sentence must be correct in this Tier -- no correct answer choice will make any such errors!

Tier 2 - Subect-Verb Agreement, Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement, Sentence Structure (run-ons and fragments). These are actually just as important as Tier 1, only they're sometimes harder to spot, and if you do spot them, it's through splits in the answer choices. Better to focus on Tier 1 first, if it's a sentence where such an error is obvious. Then look for these. As with Tier 1, A sentence must be correct in these ways to be correct at all -- no correct answer choice will make any such errors!

Tier 3 - Verb Tense, Idioms. The reason you look for these last is that sometimes you think the tense or idiom is wrong, but in fact it isn't; in general, you shouldn't overcorrect here unless you're sure that this is the main rule being tested. If you can find anything other than Tense or Idioms to use to differentiate between two answer choices, use that instead.

Tier 4 - Diction, Logic, Style. These are last because a sentence does not have to be perfect in these categories in order to be correct. However, if it's the only difference between two or three answer choices, then you use it. Otherwise, don't even think about these issues!

I hope that helps. Above all else, keep this in mind: Do not look for any errors in a sentence; use the differences between the answer choices and the "tells" in the sentence to figure out what they're asking for. This way, you won't go through a giant checklist in your head, but rather let the GMAT tell you what it wants you to think about on each SC question you see.

As it turns out, the Verb Tense issue trumps all here: because the main action in this sentence takes place in the past (1989, to be specific), the verb "remain undeveloped" MUST be in the past perfect tense, and only (A) gives you that option.

You're not wrong to think about the need for the verb to be plural; remember, thought, that this only eliminates answers with singular verb forms, so, in this case, (C). It's good to think about this, and it's a correct reason to eliminate (C), but Subject-Verb Agreement can only be tested with present tense and present perfect tense verbs; other tenses, including future, past, and past perfect all use the same form regardless of the number of the subject.

The correct thought process on this question is to see that (A) has "had" and, before you do anything else, try to decide if the correct answer can or even must have this tense. Past-Perfect is ALWAYS a giveaway that Verb Tenses are important because it is by far the trickiest tense, so use this to your advantage and decide the tense issue first!

Adam,

Thank you so much. Your reply helped me a lot. I have another question on this point:
<<Subject-Verb Agreement can only be tested with present tense and present perfect tense verbs; other tenses, including future, past, and past perfect all use the same form regardless of the number of the subject>>
In Quant we have the PEMDAS rule to solve complex equations. In SC do we have any rule which specifies hierachy of errors. In the above example we have SVA and Tense errors. The order here was 1)tense 2)SVA. Please let me know if you have any generic recommendations/rules for errors. Thanks.

Hi Adam
Correct me. Among A, C and E. "only" is a modifier. It should be placed right before the word it limits. Between A and E "only" has changed its position. Clearly even without reading e I know that meaning has been changed. E is OUT

C is gone because of SV error.

A remains. Am I thinking it right?

Yes, you are absolutely right -- this is another way of examining the question, if what you notice first isn't that the verb form changes but that the placement of "only" changes. Each of the different placements of "only" among the answer choices conveys a different meaning, and only (A) and (C) have the correct meaning, so you can confidently eliminate the rest. Great approach!

Adam,

Excellent post!!Thank you so much!

A: the 210-acre site of the Battle of Princeton, one of only eight Revolutionary War battlefields that had remained undeveloped
Conveyed meaning:
The Revolutionary War was fought on a large number of battlefields.
By 1989, some of these battlefields had already been developed.
As a result, there were ONLY EIGHT Revolutionary War battlefields that had remained undeveloped.

Since the intended meaning of the original sentence is that ONLY EIGHT of the battlefields had remained undeveloped -- and this meaning is logical -- eliminate any answer choice that distorts this meaning.
In B, D, and E only is not placed directly before eight.
As a result, the intended meaning is not conveyed.
Eliminate B, D and E.

In C, remains (singular) does not agree with battlefields (plural).
Eliminate C.


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(A) one of only eight Revolutionary War battlefields that had remained undeveloped.
Correct use of tense (Past Participle)
(B) one of eight of the only Revolutionary War battlefields that have remained undeveloped
Incorrect(Have)
(C) one of the only eight undeveloped Revolutionary War battlefields that remains
Changes meaning.
(D) only one of eight Revolutionary War battlefields to remain undeveloped
to remain -incorrect.
(E) only one of the eight remaining undeveloped Revolutionary War battlefields
Incorrect( Changes meaning, referring all battlefield to be underdeveloped)
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Is there any grammatical error in option D?

Generally, an infinitive modifier -- TO + VERB -- expresses an action expected to happen AFTER the main action.
Simon hired a plumber to fix the sink.
Here, to fix the sink is an action expected to happen after Simon hired.

D: eight Revolutionary War battlefields to remain undeveloped
Here, the infinitive modifier in red implies that the eight Revolutionary battlefields are expected TO REMAIN UNDEVELOPED after the township APPROVED PLANS TO BUILD 200 HOUSES.
The red meaning contradicts the green meaning.
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Here's the official explanation provided by the GMAC for this question:

The wording of the original sentence makes it clear that at the time when the developer’s plans were approved, only eight Revolutionary War battlefields remained undeveloped and that the one for which the development plans were approved was one of those eight. In each of the other versions, the placement of only or the form and position of the verb remain/remains/remaining make the intended meaning less clear.

Option A: Correct. The verb forms and the relative positions of modifiers allow this to convey a clear, coherent meaning. The past perfect had remained is the appropriate verb form for describing a situation that lasted up until the past event the sentence's main clause describes.

Option B: One of eight of the only is awkward, indirect, and unclear. It confusingly suggests that more than eight Revolutionary War battlefields remained undeveloped.

Option C: The relationship of remains to the phrase undeveloped Revolutionary War battlefields makes this unclear and potentially misleading. The singular verb remains suggests that the relative pronoun that is also singular (as the subject of the verb) and that its antecedent is one, also singular. This answer choice appears to say, somewhat oddly, that there were only ever seven other undeveloped Revolutionary War battlefields and that those others no longer exist. However, the intended meaning is probably that only these eight remained undeveloped in June of 1989.

Option D: Given the position of only in this phrase, the author’s point in using that word, rather than merely saying that this was one of the eight Revolutionary War battlefields that remained undeveloped is unclear. It could, for example, convey an intention to downplay the importance of losing a historical site to development. Furthermore, the time reference in to remain undeveloped is unclear; it could be interpreted as suggesting illogically that the battlefield is to remain undeveloped after the houses are built.

Option E: Given the position of only in this phrase, the author’s point in using that word, rather than merely saying that this was one of the eight Revolutionary War battlefields that remained undeveloped is unclear. It could, for example, convey an intention to downplay the importance of losing a historical site to development. The time reference is also unclear: does the sentence mean that the eight battlefields still remain undeveloped, or only that they remained undeveloped in June of 1989?

The correct answer is A.

Please note that I'm not the author of this explanation. I'm just posting it here since I believe it can help the community.

Hi GMATGuruNY

Two quick questions

-- Is lack of a "Past perfect" tense in the modifier, in E wrong ? Per my understanding, this is NOT reason enough to eliminate E. Your thoughts ?

-- Why does the location of "Only" render E wrong ?

A and E to me give the same message.

Sure - i see in A - the usage of Past perfect , implying the 8 battlefields were undeveloped BEFORE the approval was given. But I dont think the usage of past perfect in A vs non-usage of past perfect in E as a genuine split

My 2 cents on A vs E

In June of 1989, Princeton Township approved a developer's plans to build 300 houses on a large portion of the 210-acre site of the Battle of Princeton, one of only eight Revolutionary War battlefields that had remained undeveloped.

(A) one of only eight Revolutionary War battlefields that had remained undeveloped.
(E) only one of the eight remaining undeveloped Revolutionary War battlefields

difference 1:
i. only one of the chocolates
vs
ii. one of the only chocolates
- grammatically both are correct
-meaning wise : ii emphasis more on remaining/ special chocolates , i emphasis on picking one
I would prefer ii. because ii emphasis on something remaining of historical items rather than picking one of the available options

difference 2: modifier
A . modifies battlefields ( that were existing undeveloped in 1989- add some valuable information
E brings just additional information of type of battlefields- remaining ( no information such that these battles fields were remaining for long time. What if some battlefield was made later available in 1989)
In short, A emphasis that battle fields were still available since beginning instead of E that just mentioned were available ( may not be since beginning)

Hence A wins over E .

I hope it helps.

E: the eight remaining undeveloped Revolutionary War battlefields

Here, a reader could construe -- because of the VERBing in red -- that the battlefields are REMAINING undeveloped in the PRESENT.
Not the intended meaning.
In the original sentence, the intent is to convey that -- until the approval of the developer's plans -- the battlefields HAD remained undeveloped.
Whereas the meaning in A is crystal clear, E can be misinterpreted.
Eliminate E.



Generally, the purpose of only is to circumscribe what immediately follows.

A: Princeton Township approved a developer's plans to build 300 houses on a large portion of the 210-acre site of the Battle of Princeton, one of only eight Revolutionary War battlefields that had remained undeveloped
Here, only serves to circumscribe the quantity in green.
Conveyed meaning:
There are not nine or more of these battlefields.
There are ONLY EIGHT of these battlefields.
The implication is that this number is SMALL.
Thus, the placement of only suggests the following:
There used to be many more of these undeveloped battlefields, but -- when the township approved the developer's plans -- there were ONLY EIGHT.

E: Princeton Township approved a developer's plans to build 300 houses on a large portion of the 210-acre site of the Battle of Princeton, only one of the eight remaining undeveloped Revolutionary War battlefields that had remained undeveloped.
Here, only serves to circumscribe the quantity in red.
Conveyed meaning:
The 210-acre site does not constitute two or more of the remaining battlefields.
The site constitutes ONLY ONE of these battlefields.
This meaning seems strange.
Given that the site is attributed to a SINGLE battle -- the Battle of Princeton -- why does the sentence need to make clear that the site does not constitute TWO OR MORE of the battlefields?
In E, the usage of only is unjustified.
Eliminate E.
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Now in this question, I found A and D to be both grammatically correct, but I was confused that what is the intended meaning of the sentence because both A and D makes sense. In D, it means: site was only one to remain undeveloped at the time of approval. What should we two in these types of questions where we get two meanings in two different options and both make sense. IanStewart GMATNinja DmitryFarber . P.s.- sorry for bugging you again and again

That's not the meaning D conveys. If you take a different sentence (it's not factually correct in any sense, but that's not the point ) and use the structure of D:

Australia is only one of five continents that is an island.

Here, the word "only" takes on a different meaning: it means something like "merely" or "just". That meaning might be slightly too informal to ever appear on the GMAT, but the sentence above means "There are five continents that are islands, and Australia is just one of them". There's also an issue with the verb, so the sentence is not very good. We need to insert definite articles to produce the meaning you're finding in answer D:

Australia is the only one of the five continents that is an island.

Now we're highlighting a feature of Australia that makes it unique among all of the continents. Of course, if you rephrase my sentence the way A is phrased, you get an incorrect meaning, but that's because the original sentence in this thread is trying to say something different from what my example is trying to say. If you try to create a meaning similar to the one intended by the original sentence here, you might come up with:

Australia is one of only two continents that is classified as a world biodiversity zone.

(again not factually correct) and this sentence suggests there are more than two continents in total, and Australia and one unmentioned continent share a certain special property. That's the only sensible meaning conveyed by one of the answer choices: the battlefield is one of only eight (from a much larger total) that hadn't been developed.
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Thanks for clearing it. It made it clear. Though I had one more doubt. I saw people on thread commenting that "had" is necessary and can be used as a point in eliminating answers. But I think without had it would also men sense. there are two actions approved and remained undeveloped. If we use had then it implies as soon as it was approved it became developed. But if we don't use had, then it would mean that after approval too it remained undeveloped because obviously development takes time. Can you comment on this?

I can actually interpret the sentence in two different ways when "had" is used, and in two different ways when it's removed, so neither choice is perfectly unambiguous, but I don't want to go into a pedantic analysis of shades of meaning, because that won't be helpful to anyone. I certainly agree with you that "had" is optional here -- it's the first part of the underlined portion that matters in this question.
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ExpertsGlobal5 ParamjitDasGMAT

Please elaborate on options D and E, especially option E

What are the errors in them?

Thanks