Since the design and construction of skyscrapers undoubtedly reflects

Question

Project SC Butler: Sentence Correction (SC2) 
 For SC butler Questions  Click Here

Since the design and construction of skyscrapers undoubtedly reflects a human impulse to equate bigger with better , these buildings do, in fact, create opportunities for ingenious problem solving.

A) Since the design and construction of skyscrapers undoubtedly reflects a human impulse to equate bigger with better,

B) While the design and construction of skyscrapers undoubtedly reflect a human impulse to equate bigger with better,

C) The design and construction of skyscrapers undoubtedly reflects a human impulse to equate bigger and better, but

D) Although skyscrapers’ design and construction undoubtedly reflect a human impulse for equating bigger and better,

E) That the design and construction of skyscrapers undoubtedly reflect a human impulse to equate bigger with better,

generis · Answer

OFFICIAL EXPLANATION

Project SC Butler: Sentence Correction (SC2)

THE PROMPT  
 
• contrast
The sentence sets up a contrast between two aspects of skyscrapers. 
Skyscrapers do indeed reflect a   sense that "bigger is better," which may be a dumb reason to build a skyscraper, but at the same time, skyscrapers inspire worthwhile problem solving.

• idiom
The correct idiomatic structure is  to equate something with something .

THE OPTIONS  
 
•  Since  does not convey contrast. In this case,  since  means  because .

• subject/verb agreement
The plural subject  design and construction  does not agree with the singular verb  reflects. 
GMAT does not often test compound subjects that are singular. (Such subjects are singular because the words, together, have come to stand for one thing.)
You can read about these rarities  in this short article,  here .
When these rare subjects do show up, they are not obscure; that is, they are well-known and accepted as a singular thing, such as  fish and chips .
When in doubt, find a different split or assume that the compound subject is plural.
ELIMINATE A

• I do not see any errors
• contrast? Yes.
→ The use of  while  sets up the contrast in the sentence.
• subject/verb agreement? Yes.
→ The plural verb  reflect  agrees with the plural subject  design and construction .
KEEP
 
• Idiom
→ The correct idiomatic structure is  to equate X with Y

• subject/verb disagreement
→ The plural subject  design and construction  requires the plural verb  reflect. 
ELIMINATE C
 
• Not idiomatic
→ The use of impulse for is unidiomatic. 
We have an impulse  to  do something.
→  equate  is used with  with , not  and

• clunky and not as good as option B
→  skyscrapers' design and construction  is a bit clunky. 
GMAT writers tend heavily to prefer  the design and construction of skyscrapers,  even though the phrase contains one word more than  skyscrapers' design and construction. 
This general guideline stems in part from the fact that inanimate objects do not really "possess" something.
The argument is not a slam dunk, but comparing this option with option B makes the decision easy. Option B is better than option D.
ELIMINATE D
 
• The use of  that  results in a fragment, never mind the pile of nonsense overall.
• contrast is not apparent and should be 
ELIMINATE E

The answer is B.

NOTES

• compound subjects that are singular
When a compound subject (X and Y) has become "singularized" over time, it takes a singular verb.

These constructions are rarely tested on the GMAT because they are highly idiomatic and are often food-based, such as  spaghetti and meatballs .

Try to find a different split.

•  while vs. although 
It used to be the case that GMAC writers quite heavily preferred  although  to  while .
That stance has not evaporated, but it has softened.
I would not spend time on this issue.

COMMENTS

Aswin12  , I think I have answered a question of yours before, but I do not recall greeting you.
So, welcome to SC Butler.

I like the lively discussion on the thread. Good for you for putting yourselves out there.
I don't actually care who is correct (except to the extent that you learn for SC on the GMAT).
I care about the exchange and the analysis, both of which, in this case, are well-executed.

Which compound subjects are considered one thing is debatable, so I'm awarding kudos to everyone, irrespective of final answer accuracy.

The analyses in this thread are well-executed.
Nice work.

Aswin12 · Answer

Since the design and construction of skyscrapers undoubtedly reflects a human impulse to equate bigger with better, these buildings do, in fact, create opportunities for ingenious problem solving.

A) Since the design and construction of skyscrapers undoubtedly reflects a human impulse to equate bigger with better, -  Subject verb error . The subject design and construction doesnot agree with singular verb reflects

B) While the design and construction of skyscrapers undoubtedly reflect a human impulse to equate bigger with better, Correct Option

C) The design and construction of skyscrapers undoubtedly reflects a human impulse to equate bigger and better, but -  Repeats the subject verb error in Option A and "equate bigger and better" is unidiomatic

D) Although skyscrapers’ design and construction undoubtedly reflect a human impulse for equating bigger and better, - Repeats idiom error in Option C

E) That the design and construction of skyscrapers undoubtedly reflect a human impulse to equate bigger with better, -  Structure error( I believe two independent clauses are connected here using a comma and the contrast intended in the original sentence is missing)

Sumi1010 · Answer

In the actual sentence:

Since the design and construction of skyscrapers undoubtedly reflects a human impulse to equate bigger with better, these buildings do, in fact, create opportunities for ingenious problem solving.

1. the design and construction being together, is a single entity - and hence reflects is correct.
2. these buildings refers to skyscrapers. "These" being demonstrative pronoun, can't stand alone, and hence "buildings" is required.
3. Now the meaning
"the design and construction of skyscrapers undoubtedly reflects a human impulse to equate bigger with better" --> states a +ve aspect about the skyscrapers.
"these buildings do, in fact, create opportunities for ingenious problem solving" --> states a +ve aspect again.
i.e. Since X is <positive 1>, X in fact is <positive 2>

The original sentence looks correct.

Now the choices :

A) Since the design and construction of skyscrapers undoubtedly reflects a human impulse to equate bigger with better,
The original sentence is correct in terms of S-V agreement, pronoun and meaning. Hold on.
B) While the design and construction of skyscrapers undoubtedly reflect a human impulse to equate bigger with better,
"While" brings contrast. While X is <positive 1>, X in fact is <positive 2> -- no contrast is required.
C) The design and construction of skyscrapers undoubtedly reflects a human impulse to equate bigger and better, but
Meaning issue : X is <positive 1>, BUT X is <positive 2> . "But" should bring some limitation. It's not the case as per the meaning.
D) Although skyscrapers’ design and construction undoubtedly reflect a human impulse for equating bigger and better,
Meaning issue : Although X is <positive 1>, X is <positive 2> . "Although" should bring some contrast.
E) That the design and construction of skyscrapers undoubtedly reflect a human impulse to equate bigger with better,
That <a clause> - acts as a noun (and is called noun clause).
<Noun>, <an independent clause> is incorrect structure.

IMO A wins.

sumitkrocks · Answer

Since the design and construction of skyscrapers undoubtedly reflects a human impulse to equate bigger with better,  these buildings do, in fact, create opportunities for ingenious problem solving.

A) Since the design and construction of skyscrapers undoubtedly  reflects  a human impulse to equate bigger with better,
Verb error; also Since is not appropriate as cause and effect relation or reasoning is not reflected in the meaning

B) While the design and construction of skyscrapers undoubtedly reflect a human impulse to equate bigger with better,
 
All good

C) The design and construction of skyscrapers undoubtedly  reflects  a human impulse to equate  bigger and better,  but

Verb error+ Idiom error ( Correct idiom is equate a with b not Equate a and B)

D)  Although  skyscrapers’ design and construction undoubtedly reflect a human impulse for equating bigger and better,

Contrast is not appropriate + Idiom error

E) That the design and construction of skyscrapers undoubtedly reflect a human impulse to equate bigger with better,

Sentence has structure issue; IC+IC with not connector

B is right IMO

zhanbo · Answer

My answer is  (B) . It took me 01:57.

I got a good start with (A) as I can identify two issues with it. 
1. SVA issue between subject (" the design and construction", which is plural) and verb ("reflects", which is single).
2. The relationship between subordinate clause and main clause is contract, not cause-and-effect. So, conjunction "since" is inappropriate.

Now, which conjunction is apposite in showing the contrast? "although" it is, and I saw "although" is used in (D). But I could not rule out (C) right away, as it uses "but" to show the contrast in constructing a coordinate sentence.

How about "while", as used in (B)? "While" can certainly indicate a contrast, but it can also mean "during the time that; at the same time as". Because of that, GMAT questions, which prefer precise meaning, bias against "while" when "although" is also provided.

Because of my predilection for "although", I ended up spending more time on this question.

(B) Other than the ambiguity of "while", it is not too bad. Keep. 
(C) SVA issue. See (A)
(D) At first glance, no SVA issue is found. "Although" is better than "While". I really wanted to choose (D).
It is only much later that I noticed the fatal error in (D): Idiomatically, it should be "impulse to do something". I did not read the whole sentence carefully and paid a price in time wasted. 
(E) Not a sentence. "That" introduces a noun clause, which stands alone.

AntrikshR · Answer

Since the design and construction of skyscrapers undoubtedly reflects a human impulse to equate bigger with better, these buildings do, in fact, create opportunities for ingenious problem solving.

A) Since the design and construction of skyscrapers undoubtedly reflects a human impulse to equate bigger with better,
Verb error; also Since is not appropriate as cause and effect relation or reasoning is not reflected in the meaning

B) While the design and construction of skyscrapers undoubtedly reflect a human impulse to equate bigger with better,

All good

C) The design and construction of skyscrapers undoubtedly reflects a human impulse to equate bigger and better, but

Verb error+ Idiom error ( Correct idiom is equate a with b not Equate a and B)

D) Although skyscrapers’ design and construction undoubtedly reflect a human impulse for equating bigger and better,

Contrast is not appropriate + Idiom error

E) That the design and construction of skyscrapers undoubtedly reflect a human impulse to equate bigger with better,

Sentence has structure issue; IC+IC with not connector

B is right IMO

All the sentences are correct. All the above idioms are used to show similarity between X and Y. Coming back to the original sentence: Since the D&C of S reflects a human impulse to equate bigger with better. We have a subject and a verb therefore it's a clause. Since it was started with a subordinating conjunction 'Since' we can say it's a Dependent Clause. Now what are we equating? -Bigger and better? --This is just a figure of speech. Example: Car Dealers still think that the Americans equate bigger with better. --This means that the Americans think the bigger the thing is ...the better it is. Big Car = Better Car. So the meaning of the Dependent clause till now is: The Design and construction of the skyscrapers shows the human impulse of comparing big buildings as better buildings. Moving on to the next part of the sentence: "these buildings do, in fact, create opportunities for ingenious problem solving" This is an Independent clause (Subject: 'These buildings', Verb:'do create') Meaning:The Big buildings actually create opportunities for ingenious problem solving. Overall: DC,IC structure Overall Meaning: The author is saying that even though it's a human impulse of comparing bigger with better, this impulse is not a bad thing after all. The bigger buildings has created opportunities for ingenious problem solving. Coming back to the statement: It's not because D&C of S reflects a human impulse to equate bigger with better, the buildings create opportunities. There is no cause and effect here. The first part i.e. DC is a premise for which author has not provided any evidence , the second part (IC) is the main conclusion of the argument

Therefore we need a coordinating conjunction 'But' to show the change of thoughts and to join two clauses. Ex: --The high sales of the new model of rolls royce show that people consider the bigger car as better car, but the new model of rolls royce, in fact,has many advanced features. A) Since the design and construction of skyscrapers undoubtedly reflects a human impulse to equate bigger with better, --Incorrect. B) While the design and construction of skyscrapers undoubtedly reflect a human impulse to equate bigger with better, --S-V error --Usage of while is correct. It's not a adverbial of time here, it's used for showing contrasting ideas. C) The design and construction of skyscrapers undoubtedly reflects a human impulse to equate bigger and better, but --Correct and it matches with our understanding. D) Although skyscrapers’ design and construction undoubtedly reflect a human impulse for equating bigger and better, --Use of subordinating conjunction 'Although' is correct --Use of possessive form of noun is not incorrect. (skyscrapers’ design and construction) however, the problem is again S-V error. The subject 'Skyscraper's design and construction' is again a singular subject and it need a singular verb 'reflects'. E) That the design and construction of skyscrapers undoubtedly reflect a human impulse to equate bigger with better, --Run on sentence

carouselambra · Answer

IMO B

Since the design and construction of skyscrapers undoubtedly reflects a human impulse to equate bigger with better, these buildings do, in fact, create opportunities for ingenious problem solving.

A)  Since  the design and construction of skyscrapers undoubtedly  reflects  a human impulse to equate bigger with better,

B)  While  the design and construction of skyscrapers undoubtedly  reflect  a human impulse to equate bigger with better,

C) The design and construction of skyscrapers undoubtedly  reflects  a human impulse to equate bigger and better,  but

D)  Although skyscrapers’ design  and construction undoubtedly reflect a human impulse for equating bigger and better,

E)  That  the design and construction of skyscrapers undoubtedly reflect a human impulse to equate bigger with better

TarunKumar1234 · Answer

Since the design and construction of skyscrapers undoubtedly reflects a human impulse to equate bigger with better, these buildings do, in fact, create opportunities for ingenious problem solving.

A) Since the design and construction of skyscrapers undoubtedly reflects a human impulse to equate bigger with better,
Verb error; also Since is not appropriate as cause and effect relation or reasoning is not reflected in the meaning

B) While the design and construction of skyscrapers undoubtedly reflect a human impulse to equate bigger with better,

All good

C) The design and construction of skyscrapers undoubtedly reflects a human impulse to equate bigger and better, but

Verb error+ Idiom error ( Correct idiom is equate a with b not Equate a and B)

D) Although skyscrapers’ design and construction undoubtedly reflect a human impulse for equating bigger and better,

Contrast is not appropriate + Idiom error

E) That the design and construction of skyscrapers undoubtedly reflect a human impulse to equate bigger with better,

Sentence has structure issue; IC+IC with not connector

B is right IMO

ajinkyaB · Answer

Since the design and construction of skyscrapers undoubtedly reflects a human impulse to equate bigger with better, these buildings do, in fact, create opportunities for ingenious problem solving.

A) Since the design and construction of skyscrapers undoubtedly reflects a human impulse to equate bigger with better,
Design and construction is a compound subject and demands a plural verb reflect.

B) While the design and construction of skyscrapers undoubtedly reflect a human impulse to equate bigger with better,
Correct answer: while presents a contrast. Correct verb form reflect is used.

C) The design and construction of skyscrapers undoubtedly reflects a human impulse to equate bigger and better, but
Same verb error. Additionally the contrast word but is used in the second part of the sentence, whereas the original sentence uses contrast in the first part of the sentence.

D) Although skyscrapers’ design and construction undoubtedly reflect a human impulse for equating bigger and better,
Skyscrapers’ design and construction is the subject- a possessive noun form. The non underlined part uses these buildings. There is no subject to which these buildings can refer to.

E) That the design and construction of skyscrapers undoubtedly reflect a human impulse to equate bigger with better, 
Distorts the intended meaning by using a different construction.

Posted from my mobile device

AntrikshR · Answer

I don't think 'The design and construction of skyscrapers' is a Plural subject as IMO it was considered as a single unit.
Just as it was used in the below Wiki link:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skyscrape ... nstruction
I know wiki is not a credible source but I would like to know the reason.

ajinkyaB · Answer

Hello antrikshR..
Had the question mentioned “design of skyscraper” or “construction of skyscrapers” it would have made sense to use the singular verb form reflects. The question in discussion mentions two actions design and construction of skyscrapers. ‘And’ represents a list and a list needs a plural verb form.

Posted from my mobile device

AntrikshR · Answer

Hi Ajinkya,

Only if two "seperate" entities are joined by 'And', then verb takes the plural form. IMO, 'The design and construction of Skyscrapers' is a single entity just as 'Bread and butter'.
e.g. Bread and butter "was" my breakfast and not "were" my breakfast.

ajinkyaB · Answer

Hello again:)
The example you have mentioned has two common nouns bread and butter. These nouns do not perform a specific action in the sentence. Going by the same logic,we can even construct the following sentence: 
‘Cheese sandwich and French fries were available at the breakfast table’
The question in discussion has two separate action nouns design and construction. 
I am obviously not an expert in SC:), but I think experts can shed more light on this concept. In the end meaning triumphs over grammar.
Thank you😊

generis · Answer

The official explanation is  here .

VerbalBot · Answer

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.

Since the design and construction of skyscrapers undoubtedly reflects

Prep Toolkit

Top 5 GMAT Debrief Videos

615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

745 with Only Self-Prep and GMAT Club

From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

My Rewards

GMAT Sentence Correction (SC - EA only) Questions

Since the design and construction of skyscrapers undoubtedly reflects

Prep Toolkit

615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

745 with Only Self-Prep and GMAT Club

From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

My Rewards