Since the teacher introduced the classroom reward system, students hav

Question

Project SC Butler: Day 140: Sentence Correction (SC2) 
 For SC butler Questions  Click Here

Since the teacher introduced the classroom reward system, students have begun paying closer attention, completing homework,  following directions, and have stopped causing  disruptions during lessons.

(A) following directions, and have stopped causing

(B) to follow directions, and have stopped causing

(C) and following directions, having stopped causing

(D) and following directions, and have stopped causing

(E) following directions, and have caused

generis · Accepted Answer

OFFICIAL EXPLANATION PROCESS OF ELIMINATION • Split #1: a parallel list requires COMMA + AND before the last item Options A and E incorrectly use have begun -- 1) paying closer attention, -- 2) completing homework, -- 3) following directions. We need 1, 2, and 3: paying closer attention, completing homework, AND following directions. Eliminate A and E In addition, the end of Option E is not parallel. Students have begun X-ING, Y-ING, and Z-ING and have stopped __ING (parallel) The students have stopped causing disruptions. They have not stopped disruptions . • Split #2 - parallel list requires items of the same KIND or STUCTURE Option B incorrectly uses an infinitive (to follow) rather than a gerund (a verbING). To follow is not parallel to all the other __ING words. Option B should say , and following Eliminate B • Split #3: parallel verbs -- comma + present participle (verbING) modifies the entire preceding clause (or its subject, or the immediately preceding noun) -- Correct for this sentence: Students have done P and have done Q -- Wrong for this sentence: Students have done P, having Q Option C incorrectly uses having stopped causing That verb phrase is not parallel to have begun (X-ing, Y-ing, and Z-ing). If in doubt, compare to D. In option D, the verb have stopped is parallel to have begun, and both verbs are correctly joined with AND. By POE, the answer is D HIGHLIGHTS • LIST plus two-part (compound) predicate We see two "groups" of ideas that are related, namely, a three-item list and a separate one-item list: , , and , AND COMMA + AND in a list is called an Oxford comma. GMAC always uses it. The last item in a parallel list takes comma + and Use that structure to find the end of one list and sometimes, as in this question, a separate item, which here is begun -- the second part of a two-part predicate that consists of verb and verb. (A) Since the teacher introduced the classroom reward system, students have begun paying closer attention, completing homework, following directions, and have stopped causing disruptions during lessons. Students have begun -- paying closer attention -- completing homework , ---AND -- following directions AND have stopped -- causing disruptions Students have begun P, Q, AND R, AND have stopped W How do we know that we need a comma + AND before "following directions"? -- because have begun is split and logically applies to only the first three __ING words: have begun paying closer attention, completing homework, following directions. Have begun causing disruptions? NO. The sentence is all about good news: what happened to students' behavior after the teacher instituted a reward system. If a list contains three or more items, comma + and goes before the last item. • Parallelism The non-underlined portion contains the first two list items (A1 and A2). -- The other items must be __ING words to maintain parallelism We also have a compound predicate. One subject (students) is followed by two verbs (have begun and have stopped). Thus the verbs, joined by and, must be parallel Students have begun (X) . . . and students have stopped (Y) Only option D works. COMMENTS If you explained, you get kudos. The answers are good to excellent. Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

XyLan · Answer

Sentence Structure  
 Subject  -  Verb 
   Since  the teacher   introduced  the classroom reward system,   
  students   have begun  
  1) paying closer attention, 
2) completing homework, 
3) and following directions, 
 and  have stopped  causing disruptions during lessons.

Issues:   
The issue revolves around parallelism.
 have begun  acts as linking verb for all the 3 actions:
 1) paying closer attention, 
2) completing homework, and 
3) following directions 
 A, B and D    Parallelism issue

Answer choice analysis:  
 A)  following  directions, and have stopped causing 
   Parallelism issue: We need an  AND  to separate the list of action items affected by  have begun

B)  to follow  directions, and have stopped causing
   Parallelism issue: to-verb breaks the parallelism

C) and following directions, having stopped causing
   Having verb in participle form is written to show the earlier of the action.
 Ex: Having done with breakfast, Josh went to the office.     
D)  and  following directions,  and  have stopped causing
   The 2 ANDs join 2 different lists:
 students  have begun 
  1) paying closer attention, 
2) completing homework, 
3) AND following directions, 
 AND  have stopped  causing disruptions during lessons.
  
D resolves the error.  D  is the winner!

E)  following  directions, and have caused
   Parallelism issue: We need an  AND  to separate the list of action items affected by  have begun

Lampard42 · Answer

The question test your knowledge on parallel lists.....  There are two parallel lists in the question "students X a,b, and c, and Y"  -  have begun and have stopped is one list joined by ",and"  /  paying closer attention, completing homework, and following directions is another list joined by ",and"

A) following directions, and have stopped causing -  Incorrect, Doesn't have "and" for the second list

B) to follow directions, and have stopped causing -  Incorrect, Second list is not parallel

C) and following directions, having stopped causing -  Incorrect, Doesn't have "and" for the First list + Having is wrong

D) and following directions, and have stopped causing -  Correct

E) following directions, and have caused  - Incorrect, Doesn't have "and" for the second list + and caused is wrong

amitanshumaity · Answer

Since the teacher introduced the classroom reward system, students have begun paying closer attention, completing homework, following directions, and have stopped causing disruptions during lessons.

Structure: Since the teacher introduced the program, students have begun X(a,b, and c), and have stopped Y. This is the structure we need to communicate the intended meaning.

Note: Stopping causing disruption sounds nonsensical and can't be parallel to the previous list as it denotes the other result which took place because of the introduction of the program.

Option D corrects this structure issue and conveys intended meaning.

IMHO D

Annet1524 · Answer

Since the teacher introduced the classroom reward system, students have begun paying closer attention, completing homework, following directions, and have stopped causing disruptions during lessons.

A)  following directions,    and have stopped causing - wrong parallelism

B)  to follow  directions, and have stopped causing - wrong parallelism

C)  and  following directions,  having stoppe d causing - wrong construction

D) and following directions, and have stopped causing-  correct parallelism 
 
E) following directions, and   have caused   wrong meaning

J2S2019 · Answer

IMO Correct answer is D
 
Since the teacher introduced the classroom reward system, students have begun paying closer attention, completing homework, following directions, and have stopped causing disruptions during lessons.

A) following directions, and have stopped causing -  2 "AND"s as parallelism markers need to have same structure of items both before and after list; Missing an AND before "...following directions", breaks parallelism

B) to follow directions, and have stopped causing -  to +Verb breaks parallelism

C) and following directions, having stopped causing -  "having stopped causing" is not parallel with "have begun paying" in the non-underlined portion of the sentence.

D) and following directions, and have stopped causing -  Correct

E) following directions, and have caused -  Changes the meaning of the sentence.

generis · Answer

I have posted the official explanation  HERE

exc4libur · Answer

Meaning: after T intro a system, two things happened:   a list, and   is a clause;
(A) "  have begun {playg…compg…folwg…}, and   have {stopped…}" this implies the last element of the   list is "have stopped", actually, the last element of the list is "folwg" (which should be preceded by "and"), out;
(B) "to follow" breaks list parallelism, out;
(C) "having stopped…" is treating the   part as a part mod, unintended;
(E) same prob as (A), with parallelism issue;

Answer (D).

vishumangal · Answer

Hi  generis ,

I have small doubt regarding the explanation posted.

As per the GMAT "Comma + and" Joins two independent clauses (FANBOYS Rul"e).
In the above Sentence There is no Independent clause after "Comma + and". The clause after Comma + And don't have a subject of its own.

Could you please help me with this

wizardofoddz · Answer

The explanation, of what is the correct answer and why, has been beaten to death by experts and those who have got it correct on the first go.

I, however, didn't get it correct the first time around. Therefore I will hereby address my clones and others who think like me (at least did so this time).

I couldn't get for the love of God why this would be the right answer. I made the mistake of being casual; I skimmed through it, saw two ('redundant') ands back to back, thought I was very smart to have caught "the mistake" in this easily. But here's why I was wrong.

Since the teacher introduced the classroom reward system, students have begun paying closer attention, completing homework and following directions, and have stopped causing disruptions during lessons.

This above is the correct answer. I'll break it down, tear it to shreds to explain different how multiple independent clauses (or we can say sentences) have been jammed in this to make gem of a sentence.

1. Since the teacher introduced the classroom reward system, students have begun paying closer attention 
2. Since the teacher introduced the classroom reward system, students have begun completing homework
3. Since the teacher introduced the classroom reward system, students have begun following directions. 
4. Since the teacher introduced the classroom reward system, students have stopped causing disruptions during lessons.

Now, in order to form one sweet sentence out of this mess, let's group like verb forms :

1. Present Participle:
• paying
• completing
• following
• causing

Now we can club them together in logical, parallel lists, omit repeating words. We get this:

1. Since the teacher introduced the classroom reward system, students have begun paying closer attention, completing homework and following directions.

2. Since the teacher introduced the classroom reward system, students have stopped causing disruptions during lessons.

The second type of verb forms in the original sentence is:

2. Past Participles: 
•(have) begun 
•(have) stopped

Now let's rewrite this sentence stringing the like verbs together, in parallel:

Since the teacher introduced the classroom reward system, students have begun paying closer attention, completing homework and following directions, and have stopped causing disruptions during lessons.

We now see clearly, that there are two parallelisms at play here, one between verbs and the other among verb forms.

Posted from my mobile device

generis · Answer

vishumangal , the verb have stopped does have a subject: students. We need an unusual comma before the second verb because the list in the first verb phrase could be confusing. This sentence has only one independent clause. One subject (students) is followed by two verbs (have begun and have stopped). Usually we would not put a comma between students and the second verb. In this case, we can insert an "extra" comma if doing so clarifies the sentence. A comma does clarify this sentence: the comma signals to the reader that we are "leaving" the list structure and re-entering verb territory. The verbs are perfectly parallel. If the first verb phrase contains many commas, we can use another comma to highlight the beginning of the second verb phrase. This sentence "splits the verb." The 3- or 4 word verbs are split into an anchor ( have begun, have stopped ) and their respective verb endings (__ ING participle phrases). The verb split and the list create two "levels": 1) the first part of the split (have begun, have stopped) constitutes the Higher Level. and 2) the second part of the split verb phrase (paying attention, etc.) is a list in one verb phrase, not a list in the other verb phrase, and constitutes the Lower Level. Below, "farther to the right" = lower level Students ---HAVE BEGUN ------paying closer attention, ------completing homework, ------and ------following directions, ---AND ---HAVE STOPPED ------causing disruptions When we reach the second part of the compound predicate, we may wonder, why is there another comma + and ? In order to show the reader (1) that the second and plus what follows it is separate from the list, and (2) that we are moving back "up" a level to the second verb, we add a comma. This kind of clarifying comma does not actually sever the verb from the sentence. Hope that helps.

Posted from my mobile device

generis · Answer

wizardofoddz

Thanks for making me laugh. Much needed, much appreciated. Good snark. That's a hell of a username. And this is a hell of a good answer. Kudos for the levity and the analysis. (But "beaten to death by experts"?

Wow. Who knew? I am an executioner of sentences now? And here I thought all this time that I was a writer and editor of sentences -- and occasionally an explicator of SC Sentences.) Nicely done.

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 teacher introduced the classroom reward system, students hav

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 teacher introduced the classroom reward system, students hav

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