GMATNinja wrote:
Asad wrote:
Hi
generisIf I take out
Last year from choice E, and put it after "earthquake", will it be correct choice?
The new version:(E)
Last year some of the buildings that were destroyed or heavily damaged in the earthquake
Last year had been constructed in violation of the city's building code.
For starters, it's not generally the best use of your time to invent new answer choices. The GMAT gives us five of them, and that's more than enough.
In this particular case, notice that your "new version" of (E) is almost identical to (B) -- the only difference is "some of the buildings" vs. "some buildings", and that doesn't seem terribly significant.
Answer choice (B) -- and the issue of where to place "last year" -- is discussed in detail
here.
I hope that helps!
Quote:
(B) Some buildings that were destroyed or heavily damaged in the earthquake last year had been constructed in violation of the city's building code.
(E) Last year some of the buildings that were destroyed or heavily damaged in the earthquake had been constructed in violation of the city's building code.
The new version:
(E) Last year some of the buildings that were destroyed or heavily damaged in the earthquake Last year had been constructed in violation of the city's building code.
GMATNinjaSir,
In the meantime, I realize that there is meaning difference in choice B and E (new version). Actually, I did not find the 2 versions (choice B and my new version E) same/identical in their meaning! I'm sharing my understanding here.
In B, the subject is "some buildings", but in E (new version), the subject is "some" only.
In B, "that" is modifying "some buildings", but in E (new version), "that" is modifying only "buildings" not "some", I guess. In E ( new version), the meaning says that "buildings are going to be constructed that were destroyed!". How is it possible to construct a buildings that was destroyed? Is it possible in real life?
Or, am I missing anything in explaining my new version (E)?
Thanks__
I'll say it again: obsessively analyzing modified versions of official questions really isn't the most productive use of your valuable study time.
Yes, there is a subtle difference between "some buildings..." and "some of the buildings...", but that difference isn't very important here. The past perfect ("had been constructed") tells us that the "construction" happened before anything was destroyed, but either option is fine from that perspective.