That pollution harms the environment is self-evident; that

Question

That pollution harms the environment is self-evident;  that immediate government action to combat it is merited by the situation  is a matter of debate.

(A) that immediate government action to combat it is merited by the situation
(B) if the situation merits immediate action by the government
(C) whether to combat the situation is merited by immediate government action
(D) that the situation merits immediate government action to combat it
(E) whether the government should immediately combat it is merited by the situation

lagomez · Answer

answer d

the sentence after the semicolon must be a complete sentence
b: if...then clause is set up but no then part
d: is actually a complete sentence

swatirpr · Answer

Yes, it was 2-3 split. I eliminated b, c, d

But struggled between A & E. Can you please explain why you chose E over A?

swatirpr · Answer

Typo

, I am sorry. I eliminated b, c, e But struggled between A & D. Can you please explain why should chose D over A?

lagomez · Answer

a violates parallelism

in d. that pollutions harms...that the situation merits

correct

thephoenix · Answer

moreover is merited by looks awkward in A

StrangeWind · Answer

The answer is D.

By the way E is incorrect because it is awkward

fall2009 · Answer

D for me too.
"that...is...that...is" is parallel.

stringworm · Answer

From P. 219 of KAPLAN's "Advanced Prep for Advanced Students" 8th edition

That pollution harms the environment is self-evident;  that immediate government action to combat it is merited by the situation  is a matter of debate.

Correct answer is:
that the situation merits immediate government action to combat  it

"it" could refer to "pollution," "the environment," or the clause "pollution harms the environment," or how about after the semicolon..."the situation"

How is the "it" NOT an ambiguous pronoun???

stringworm · Answer

Ugggg, Ok so "D" is correct, but How is the "it" NOT an ambiguous pronoun???

"it" could refer to "pollution," "the environment," or the clause "pollution harms the environment," or how about after the semicolon..."the situation"

Sentences like "Dipping the spoon into the pot of simmering soup, Jean felt it slip out of her hand." are considered as having an ambiguous "it" but the one above does not???

crick20002002 · Answer

+1 for D.

GMAT allows pronoun ambiguity , if the context is clear. Check out the following problem and explanation on pronoun reference by GMAT instructor. (the last one)

https://gmatclub.com/forum/sc-pronoun-error-91452.html

gautammalik · Answer

We need a phrase that is the subject whose verb is "is"
Only (D) provides such a phrase.
(C) changes the meaning

loser · Answer

I was between B and D but went with B. Everything sounds terrible in this question.

rajeevrks27 · Answer

I think pronoun it is ambiguous..
experts comment plz...

tuanquang269 · Answer

D that X; that Y (active voice)

if, whether cannot stand alone as independent clause.

kat1983 · Answer

Though initially i opted A but finally agreed with D.

spetznaz · Answer

The answer must be option D. Parallelism & active voice construction make "D" correct.

Bunuel · Answer

KAPLAN OFFICIAL EXPLANATION:

First of all, you can eliminate (B) because the sentence describes alternatives and would therefore need whether rather than if. Next, (C) wrongly relocates is merited by and (E) changes the meaning of the original sentence. (C) suggests that government action, not pollution, is the problem and (E) just doesn't make sense. Finally, (A) and (D) are in many ways quite similar but the passive voice in (A) leaves (D) as the more active and clear option.

gautamrana1 · Answer

Whats is difference between A and D. Both look complete sentences

Saipavan666 · Answer

Can someone explain b vs d ? Is than mandatory when we use if?

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That pollution harms the environment is self-evident; that

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GMAT Sentence Correction (SC - EA only) Questions

That pollution harms the environment is self-evident; that

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