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11 Sep 2021, 21:05
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B
Be sure to select an answer first to save it in the Error Log before revealing the correct answer (OA)!
Difficulty:
45%
(medium)
Question Stats:
55% (01:25) correct
45%
(01:26)
wrong
based on 278
sessions
History
Date
Time
Result
Not Attempted Yet
The charitable organization aims to aid local communities and partnering with private industry, supporting access for poor communities for resources such as food and shelter.
A) partnering with private industry, supporting access for poor communities for
B) partners with private industry to support access for poor communities to
C) partner with private industry for supporting of access for poor communities to
D) partner with private industry and be supportive of accessibility for poor communities for their
E) partnering with private industry to support access for poor communities for
11 Sep 2021, 21:08
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OFFICIAL EXPLANATION
THE PROMPT
As I describe below option A, the sentence is confusing, but whatever is supposed to be the case, parallelism is lacking.
• Strategy tip: if you are not sure about intended meaning, do not get stuck. Keep reading.
The answer choices (and their errors) will help you sort out the meaning.
Because this sentence contains grammatical error, we cannot discern whether the sentence is trying to describe two things that the organization does (aims to aidand partners with) or to describe two of the organization's aims (to aid and to partner).
The fact that we are uncertain about meaning after reading the prompt (and option A) is just fine, although that fact may not feel "just fine" as you read the sentence. Trust that if the meaning is not clear from the prompt and option A, that meaning will become clear as you use the options.
→ It is not clear whether the list consists of two things that the organization does, aims and partnering with, or of two of the organization's aims, to aid and partnering.
→ Either way, the word partnering is not in the same verb form as the first part of the list.
That is, first, partnering and aims are not parallel. The first is a gerund (a verbING noun) and the other is a verb.
In this coupling, partnering should be the verb partner.
Similarly, if the list is supposed to convey what the organization aims to do, to aid, an infinitive, is not parallel with partnering, a gerund. (verbing)
In this case, partnering should be [aims] to partner.
• nonsensical
An organization can certainly aim to aid poor communities.
The verb aim can and often is followed by an infinitive.
(Think of the similar verb hope. I hope to accomplish . . . I hope to understand . . .)
An organization cannot aim partnering with private industry. The italicized words are gibberish.
• idiom/diction
→ someone has access to something, not access for something
ELIMINATE A
• meaning? The private organization does two things:
1) it aims to aid local communities, and
2) it partners with private industry to do something in particular
• parallelism is maintained
→ aims and partners are both simple present tense verbs
• idiomatic
→ people have access to
KEEP
→ the correct idiom is partner . . . to (do something) rather than partner . . . for doing something
→ you do not need to know this idiom to figure out that the construction in this option is clumsy and wordy.
Compare to option B, in which the organization partners with private industry to support XYZ.
To support is and concise and clear (shows intention).
For supporting of uses three awkward words to say, in a rather mushy fashion, what option B says in two clear words.
ELIMINATE C
• the list of aims is not constructed properly
→ in formal English, a list of three aims is written this way:
[AIMS TO] . . . aid local communities, partner with private industry, and support access . . .
→ the list structure should be A, B, and C, not A and B and C.
→ the second and makes preceding and incorrect (creates A and B and C)
→ the Oxford comma is missing
In a list of more than two things, the last item must be preceded by COMMA + AND.
GMAC never deviates from this rule.
In British English and in much of print journalism, the Oxford comma is eliminated.
In B.E., that elimination is customary.
In print journalism, the elimination is to save space. When you read the New York Times or WSJ, you will not see an Oxford comma.
On the GMAT? In a list of more than two elements, in the correct answer (or in the nonunderlined portion), you will always see an Oxford comma.
I have yet to find a single exception.
Speakers of B.E., be aware that your eyes are used to not seeing an Oxford comma, but on the GMAT, the Oxford comma among a few items signals a list of items that should be parallel.
• style and diction errors: the phrase be supportive of accessibility for poor communities begs to be tossed out.
→ concision. (Concision really is a thing.)
Compare to support to be supportive of.
→ diction. One part of diction involves choosing the best words for the task.
To support access (option B) is a purposeful, short, verb-driven expression.
To be supportive of accessibility is a passive, clunky, noun-based expression.
On the whole, verbs are preferred to nouns. In English, strong verbs create good writing.
• idiom error: access to XYZ is correct. Access for XYZ is not correct.
• possible pronoun ambiguity
→ I am not a fan of pronoun ambiguity as a basis upon which to eliminate errors, but this their might have two logical antecedents.
One logical antecedent is communities. The other is the charitable organization and private industry.
If need be, use this hiccup to break a tie.
ELIMINATE D
→ as in option A, partnering is not parallel with either aims or to aid
(Remember that the word and comes immediately before the words in all the options.)
• idiom error
→ as is the case in option D, access for should be access to
ELIMINATE E
The answer is B.
COMMENTS
Full disclosure: I am fighting with a dysfunctional keyboard.
(If any curse words wormed into my prose, blame this blasted machine.)
I'll have my other computer in full working order tomorrow.
Then I can easily hand out kudos, write OEs and . . . .
Welcome new people.
Speaking of, jsaurabh , welcome to SC Butler.
I am always happy to have new people join the Butler crew (and I see a few who have done so in the last week whom I've not yet welcomed), a fact that reminds me to repeat that all aspirants have a standing invitation to post.
You should post at least now and then and preferably more often to further your own mastery of material.
Especially in Verbal, in which there are few "pat" answers, posting forces you to use parts of your mind that often atrophy in modern existence and that the GMAT writers test frequently.
This question is slippery.
Nonetheless, the explanatory posts on this thread are top notch.
Those who explained noticed important but subtle splits, some of which I did not mention in this OE.
Very well done. Keep it up!
Project SC Butler: Sentence Correction (SC1)
THE PROMPT
Quote:
• The sentence contains the conjunction (and parallelism marker) and, so look for a parallelism error.
As I describe below option A, the sentence is confusing, but whatever is supposed to be the case, parallelism is lacking.
• Strategy tip: if you are not sure about intended meaning, do not get stuck. Keep reading.
The answer choices (and their errors) will help you sort out the meaning.
Because this sentence contains grammatical error, we cannot discern whether the sentence is trying to describe two things that the organization does (aims to aidand partners with) or to describe two of the organization's aims (to aid and to partner).
The fact that we are uncertain about meaning after reading the prompt (and option A) is just fine, although that fact may not feel "just fine" as you read the sentence. Trust that if the meaning is not clear from the prompt and option A, that meaning will become clear as you use the options.
Quote:
• confusing
→ It is not clear whether the list consists of two things that the organization does, aims and partnering with, or of two of the organization's aims, to aid and partnering.
→ Either way, the word partnering is not in the same verb form as the first part of the list.
That is, first, partnering and aims are not parallel. The first is a gerund (a verbING noun) and the other is a verb.
In this coupling, partnering should be the verb partner.
Similarly, if the list is supposed to convey what the organization aims to do, to aid, an infinitive, is not parallel with partnering, a gerund. (verbing)
In this case, partnering should be [aims] to partner.
• nonsensical
An organization can certainly aim to aid poor communities.
The verb aim can and often is followed by an infinitive.
(Think of the similar verb hope. I hope to accomplish . . . I hope to understand . . .)
An organization cannot aim partnering with private industry. The italicized words are gibberish.
• idiom/diction
→ someone has access to something, not access for something
ELIMINATE A
Quote:
• I do not see any errors
• meaning? The private organization does two things:
1) it aims to aid local communities, and
2) it partners with private industry to do something in particular
• parallelism is maintained
→ aims and partners are both simple present tense verbs
• idiomatic
→ people have access to
KEEP
Quote:
• verbose (wordy), awkward, and not idiomatic
→ the correct idiom is partner . . . to (do something) rather than partner . . . for doing something
→ you do not need to know this idiom to figure out that the construction in this option is clumsy and wordy.
Compare to option B, in which the organization partners with private industry to support XYZ.
To support is and concise and clear (shows intention).
For supporting of uses three awkward words to say, in a rather mushy fashion, what option B says in two clear words.
ELIMINATE C
Quote:
• the list of aims is not constructed properly
→ in formal English, a list of three aims is written this way:
[AIMS TO] . . . aid local communities, partner with private industry, and support access . . .
→ the list structure should be A, B, and C, not A and B and C.
→ the second and makes preceding and incorrect (creates A and B and C)
→ the Oxford comma is missing
In a list of more than two things, the last item must be preceded by COMMA + AND.
GMAC never deviates from this rule.
In British English and in much of print journalism, the Oxford comma is eliminated.
In B.E., that elimination is customary.
In print journalism, the elimination is to save space. When you read the New York Times or WSJ, you will not see an Oxford comma.
On the GMAT? In a list of more than two elements, in the correct answer (or in the nonunderlined portion), you will always see an Oxford comma.
I have yet to find a single exception.
Speakers of B.E., be aware that your eyes are used to not seeing an Oxford comma, but on the GMAT, the Oxford comma among a few items signals a list of items that should be parallel.
• style and diction errors: the phrase be supportive of accessibility for poor communities begs to be tossed out.
→ concision. (Concision really is a thing.)
Compare to support to be supportive of.
→ diction. One part of diction involves choosing the best words for the task.
To support access (option B) is a purposeful, short, verb-driven expression.
To be supportive of accessibility is a passive, clunky, noun-based expression.
On the whole, verbs are preferred to nouns. In English, strong verbs create good writing.
• idiom error: access to XYZ is correct. Access for XYZ is not correct.
• possible pronoun ambiguity
→ I am not a fan of pronoun ambiguity as a basis upon which to eliminate errors, but this their might have two logical antecedents.
One logical antecedent is communities. The other is the charitable organization and private industry.
If need be, use this hiccup to break a tie.
ELIMINATE D
Quote:
• parallelism error
→ as in option A, partnering is not parallel with either aims or to aid
(Remember that the word and comes immediately before the words in all the options.)
• idiom error
→ as is the case in option D, access for should be access to
ELIMINATE E
The answer is B.
COMMENTS
Full disclosure: I am fighting with a dysfunctional keyboard.
(If any curse words wormed into my prose, blame this blasted machine.)
I'll have my other computer in full working order tomorrow.
Then I can easily hand out kudos, write OEs and . . . .
Welcome new people.
Speaking of, jsaurabh , welcome to SC Butler.
I am always happy to have new people join the Butler crew (and I see a few who have done so in the last week whom I've not yet welcomed), a fact that reminds me to repeat that all aspirants have a standing invitation to post.
You should post at least now and then and preferably more often to further your own mastery of material.
Especially in Verbal, in which there are few "pat" answers, posting forces you to use parts of your mind that often atrophy in modern existence and that the GMAT writers test frequently.
This question is slippery.
Nonetheless, the explanatory posts on this thread are top notch.
Those who explained noticed important but subtle splits, some of which I did not mention in this OE.
Very well done. Keep it up!
11 Sep 2021, 21:39
Kudos
Bookmarks
My answer is(B).
(AE) can be eliminated because “partnering" is not parallel with "aims to aid local communities".
In (B), "partners with" can be said to be parallel with "aims".
In (CD), "partner with" can be considered parallel with "aid".
"Access" should be followed by "to", thus eliminating (D). (D can also be eliminated because it contains "X and Y and Z" when "X, Y and Z" should be used. )
Between (B) and (C), "for supporting of access for poor communities to" in (C) is not as concise / elegant as "to support access for poor communities to" in (B).
General Rule: Verb forms (such as support) should be preferred to their gerund forms (such as supporting).
Therefore, I reject (C) and choose (B).
(AE) can be eliminated because “partnering" is not parallel with "aims to aid local communities".
In (B), "partners with" can be said to be parallel with "aims".
In (CD), "partner with" can be considered parallel with "aid".
"Access" should be followed by "to", thus eliminating (D). (D can also be eliminated because it contains "X and Y and Z" when "X, Y and Z" should be used. )
Between (B) and (C), "for supporting of access for poor communities to" in (C) is not as concise / elegant as "to support access for poor communities to" in (B).
General Rule: Verb forms (such as support) should be preferred to their gerund forms (such as supporting).
Therefore, I reject (C) and choose (B).
