The closing of the recreation center has been strongly protested becau

OFFICIAL EXPLANATION



Note: I am not too sure what happened here.
The OA was revealed early (and marked incorrectly, although that error might have been mine).
The OA should not have been revealed until 10:15 PM Pacific Time Zone. I just pulled that time from the other question, which I posted a few seconds before this one. No matter.

• HIGHLIGHTS
The answer is B. I changed the OA.

There was a typo in B. No comma should have come between offering . . . and hosting . . .

I apologize.
Everyone will get kudos. EDIT: EVERYONE GOT KUDOS. IF I MISSED YOU, PLEASE PM ME.

Errors in the other sentences can't be explained away by a misplaced comma.
Even with the error (now rectified), B is the best of the lot.

Offering XYZ to senior citizens and hosting continuing ed classes for adults nicely modify the preceding clause
. . . the [community] center provides a gathering place for community members.

THE PROMPT



THE OPTIONS


• the center provides a gathering place, offers activities, and ___ continuing education classes for adults
-- provides, offers, and [no verb]. Not parallel.
-- and . . . as well is redundant
Eliminate A


• there is no AND between "community members" and "offering." That absence is a Big Hint that we are dealing with
• a COMMA + ___ING modifier. (A comma + verbING modifier).
-- these participial modifiers can modify the entire preceding clause, the subject of that clause, or the immediately preceding noun (the latter is rare on the GMAT)
-- offering XYZ to senior citizens and hosting ABCs for adults both explain how the center provides a gathering place for community members.
• it's perfectly okay to have two ___ING modifiers joined by AND that modify the same clause.
KEEP


• Not parallel: provides, offers and hosting

• unlike B, option C does not offer the possibility that the second and third verbs might be modifying the previous clause; offers is a present tense verb, not a participle (not __ING)
• Correct: provides, offers, and hosts (all present tense verbs)
Eliminate C


• Wow. This one is a hot mess: [i]provides a gathering place, to offer activities, and hosting classes are not parallel. Each action word is a different kind. Parallelism requires that lists be composed of similar items
• NOT PARALLEL: present tense verb (provides), infinitive (to offer), and participle (hosting)
Eliminate D

[/quote]
• [i]has provided is present perfect tense.
• If all else is equal, GMAC prefers simple present (and simple past).
• simple present is used for actions that happen regularly, facts, and habitual occurrences.
Provides in this sentence fits all three categories.
• No reason exists to use has provided. Simple present is better.
• Don't confuse tenses. There are times when present perfect is better than simple past -- for example, when time is unspecified.
We are not dealing with simple past. We are dealing with simple present.
Eliminate E

The answer is B

COMMENT

LeenaSai and kironk , welcome to SC Butler.

As explained above, everyone gets kudos.
I am sorry about the comma in option B and for having confused you (although as I look at these options, I am not too sure how you could have justified anything other than B.)
I cannot explain why the answer was revealed 2 hours early. (or however long it was)

Folks -- if something like this happens again, please PM me. Put something in the subject box that will get my attention.

I understand that this test makes people anxious. Most of you handled yourselves very well.

kudos to all.