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Bunuel
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The concert rules, as defined by the organising committee, does not al 06 Nov 2020, 02:45
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D
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25% (medium)

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67% (01:01) correct 33% (01:04) wrong based on 366 sessions

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The concert rules, as defined by the organising committee, does not allow the use of mobile phones during the concert nor does it allow the consumption of hard drinks.


(A) does not allow the use of mobile phones during the concert nor does it allow the consumption of hard drinks

(B) do not allow mobile phones to be used during the concert, not allowing the consumption of hard drinks as well

(C) do not allow the use of mobile phones nor the consumption of hard drinks during the concert

(D) do not allow the use of mobile phones or the consumption of hard drinks during the concert

(E) neither allows the use of mobile phones during the concert nor do they allow the consumption of hard drinks
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D
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The concert rules, as defined by the organising committee, does not al 06 Nov 2020, 03:18
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The concert rules - plural.

(A) does not allow the use of mobile phones during the concert nor does it allow the consumption of hard drinks
Eliminated for S-V disagreement.
(B) do not allow mobile phones to be used during the concert, not allowing the consumption of hard drinks as well
There is no impact of using phones on allowing consumption of drinks. No need of participle "not allowing the consumption of hard drinks"
(C) do not allow the use of mobile phones nor the consumption of hard drinks during the concert
Do not allow X NOR Y - incorrect construction.
(D) do not allow the use of mobile phones or the consumption of hard drinks during the concert
Do not allow X OR Y = Do not allow X; Do not allow Y
Correct.
(E) neither allows the use of mobile phones during the concert nor do they allow the consumption of hard drinks.
Eliminated for S-V disagreement.

IMO D
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The concert rules, as defined by the organising committee, does not al 09 Nov 2020, 02:45
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Bunuel
The concert rules, as defined by the organising committee, does not allow the use of mobile phones during the concert nor does it allow the consumption of hard drinks.


(A) does not allow the use of mobile phones during the concert nor does it allow the consumption of hard drinks

(B) do not allow mobile phones to be used during the concert, not allowing the consumption of hard drinks as well

(C) do not allow the use of mobile phones nor the consumption of hard drinks during the concert

(D) do not allow the use of mobile phones or the consumption of hard drinks during the concert

(E) neither allows the use of mobile phones during the concert nor do they allow the consumption of hard drinks
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Official Explanation



Answer: D

(A) The plural rules does not agree with the singular does or with the singular it.

(B) The clauses before and after not are not parallel.

(C) The use of nor along with not is incorrect because the subject is not repeating after nor. In this case you need to use or instead of nor.

(D) The correct answer.

(E) Wordy. Also, the plural rules does not agree with the singular allows.
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The concert rules, as defined by the organising committee, does not al 14 Feb 2021, 04:14
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I understood the explanations provided. But I have 2 fundamental questions here:

1. I have read in several GMAT sources such as Manhattan SC guide etc that the verb "allow" always takes infinite. (Other words include- forbid, persuade, decide, try, choose, advise, want etc.)
Example:
The Vice-President wants her to go to the retreat.
So, is option D still correct? Why does it not have the correct allows to form?

2. Quoting here your (@Bunuel) explanation of the option E, "Wordy. Also, the plural rules does not agree with the singular allows.".
As per my understanding- "neither/either" always takes "singular" verb.
Example:
Neither of these strategies IS able to reduce emissions.
Neither execution nor strategies ARE able to reduce emissions.
So, according to this, in the option E- "allows" which follows "neither" should be correct as a singular, irrespective of plural "rules".

Request experts to please help me understand the above 2 points. I seem to be missing something fundamentally.
AndrewN zhanbo


Bunuel
Bunuel
The concert rules, as defined by the organising committee, does not allow the use of mobile phones during the concert nor does it allow the consumption of hard drinks.


(A) does not allow the use of mobile phones during the concert nor does it allow the consumption of hard drinks

(B) do not allow mobile phones to be used during the concert, not allowing the consumption of hard drinks as well

(C) do not allow the use of mobile phones nor the consumption of hard drinks during the concert

(D) do not allow the use of mobile phones or the consumption of hard drinks during the concert

(E) neither allows the use of mobile phones during the concert nor do they allow the consumption of hard drinks

Official Explanation



Answer: D

(A) The plural rules does not agree with the singular does or with the singular it.

(B) The clauses before and after not are not parallel.

(C) The use of nor along with not is incorrect because the subject is not repeating after nor. In this case you need to use or instead of nor.

(D) The correct answer.

(E) Wordy. Also, the plural rules does not agree with the singular allows.
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The concert rules, as defined by the organising committee, does not al 14 Feb 2021, 04:15
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I understood the explanations provided. But I have 2 fundamental questions here:

1. I have read in several GMAT sources such as Manhattan SC guide etc that the verb "allow" always takes infinite. (Other words include- forbid, persuade, decide, try, choose, advise, want etc.)
Example:
The Vice-President wants her to go to the retreat.
So, is option D still correct? Why does it not have the correct allows to form?

2. Quoting here your (@Bunuel) explanation of the option E, "Wordy. Also, the plural rules does not agree with the singular allows.".
As per my understanding- "neither/either" always takes "singular" verb.
Example:
Neither of these strategies IS able to reduce emissions.
Neither execution nor strategies ARE able to reduce emissions.
So, according to this, in the option E- "allows" which follows "neither" should be correct as a singular, irrespective of plural "rules".
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The concert rules, as defined by the organising committee, does not al 14 Feb 2021, 08:47
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Hello, Pankaj0901. I will respond in-line below.

Pankaj0901
I understood the explanations provided. But I have 2 fundamental questions here:

1. I have read in several GMAT sources such as Manhattan SC guide etc that the verb "allow" always takes infinite. (Other words include- forbid, persuade, decide, try, choose, advise, want etc.)
Example:
The Vice-President wants her to go to the retreat.
So, is option D still correct? Why does it not have the correct allows to form?
Show more
I tell people this all the time, but be careful before you seek to apply ironclad (absolute) rules: never, always, cannot, etc. Does the Manhattan SC guide really say always, or does it restrict that rule to a certain context? The following sentence, for example, is perfectly legitimate:

The laws prohibit (forbid) hunters from using bullets that contain lead, even in trace amounts, since the populations of certain key scavenger species, such as bald eagles, have suffered as a result of lead poisoning.

In the case of (D) above, the use is just another type of object that is standing in for an infinitive object.

Pankaj0901
2. Quoting here your (@Bunuel) explanation of the option E, "Wordy. Also, the plural rules does not agree with the singular allows.".
As per my understanding- "neither/either" always takes "singular" verb.
Example:
Neither of these strategies IS able to reduce emissions.
Neither execution nor strategies ARE able to reduce emissions.
So, according to this, in the option E- "allows" which follows "neither" should be correct as a singular, irrespective of plural "rules".
Show more
You are looking at neither too closely, as an isolated subject, as in, Neither A nor B. The neither/nor construct in (E) operates within an already begun clause, one that has a subject. At a barebones level, the sentence says, The rules neither A nor B. You cannot say that the rules neither allows. That would indeed create a subject-verb agreement violation. It seems as if you are looking to apply grammar rules too strictly.

I hope that helps. Thank you for thinking to ask me.

- Andrew
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The concert rules, as defined by the organising committee, does not al 14 Feb 2021, 10:41
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Thank you AndrewN. I still have a few questions.

AndrewN
Hello, Pankaj0901. I will respond in-line below.

Pankaj0901
I understood the explanations provided. But I have 2 fundamental questions here:

1. I have read in several GMAT sources such as Manhattan SC guide etc that the verb "allow" always takes infinite. (Other words include- forbid, persuade, decide, try, choose, advise, want etc.)
Example:
The Vice-President wants her to go to the retreat.
So, is option D still correct? Why does it not have the correct allows to form?
I tell people this all the time, but be careful before you seek to apply ironclad (absolute) rules: never, always, cannot, etc. Does the Manhattan SC guide really say always, or does it restrict that rule to a certain context? The following sentence, for example, is perfectly legitimate:

The laws prohibit (forbid) hunters from using bullets that contain lead, even in trace amounts, since the populations of certain key scavenger species, such as bald eagles, have suffered as a result of lead poisoning.

In the case of (D) above, the use is just another type of object that is standing in for an infinitive object.

The GMAT Manhattan SC Guide (4th Edition) Page 114 clearly states that there are verbs that take ONLY subjunctive or infinitives form. I am not sure if I am missing something here. Request you to please check this. Thanks

Pankaj0901
2. Quoting here your (@Bunuel) explanation of the option E, "Wordy. Also, the plural rules does not agree with the singular allows.".
As per my understanding- "neither/either" always takes "singular" verb.
Example:
Neither of these strategies IS able to reduce emissions.
Neither execution nor strategies ARE able to reduce emissions.
So, according to this, in the option E- "allows" which follows "neither" should be correct as a singular, irrespective of plural "rules".
You are looking at neither too closely, as an isolated subject, as in, Neither A nor B. The neither/nor construct in (E) operates within an already begun clause, one that has a subject. At a barebones level, the sentence says, The rules neither A nor B. You cannot say that the rules neither allows. That would indeed create a subject-verb agreement violation. It seems as if you are looking to apply grammar rules too strictly.

I hope that helps. Thank you for thinking to ask me.

- Andrew
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Command Subjunctive & Infinitives - Manhattan SC Guide.PNG
Command Subjunctive & Infinitives - Manhattan SC Guide.PNG [ 68.81 KiB | Viewed 3841 times ]

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The concert rules, as defined by the organising committee, does not al 14 Feb 2021, 12:31
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Pankaj0901
Thank you AndrewN. I still have a few questions.

AndrewN
Hello, Pankaj0901. I will respond in-line below.

Pankaj0901
I understood the explanations provided. But I have 2 fundamental questions here:

1. I have read in several GMAT sources such as Manhattan SC guide etc that the verb "allow" always takes infinite. (Other words include- forbid, persuade, decide, try, choose, advise, want etc.)
Example:
The Vice-President wants her to go to the retreat.
So, is option D still correct? Why does it not have the correct allows to form?
I tell people this all the time, but be careful before you seek to apply ironclad (absolute) rules: never, always, cannot, etc. Does the Manhattan SC guide really say always, or does it restrict that rule to a certain context? The following sentence, for example, is perfectly legitimate:

The laws prohibit (forbid) hunters from using bullets that contain lead, even in trace amounts, since the populations of certain key scavenger species, such as bald eagles, have suffered as a result of lead poisoning.

In the case of (D) above, the use is just another type of object that is standing in for an infinitive object.

The GMAT Manhattan SC Guide (4th Edition) Page 114 clearly states that there are verbs that take ONLY subjunctive or infinitives form. I am not sure if I am missing something here. Request you to please check this. Thanks

Pankaj0901
2. Quoting here your (@Bunuel) explanation of the option E, "Wordy. Also, the plural rules does not agree with the singular allows.".
As per my understanding- "neither/either" always takes "singular" verb.
Example:
Neither of these strategies IS able to reduce emissions.
Neither execution nor strategies ARE able to reduce emissions.
So, according to this, in the option E- "allows" which follows "neither" should be correct as a singular, irrespective of plural "rules".
You are looking at neither too closely, as an isolated subject, as in, Neither A nor B. The neither/nor construct in (E) operates within an already begun clause, one that has a subject. At a barebones level, the sentence says, The rules neither A nor B. You cannot say that the rules neither allows. That would indeed create a subject-verb agreement violation. It seems as if you are looking to apply grammar rules too strictly.

I hope that helps. Thank you for thinking to ask me.

- Andrew
Show more
Thank you for the screenshot of that Manhattan Prep guide, Pankaj0901. What separates their examples from what we see here is that this sentence is written in the passive voice. A sentence written in the active voice would indeed employ the infinitive. Compare:

(C) do not allow the use of mobile phones [by people] (Passive)

(C.2) do not allow people to use mobile phones (Active)

I would again urge you not to apply grammatical rules too rigidly. There may be some less familiar or less frequently encountered construct that the guide simply does not mention. (A guide that covered all bases would be way too long and be of limited use.)

- Andrew
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The concert rules, as defined by the organising committee, does not al 14 Feb 2021, 22:15
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Got the point, thanks a ton! This is very helpful. AndrewN
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