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The continental United States receives an average of 30 inches of

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Pankaj0901

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28 May 2022, 04:27

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Thank you! This helps!!

AndrewN

Pankaj0901

I have a different question here wrt the usage of "while" as the coordinating conjunction. I understand the question and the correct choice, so no queries on that.

We use FANBOYS to connect two independent clauses. So, in the second part of the sentence, after the the semi-colon, I understand that any of the conjunction from FANBOYS would not fit in.

transpiration from soil and from plants returns approximately 21 of the 30 inches to the atmosphere, while the balance of 9 inches contributes to the flow

Hence, we need "while", as the most apt conjunction here. Perfect! However, I read this short article that succinctly explains the difference between FANBOYS and WABBITS conjunctions, and that mentions that WABBITS are used for joining a clause with a phrase. I think this article is missing the point that WABBITS can also be used to coordinate two "clauses", just as in this official GMAT Prep question "while" has been used. Can you please correct me if I am missing anything here and please enlighten me. Thank you!

AndrewN

Hello, Pankaj0901. I have little to add other than to say that I have never heard of the WABBITS acronym until now, and that it is probably best not to tell conjunctions the way they "need" to behave. Think about the meaning conveyed in a given sentence and ask yourself whether that meaning is reasonable. Here, while is, to use your own words, the most apt conjunction, and whether a phrase or clause follows it is beside the point. I am a proponent of analytical reasoning. If you find yourself drifting into autopilot, maybe it would be better to take control again and start thinking your way through the issues at hand.

Thank you for thinking to ask.

- Andrew

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28 May 2022, 05:39

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Hello Pankaj0901
The WABBITS acronym is new for me too. Anyway, WABBITS conjunctions usually connect two clauses, not a clause to a phrase.
Even the FANBOYS and WABBITS pdf does not say that WABBITS is for connecting a clause to a phrase.

But the article does have some problems. One problem is that some of the example sentences are not proper.

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26 Jun 2022, 23:39

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Can anyone provide the proper reason to eliminate D? There is no subject verb disagreement here. I see so many here talking about singular verb but that is obviously wrong.
D: with transpiration from soil and from plants to return approximately 21 inches to the atmosphere, the rest of the 9 inches contributes to the flow
Is the second part of the sentence a run on?
Is it that we can't start a sentence after ; with "with" (why not?)
Is it something to do with parallelism?
GMATNinja daagh Can anyone help? Thanks

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27 Jun 2022, 01:04

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wps002

There are a few things wrong with (D). To be fair, the subject-verb connection is highly suspect, as rest often works like one of the SANAM pronouns, becoming singular if what follows the of is singular/uncountable (example: The rest of the sugar is for you) and plural if what follows the of is plural (example: The rest of the guys are coming soon). A prepositional object such as 9 inches is still a bit tricky, though, as the GMAT will sometimes treat units of measure (inches, gallons, tons, etc.) as singular/amounts and sometimes treat them as plural/numbers. This ambiguity is one of the reasons that the correct answer avoids rest and uses balance, which doesn't suffer from these troubles.

That said, there are other issues with (D) as well, though it should be said that they're relatively minor. One is the fact that its connector word with doesn't do a good job of communicating a contrast, though that's hardly a dealbreaker given than a contrast doesn't really need to be expressed. The other issue is the use of to return, a phrasing that makes it sound as though either this is something planned but not actually happening or this is something mandated. Neither of these meanings is logical here.

However, the biggest, perhaps most undeniable issue with (D) is the meaning issue with the rest of the 9 inches. This phrasing implies that part of a 9 inch total has already been used, and now the rest of it is being used. That's not what's happening in the situation though. The total was 30 inches, 21 of which go to the atmosphere. That means it would be fair to say the rest of the 30 inches, or even something like the rest of the 30 inches--some 9 inches--, and continue from there.

I hope that helps!

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25 Jul 2022, 22:35

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mikeCoolBoy

The continental United States receives an average of 30 inches of precipitation a year; transpiration from soil and from plants returns approximately 21 of the 30 inches to the atmosphere, while the balance of 9 inches contributes to the flow of streams and rivers.

(A) transpiration from soil and from plants returns approximately 21 of the 30 inches to the atmosphere, while the balance of 9 inches contributes to the flow

(B) even though transpiration from soil and from plants returns approximately 21 of the 30 inches to the atmosphere, the remainder of 9 inches contribute to the flowing

(C) although transpiration from soil and from plants return approximately 21 of the 30 inches to the atmosphere, the balance of 9 inches contribute to the flowing

(D) with transpiration from soil and from plants to return approximately 21 inches to the atmosphere, the rest of the 9 inches contributes to the flow

(E) as transpiration from soil and from plants return approximately 21 of the 30 inches to the atmosphere, the rest of the 9 inches contribute to the flow

Hi ryanstarr! Why D is wrong? Is the construction "as transpiration from soil..." wrong in E? I noticed the SVA error, but I was wondering about the "as" construction... tks!

Hey!

I largely agree with what the very skilled ExpertsGlobal5 has said about this with just a couple of small amendments:

As ExpertsGlobal5 suggested, the infinitive form here (to return) kind of implies that the return is pending in some way (like it's going to happen), a meaning not suited to the general-truth intention. But to build on that, given the with at the beginning of this clause, the construction would probably have to involve returning to be correct. There's also a meaning issue in the second part of (D): the rest of the 9 inches implies that some of those 9 inches have already gone somewhere (leaving the rest of them to contribute to the flow). However, that's not the case here; rather, 21 of the 30 inches have already gone somewhere, and it's the remaining 9 inches that are contributing to the flow.

And ExpertsGlobal5 is again correct on (E). I'll only add that as can be used either as a substitute for because/since or as a time marker meaning at the same time as. Of course, neither meaning is correct here, so no matter what the as will be wrong, but I just thought it should be mentioned. The trap the question is trying to lay with as is that it has an overlap in meaning with while, which can also mean at the same time as. However, that's not the intended meaning of the while that appears in the correct answer; instead, the while in (A) is meant to highlight the contrast between the two parts of the clause after the semicolon.

Hello Sir ryanstarr ,

In ( A) is ‘ while’ working as contrast word or conveying action that is simultaneous with first action of transpiration ? I found the latter meaning to be more logical .

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ankitbagla

Hello Sir ryanstarr ,

In ( A) is ‘ while’ working as contrast word or conveying action that is simultaneous with first action of transpiration ? I found the latter meaning to be more logical .

Hello ankitbagla,

We hope this finds you well.

To answer your query, "while" does not convey simultaneous action in this case.

Logically, both actions cannot take place at the same: the "remaining 9 inches" contribute to the flow of streams and rivers by falling into these bodies of water, meaning this action is completed while the rain is ongoing, whereas the action of transpiration primarily occurs afterwards, as the water cycles through the plants and the soil dries.

We hope this helps.
All the best!
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danny2895, you asked on a duplicate thread about option B.

The most straightforward—and also the most fundamental—way to eliminate B is to notice that "of 9 inches" is just a prepositional phrase modifier that's attached to "remainder". Like any other modifier attached to a noun, that one has no effect on subject-verb relationships.

The subject of "contribute" (plural) is therefore "remainder" (singular), so there's S-V disagreement.

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ExpertsGlobal5

Dear Friends,

Here is a detailed explanation to this question-

mikeCoolBoy

Meaning is crucial to solving this problem:
Understanding the intended meaning is key to solving this question; the intended meaning of the crucial part of this sentence is that transpiration from soil and from plants returns approximately 21 of the 30 inches of precipitation to the atmosphere, and simultaneously the other 9 inches contribute to the flow of streams and rivers.

Concepts tested here: Subject-Verb Agreement + Meaning

• “although” and “despite” are used to show contrast.
• "while" is used to refer to actions that take place simultaneously.

A: Correct. This answer choice correctly refers to the singular nouns "transpiration" and "balance" with the singular verbs "returns" and "contributes", respectively. Further, Option A uses the clause "transpiration...returns...to the atmosphere" and the phrase "while the balance of 9 inches contributes to the flow"; the construction of these phrases and the use of 'while" convey the intended meaning - that transpiration from soil and from plants regularly returns approximately 21 of the 30 inches of precipitation to the atmosphere, and simultaneously the 9 inches of precipitation that remain after transpiration contributes to the flow of streams and rivers.

B: This answer choice incorrectly refers to the singular noun "remainder" with the plural verb "contribute". Further, Option B alters the meaning of the sentence through the phrase"even though"; the use of this phrase incorrectly implies that transpiration from soil and from plants returns approximately 21 of the 30 inches of precipitation to the atmosphere, and in spite of this fact the other 9 inches contribute to the flow of streams and rivers; the intended meaning is that transpiration from soil and from plants returns approximately 21 of the 30 inches of precipitation to the atmosphere, and simultaneously the other 9 inches contribute to the flow of streams and rivers; remember, "while" is used to refer to events that take place simultaneously, and “although” and “despite” are used to show contrast. Moreover, Option B further alters the meaning of the sentence through the phrase "the flowing"; the construction of this phrase leads to an incoherent meaning; the intended meaning is that the other 9 inches of precipitation contribute to the flow of streams and rivers.

C: This answer choice incorrectly refers to the singular nouns "transpiration" and "balance" with the plural verbs "return" and "contribute", respectively. Further, Option C alters the meaning of the sentence through the phrase"although transpiration..."; the use of "although" incorrectly implies that transpiration from soil and from plants returns approximately 21 of the 30 inches of precipitation to the atmosphere, and in spite of this fact the other 9 inches contribute to the flow of streams and rivers; the intended meaning is that transpiration from soil and from plants returns approximately 21 of the 30 inches of precipitation to the atmosphere, and simultaneously the other 9 inches contribute to the flow of streams and rivers; remember, "while" is used to refer to events that take place simultaneously, and “although” and “despite” are used to show contrast. Moreover, Option C further alters the meaning of the sentence through the phrase "the flowing"; the construction of this phrase leads to an incoherent meaning; the intended meaning is that the other 9 inches of precipitation contribute to the flow of streams and rivers

D: This answer choice alters the meaning of the sentence through the phrase "with transpiration...to return"; the construction of this phrase incorrectly implies that because transpiration from soil and from plants will return approximately 21 of the 30 inches of precipitation to the atmosphere the other 9 inches contribute to the flow of streams and rivers; the intended meaning is that transpiration from soil and from plants regularly returns approximately 21 of the 30 inches of precipitation to the atmosphere, and simultaneously the other 9 inches contribute to the flow of streams and rivers. Moreover, Option D further alters the meaning of the sentence through the phrase "the rest of the 9 inches contributes"; the construction of this phrase incorrectly implies that a portion of the 9 inches of precipitation that remain after transpiration contributes to the flow of streams and rivers; the intended meaning is that 9 inches of precipitation that remain after transpiration, out of the total of 21 of the 30 inches, contribute to the flow of streams and rivers.

E: This answer choice incorrectly refers to the singular nouns "transpiration" and "the rest" with the plural verbs "return" and "contribute", respectively. Further, Option E alters the meaning of the sentence through the phrase "as transpiration..."; the use of "as" incorrectly implies that because transpiration from soil and from plants returns approximately 21 of the 30 inches of precipitation to the atmosphere the other 9 inches contribute to the flow of streams and rivers; the intended meaning is that transpiration from soil and from plants returns approximately 21 of the 30 inches of precipitation to the atmosphere, and simultaneously the other 9 inches contribute to the flow of streams and rivers. Moreover, Option E further alters the meaning of the sentence through the phrase "the rest of the 9 inches contribute"; the construction of this phrase incorrectly implies that a portion of the 9 inches of precipitation that remain after transpiration contributes to the flow of streams and rivers; the intended meaning is that 9 inches of precipitation that remain after transpiration, out of the total of 21 of the 30 inches, contribute to the flow of streams and rivers.

Hence, A is the best answer choice.

All the best!
Experts' Global Team

Hey there,

just help me in understanding one thing that when we are joining an independent clause and a subordinate clause where the independent clause comes before the subordinate clause then we do not use any punctuations.

for example- i) While it was raining, Akhil was playing.(here the subordinate clause comes before the independent clause and thus we are using a comma here)
ii) Akhil was playing while it was raining. ( here the independent clause comes before the subordinate clause and thus we are not allowed to use any comma here)

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12 Sep 2022, 00:03

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(A) transpiration from soil and from plants returns approximately 21 of the 30 inches to the atmosphere, while the balance of 9 inches contributes to the flow Correct

(B) even though transpiration from soil and from plants returns approximately 21 of the 30 inches to the atmosphere, the remainder of 9 inches contribute to the flowing Incorrect because of contribute and it should be replaced by contributes

(C) although transpiration from soil and from plants return approximately 21 of the 30 inches to the atmosphere, the balance of 9 inches contribute to the flowing Incorrect because of contribute and it should be replaced by contributes

(D) with transpiration from soil and from plants to return approximately 21 inches to the atmosphere, the rest of the 9 inches contributes to the flow Incorrect as the meaning of the original sentence gets changed.

(E) as transpiration from soil and from plants return approximately 21 of the 30 inches to the atmosphere, the rest of the 9 inches contribute to the flow Incorrect because of contribute and it should be replaced by contributes

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