The continental United States receives an average of 30 inches of

Dear Friends,

Here is a detailed explanation to this question-

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

A. I think it just sounds weird with "the balance". It is my second choice.
B. Wrong because it distorts the original meaning. The underline is supposed to give reason to why.
C. same as B
D. I think this is correct. The rest doesnt sound as weird as the ba;ance.
E. I think the rest is singular (like "team") so it should be contributes.

D

[quote="mikeCoolBoy"]
(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 option ]
(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
[ "flowing" is wrong ]
(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
[ "flowing" is 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
[ the two parts of the sentence are not parallel ]
(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
[transpiration is singular so returns is the appropriate, similarly rest.........contributes ]


OA please !

IMO A. Subject and Verb agreement question.
Transpiration (S) .....returns (V)......balance(S)......Contributes(V)

I would present different angle of selecting the right answer choince..

since the ; is used in the orginal sentense the sentese before and after ; should stand as complete sentense not depend on the sentense before and after ; .

A follows correcltly the above rule..

A
check on the word "while "
while and awhile are often confused due to the nature that while is often accompanied by the indefinite article. The main difference is that a while means "an amount of time" or "some duration" whereas awhile is an adverb meaning "for some amount of time" or "for some duration".[1]

"I slept for a while before dinner."
"I slept awhile before dinner."

I wornlgy believed that while can only be used with respect to time .. however ..please note the following :


The primary function of the word as a conjunction is to indicate that two separate clauses occur at the same time.

"The days were hot while we were on vacation."
"I read a magazine whilst I was waiting."
While can also be legitimately used in the contrastive sense, comparable to the words "although" or "whereas", provided that it is not ambiguous (although some commentators, such as Eric Partridge, have frowned upon such use):

"While I like cats, my husband is allergic."
"While Sally plays, Sue works."
The latter sentence can mean either "during the time that Sally plays, Sue works" or "although Sally plays, Sue works" and is thus ambiguous.

A is correct. S-V agreement question.

The continental United States receives an average of 30 incles 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 contriutes 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
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
WRONG.

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
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
WRONG.

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[/quote]
WRONG.

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 - looks fine.

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 -- Remainder of something or remaining itself ? -- flow(action noun) is better than flowing (gerund).

Each of the following has SV error:
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

Among other things, B also has a subject-verb agreement issue: the remainder of 9 inches contribute

In D, actually return is not an issue, because it is used as an infinitive: to return. There is no such thing as to returns.

the majority of the students on such question digs into a maelstrom of rules confrontation splits in the end and so forth....

The simple rule to follow is this : after an indipendent clause that ends in a semicolon, what is following MUST be a subject without whether or but.....

So all choices but A does this. As, although and so on are wrong because they imply a third phrase to follow the second one, which is impossible in our scenario, simply because we have 2 phrases.

Therefore a smart student solely reading transpiration and without reading anything else, at all, he/she knows that A must be the answer.

In this sense yes , it is a 700 level question. This question is a perfect example that shows who scores above 700 and who does not.

Hope this helps.

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
Either side of the semi colon should have independent clauses but the meaning can be dependent-> Looks good.

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
Remainder and contribute -> SV pair issue. Didn't understand why "even though" is required. A contrast word is not required.

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
Balance and contribute -> SV issue and although introduces a contrasting word. A contrast word is not required.

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
with makes the clause as dependent clause. Either side requires a independent clause.

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
SV issue.

ANSWER IS A

A question that highlight the importance of identifying "DECISION POINTS" in sentence correction.
If one can identify the two main decision point in this sentence, it will take 10 seconds to read the stem, 5 seconds to identify the decision point another 10 seconds to eliminate all wrong options without too much trouble.

The continental United States receives an average of 30 inches of precipitation a year;transpiration (SINGULAR and also the Subject of the clause) from soil and from plants returns(CORRECT SUBJECT-VERB ) approximately 21 of the 30 inches to the atmosphere, while the balance of 9 inches contributes to the flow (CORRECT VERB FORM) 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 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
FLOWING is wrong :- It is an adjective, we need a verb.

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
"RETURN" is wrong. SV agreement dictates that we need singular verb -"RETURNS"

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
"RETURN" is wrong. SV agreement dictates that we need singular verb -"RETURNS"

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
"RETURN" is wrong. SV agreement dictates that we need singular verb -"RETURNS"

'returns' and 'contributes' must be singular verbs.

What returns?- transpiration does. So, 'returns' must be used for singular 'transpiration'
What contributes?- Balance of 9 inches. Hence 'contributes' must be singular for singular 'balance'

Secondly, since the sentence is preceded by ';' we need a complete sentence without any contradiction as two facts are mentioned in both the sentences. Words such as although, with, as or even show either contradiction or result. This is not the intended meaning.

Only option A fits in the best.

bit confused here - Can anyone help me out?

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

Discarded B and C since second part is a continuation; hence although and even though doesn't fit here. Ruled out E and D since there is a ; and we should have independent sentences separated by ;. I am not sure if that line of reasoning is correct. E uses as - we are not looking for an explanation - these are two sentences dependent on each other. Problem with D seem to be to return. I think to is unnecessary.


My real confusion lies with A - transpiration from X and Y - isn't that a compound subject? Shouldn't we be using plural verb

The subject is "transpiration", which is singular. If what you are pointing at were true, then the subject would be "transpirations". (The plural form does not exist though.)

sayantanc2k Can you please comment on the correctness/incorrectness of 'remainder' in option B!
Thanks

"Remainder" is alright, but the use of "of" may be questionable. It is alright to use "of" as follows:

The remainder of the precipitation contributes.....

But "remainder of 9 inches" may imply some part of 9 inches that is left.

(However "the value of ..." is a valid use. In case I come across some official sentence that uses "remainder" in the same way, I shall get back to you.)