A few things to note:Technically, data is plural of datum. In academic writing it is almost always treated as plural. It is treated as singular in informal writing but GMAT favors treating it as plural. I do not have my OG12 at hand right now but if you look for references of data, it is used as plural.
Even if you do not know this, the use of "
theyinfluence the upcoming" should tell you that data is used in plural form here.
There are many pronouns used here. Antecedent of each pronoun is present in the sentence. The usage clarifies which pronoun refers to data and which refers to engineers.
The data being collected in the current geological survey are providing a strong warning for engineers as
they consider the new dam project, but
their greatest importance might lie in how
they influence the upcoming decision by those same engineers on whether to retrofit 75 bridges in the survey zone.
they - only engineers can consider
their, they - greatest importance will be of data, data will influence the decision
There is no ambiguity in the use of pronouns. The nouns are present and the usage clarifies the antecedent.
- B and D use 'its' for data so they are incorrect.
- C uses "is providing" for data so it is incorrect.
- In option (E), "in consideration for the new dam project" is bad diction.
- Answer is (A)
Here is a note on the use of being in this sentence by Brian:Quote:
Don't get me wrong - if you eliminate "being" every time you'll be right on well over 90% of SC questions when you do so. But I know there are questions out there where it's used correctly, and they're bound to be among the more difficult since most students know the "being is wrong!" principle. So having that extra moment of caution when, like in this case, you don't like the other answer choices...that's a nice competitive advantage.
"Being" is properly used to express a temporary state. It's often used hideously on the GMAT as a modifier for something that isn't at all temporary:
Being the first man to walk on the moon, Neil Armstrong...
"Being" is wrong there - he wasn't "being" the first man on the moon...that's just who he is.
But you could correctly say:
While being driven to the shuttle launch, Neil Armstrong remarked to his chauffeur that...
Because "being driven" is a temporary state.
So in this question, which clearly denotes the "current geological survey", "being collected" is a temporary state. The data won't always be collected, but currently for a temporary period of time the data are being collected, so "being" is used properly here.
Could you also clarify the use of being from the Brian's quote . Particularly, i have problem in understanding "So in this question, which clearly denotes the "current geological survey", "being collected" is a temporary state. The data won't always be collected, but currently for a temporary period of time the data are being collected, so "being" is used properly here."
Is the being used to describe the ongoing action- Data is being collected? I CANNOT UNDERSTAND HOW IS IT DESCRIBING THE TEMPORARY STATE..please help