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AbdurRakib
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Updated on: 27 Jun 2021, 03:12
Originally posted by AbdurRakib on 13 Jun 2017, 12:52.
Last edited by Bunuel on 27 Jun 2021, 03:12, edited 2 times in total.
Last edited by Bunuel on 27 Jun 2021, 03:12, edited 2 times in total.
Edited the question.
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E
Be sure to select an answer first to save it in the Error Log before revealing the correct answer (OA)!
Difficulty:
15%
(low)
Question Stats:
75% (01:06) correct
25%
(01:16)
wrong
based on 10868
sessions
History
Date
Time
Result
Not Attempted Yet
The English physician Edward Jenner found that if experimental subjects were deliberately infected with cowpox, which caused only a mild illness, they are immune from smallpox.
(A) which caused only a mild illness, they are immune from
(B) causing only a mild illness, they become immune from
(C) which causes only a mild illness, they are immune to
(D) causing only a mild illness, they became immune from
(E) which caused only a mild illness, they would become immune to
(A) which caused only a mild illness, they are immune from
(B) causing only a mild illness, they become immune from
(C) which causes only a mild illness, they are immune to
(D) causing only a mild illness, they became immune from
(E) which caused only a mild illness, they would become immune to
https://www.nytimes.com/1979/02/04/archives/smallpox-is-not-dead.html
The research at the Atlanta lab had its beginnings in 1796 when an English country physician named Edward Jenner found that if a person was deliberately infected with cowpox, which caused only a mild illness, he would be immune from smallpox. Although the practice of vaccinating people with cowpox spread quickly to other countries, smallpox maintained its hold on most of the world until the 20th century. Even after immunization against it became widespread in the industrialized nations, the majority of third‐world nations continued to suffer from it, at least until 1967, when an intensified international campaign was launched.
Jenner and Cowpox
First glance
The beginning of each answer is either comma-which or comma-causing, indicating a modifier issue. Does this modifier refer just to the main noun before it or to the entire preceding clause?
Issues
(1) Modifier / Meaning: causing
In this problem, the issue that you spotted during the first glance might be a little tricky. Decide whether you want to start there or whether you want to start with anything else that you may have noticed as you read the original sentence.
Does the modifier (which caused only a mild illness) refer just to the main noun before it, cowpox? Or does the modifier (causing only a mild illness) refer to the entire preceding clause (if subjects were deliberately infected)?
If the modifier were referring to the entire previous clause, then the sentence would be saying that deliberately infecting someone causes only a mild illness, implying that the disease would be more severe if people caught it naturally. This is illogical; either way, the person still has the same disease. The modifier must be referring just to the noun cowpox. Eliminate choices (B) and (D) for an illogical meaning.
(2) Verb: are; become; became
The non-underlined portion of the sentence sets up a conditional structure: If subjects were deliberately infected…then what?
For the second half, answers (A), (B), and (C) use a present-tense verb (are or become). Were is in past tense, however, so present tense doesn't match. Eliminate choices (A), (B), and (C).
Choice (D) does use the simple past tense became, but even simple past is not good enough here. The were verb in the conditional structure indicates that the sentence is discussing an event that may or may not happen. This second action is conditional on the first action having already happened: If someone were deliberately infected, then that person would become immune. Eliminate (D) for a faulty verb tense match as well.
(3) Idiom: become / became immune from
The choices switch between immune from and immune to. Which is correct?
In general, immune to is acceptable to use. It is sometimes possible to use immune from, but become immune from is not acceptable. When using the word become, say become immune to. Eliminate choices (B) and (D) for a faulty idiom.
Note that answer (A) uses immune from but does not contain a form of the word become. This can arguably be acceptable; the OG solution does not call this out as incorrect, so assume that it is okay for the purposes of the GMAT.
The Correct Answer
Correct answer (E) uses the noun modifier structure which caused to refer to the noun cowpox. This choice also uses the correct verb tense to finish the conditional structure: If someone were infected with cowpox, then that person would become immune to smallpox.
The research at the Atlanta lab had its beginnings in 1796 when an English country physician named Edward Jenner found that if a person was deliberately infected with cowpox, which caused only a mild illness, he would be immune from smallpox. Although the practice of vaccinating people with cowpox spread quickly to other countries, smallpox maintained its hold on most of the world until the 20th century. Even after immunization against it became widespread in the industrialized nations, the majority of third‐world nations continued to suffer from it, at least until 1967, when an intensified international campaign was launched.
Jenner and Cowpox
(A) Verb (are)
(B) Modifier / Meaning (causing); Verb (become); Idiom (become immune from)
(C) Verb (are)
(D) Modifier / Meaning (causing); Verb (became); Idiom (became immune from)
(E) CORRECT
(B) Modifier / Meaning (causing); Verb (become); Idiom (become immune from)
(C) Verb (are)
(D) Modifier / Meaning (causing); Verb (became); Idiom (became immune from)
(E) CORRECT
First glance
The beginning of each answer is either comma-which or comma-causing, indicating a modifier issue. Does this modifier refer just to the main noun before it or to the entire preceding clause?
Issues
(1) Modifier / Meaning: causing
In this problem, the issue that you spotted during the first glance might be a little tricky. Decide whether you want to start there or whether you want to start with anything else that you may have noticed as you read the original sentence.
Does the modifier (which caused only a mild illness) refer just to the main noun before it, cowpox? Or does the modifier (causing only a mild illness) refer to the entire preceding clause (if subjects were deliberately infected)?
If the modifier were referring to the entire previous clause, then the sentence would be saying that deliberately infecting someone causes only a mild illness, implying that the disease would be more severe if people caught it naturally. This is illogical; either way, the person still has the same disease. The modifier must be referring just to the noun cowpox. Eliminate choices (B) and (D) for an illogical meaning.
(2) Verb: are; become; became
The non-underlined portion of the sentence sets up a conditional structure: If subjects were deliberately infected…then what?
For the second half, answers (A), (B), and (C) use a present-tense verb (are or become). Were is in past tense, however, so present tense doesn't match. Eliminate choices (A), (B), and (C).
Choice (D) does use the simple past tense became, but even simple past is not good enough here. The were verb in the conditional structure indicates that the sentence is discussing an event that may or may not happen. This second action is conditional on the first action having already happened: If someone were deliberately infected, then that person would become immune. Eliminate (D) for a faulty verb tense match as well.
(3) Idiom: become / became immune from
The choices switch between immune from and immune to. Which is correct?
In general, immune to is acceptable to use. It is sometimes possible to use immune from, but become immune from is not acceptable. When using the word become, say become immune to. Eliminate choices (B) and (D) for a faulty idiom.
Note that answer (A) uses immune from but does not contain a form of the word become. This can arguably be acceptable; the OG solution does not call this out as incorrect, so assume that it is okay for the purposes of the GMAT.
The Correct Answer
Correct answer (E) uses the noun modifier structure which caused to refer to the noun cowpox. This choice also uses the correct verb tense to finish the conditional structure: If someone were infected with cowpox, then that person would become immune to smallpox.
13 Jun 2017, 16:34
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AbdurRakib
Dear AbdurRakib,
I'm happy to respond.
This is an excellent question about Edward Jenner (1749-1823), the man who conceived of the idea of vaccines.
This has a relatively straightforward solution.
Split #1: verb form
The first action, "if experimental subjects were . . . infected" is in the subjunctive. We have to match this in the second clause. The present "they are" or "they become" are out. The past tense "they became" is a little closer, but the only one that is correct, also in the subjunctive, is "they would become."
Split #2: idiom
The correct idiom is "immune to," whereas "immune from" is 100% incorrect.
Because of both of these splits, the only possible answer is (E).
Does all this make sense?
Mike
Easy one.
If (simple past) , then (either simple past if event is fact / habit)
OR
If (simple past) , then (would +verb) in case of uncertainty.
Also causing in incorrectly used verb-ing modifier.
We need relative pronoun which to refer to
noun cowpox.
If (simple past) , then (either simple past if event is fact / habit)
OR
If (simple past) , then (would +verb) in case of uncertainty.
Also causing in incorrectly used verb-ing modifier.
We need relative pronoun which to refer to
noun cowpox.
My friend, I commend you for asking a very intelligent and thoughtful question. 
