The new image of Stone Age people as systematic hunters of large anima

How to tackle every single GMAT SC Problem

- Manhattan GMAT Blog

Here’s our framework again:





Ready?



Glance: What have we got?

than merely

I’m wondering what the than is a part of, so my eye goes a little further back:

rather than merely

Ooh—comparison! What about the beginning of the answers?

“(A) merely scavenging

“(B) as merely scavenging

“(C) as mere meat scavengers,

“(D) mere scavengers

“(E) mere scavengers”

All right, we’ve got an X rather than Y comparison structure. We’re going to have to figure out what the X is and that will indicate what form we need to choose for the Y. (You may decide to jot down X rather than Y to remind yourself to address this issue.)

Time to Read the sentence! What’s it saying?

“The new image of Stone Age people as systematic hunters of large animals, rather than merely scavenging for meat, have emerged from the examination of tools found in Germany, including three wooden spears that archaeologists believe to be about 400,000 years old.”
Strip that down to the core:

The new image of (some) people as X, rather than Y, have emerged from the examination (of tools).



What do you notice?

Wait a sec: there’s an error in the core sentence! You can choose to stick with the original comparison issue, or you can switch gears and Work on the subject-verb issue first. I’m going to do the latter:

The new image have emerged.

No way! Image is singular, so it should say the new image has emerged. Say goodbye to answers (A) and (B).

Answers (C) through (E) are all okay on this point, so now loop back around. Luckily, we’ve already identified the second potential issue: that comparison.

The new image of (some) people as systematic hunters of large animals, rather than Y, have emerged from the examination (of tools).

X is hunters (of large animals), so Y should be in the same noun form. Hmm. This is another reason to get rid of (A) and (B), but (C) through (E) all use the proper match, scavengers.

Aside: I’m not thrilled with mere meat scavengers in (C). I’d prefer mere scavengers of meat, as in (D) and (E). But there isn’t a strong grammatical reason why I couldn’t use mere meat scavengers, so I’m going to ignore that and look for something else. Loop around again!

Now, when you’re down to a small number of choices, compare the remaining answers, looking for differences. There are a couple, but they’re all actually part of a big modifier, so I recommend looking at them as one big chunk:

“(C) … from examining tools found in Germany that includes

“(D) … from the examination of tools found in Germany, which includes

“(E) … from the examination of tools found in Germany, including”
The three structures at the end are used for three types of modifiers.

That includes, in (C), signals an essential noun modifier: the modifier must be included in the sentence or the basic meaning of the core sentence will be nonsensical.

Further, the noun should be as close as possible to the modifier. In this case, the noun Germany is right before the comma. Logically, the modifier should refer to tools. In certain circumstances, it is possible to have a short separation of the noun and the modifier—but is it okay in this case to say that the that includesmodifier refers back to tools, with a short found in Germany modifier in between?

Try it out:

… from the examination of tools that includes …

Oops. No, it’s not possible in this case because tools is plural and includes is singular. Logically, the modifier points to tools, but structurally it points to the singular Germany (or maybe even the singular examination?). None of these works; eliminate (C).

Can you use the same reasoning to eliminate either (D) or (E)?

Yes! Answer (D) changes the modifier to the non-essential structure comma which includes, and this modifier has the same problem: includes would have to be plural in order to point to tools. Eliminate (D).

But wait a second. Answer (E) doesn’t seem to be doing what it’s supposed to be doing either. It uses a comma –ing modifier:

The new image of (some) people as X, rather than Y, has emerged from the examination of tools found in Germany, including (some spears).

A comma –ing modifier refers back to the entire preceding clause, but is it really the case that the three spears refer back to the image has emerged from the examination?

We’ve just uncovered one of the few exceptions to the general comma –ing rule: when using the word including, the sentence really can just be giving examples of something (usually a noun) that was named shortly before the comma. Unlike the modifiers in answers (C) and (D), the including modifier in (E) does not contain a verb that needs to match the noun tools, so there are no problems with the construction.

Key Takeaways

Key Takeaways for Every Problem You Will Ever Do:

(1) First, see whether a quick look can give you an early idea of what the question may be testing. On SC,glance at the word right before the underline and at the first word of the underline: any clue markers there? Next, compare the first word or two of each answer choice: do the differences signal any particular issues?

(2) Next, Reflect on what you’ve been given and Organize your thoughts. If you’re lucky, you’ll spot more than one potential issue to tackle. In that case, pick the issue that you think is the easiest or most straightforward.

(3) When you know you’ve got an error, cross off that answer choice and any others that repeat the same error. Once you’ve finished dealing with the first potential issue, you’ll likely still have more than one answer left, so it’s very useful if you came up with two ideas to start. Now you know exactly what you’re going to tackle next!
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Hi,
First of all, here is the question with all answer choices.

The new image of Stone Age people as systematic hunters of large animals, rather than merely scavenging for meat, have emerged from the examination from the examination of tools found in Germany, including three wooden spears that archaeologists believe to be above 400,000 years old.

A. merely scavenging for meat, have emerged from the examination from the examination of tools found in Germany, including
B. as mere scavenging for meat, have emerged from examining tools found in Germany, which include
C. as mere meat scavengers, has emerged from examining tools found in Germany that includes
D. mere scavengers of meat, has emerged from the examination of tools found in Germany, which includes
E. mere scavengers of meat, has emerged from the examination of tools found in Germany, including



Answer to your first question: Yes, it is alright to not repeat “as” after “rather than” because it is implied or understood. “As” already appears once in the sentence. Another thing that we need to note in Choice C is parallelism. In the parallel list, the first entity is “hunters of large animals” and the second one is “meat scavengers”. Now, it is not always necessary for the entities in the parallel list to be absolutely parallel. However, in this case, it is possible. We can write “meat scavengers” as “scavengers of meat” that will make the entities absolutely parallel. So go for it.

Answer to your second question: Yes, “examining tools” have a little problem. Here “examining” is now an adjective that is modifying “tools”, suggesting that the “tools” are used for examining things. It no longer conveys that the new image has emerged from the examination of the tool.

Let’s take these sentences:
The smile of the baby is beautiful. (smile is beautiful)
The smiling baby is beautiful. (baby is beautiful)
So be careful of the change in the words in the original choice. They might change the meaning of the sentence.

Hope this helps.
Thanks.
Shraddha
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1. ‘The new image’ is singular, and hence the verb has to be the singular ‘has’; reject A and B
2. The relative pronouns ‘that’ in C and ‘which’ in D refer to Germany rather than the tools

3. By using the present participle, 'including', E avoids the relative pronoun pitfall and is the correct answer.
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Dear Friends,

Here is a detailed explanation to this question-

Concepts tested here: Subject-Verb Agreement + Modifiers + Parallelism + Idioms

• Any elements linked by a conjunction ('rather than' in this sentence) must be parallel.
• An adjective can only modify a noun; it cannot modify another adjective; to modify an adjective, an adverb must be used; generally, adjective+ly leads to an adverb.
• “that” is used to provide information needed to preserve the core meaning of the sentence, and the “comma + which” construction is used to provide extra information.

A: This answer choice incorrectly refers to the singular noun "image" with the plural verb "have emerged". Further, Option A fails to maintain parallelism between "systematic hunters of large animals" and "merely scavenging for meat"; please remember, any elements linked by a conjunction ('rather than' in this sentence) must be parallel.

B: This answer choice incorrectly refers to the singular noun "image" with the plural verb "have emerged". Further, Option A fails to maintain parallelism between "systematic hunters of large animals" and "mere scavenging for meat"; please remember, any elements linked by a conjunction ('rather than' in this sentence) must be parallel. Additionally, Option B incorrectly uses the adjective "mere" to modify the verb "scavenging"; please remember, an adjective can only modify a noun; it cannot modify another adjective; to modify an adjective, an adverb must be used; generally, adjective+ly leads to an adverb.

C: This answer choice incorrectly refers to the plural noun "tools" with the singular verb "includes". Further, Option C incorrectly refers to extra information - that fact that the tools include "three wooden spears" - with "that"; please remember, “that” is used to provide information needed to preserve the core meaning of the sentence, and the “comma + which” construction is used to provide extra information.

D: This answer choice incorrectly refers to the plural noun "tools" with the singular verb "includes".

E: Correct. This answer choice correctly refers to the singular noun "image" with the singular verb "has emerged". Moreover, Option E avoids the subject-verb disagreement seen in Options C and D, as it uses the present participle ("verb+ing" - "including" in this sentence) rather than an active verb. Further, Option E maintains parallelism between "hunters of large animals" and "mere scavengers of meat". Additionally, Option E correctly uses the adjective "mere" to modify the noun "scavengers". Besides, Option E avoids the idiomatic error seen in Option C, as it uses the present participle ("verb+ing") phrase "including three wooden spears" rather than "that" to refer to extra information - that fact that the tools include "three wooden spears".

Hence, E is the best answer choice.

To understand the concept of "Which" vs "That" on GMAT, you may want to watch the following video (~2 minutes):



All the best!
Experts' Global Team
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D it is . "rather than" should be followed by noun because we are comparing "systematic hunters of large animals" . Hence A is out. B is out because "that" wrongly modifies "germany". In C "which" again modifies Germany. E as you mentioned is already out. d is right because "including" is rightly used.

to maintain parallelism, we want to have similar to hunters andhence scavengers.
real debate is between c and d.
If there is a comma, even then which is wrongly modifying germany?
if modifier is incorrectly placed, does it become right to use including vs which includes? Grammar pros pls comment and if possible pls give references.

A - out
new image -- have (S-V not agree)

B, C are out because "that"/"which" incorrectly modifies "Germany"

D is the best.

A, B: wrong because of the lack of parallelism

C: that refers to Germany

D: which refers to Germany (subject-verb agreement is also wrong between tools and includes)

E is the correct answer.

Q1) Is it ok not to use "as" after than in the context of the sentence above?
(This is the reason that I picked C)

Q2) Does "from examining tools" have a problem?
If it have, what is it?

The core problem in this issue is not about the use of the term ‘examining’, namely, whether it is an adjective or a gerund in the context.

Step1: The problem here is more about the use of the relative pronouns ‘which and that’ in B,C and D, in which the touch rule has been grossly flouted. In all the three cases, the implication is that Germany includes some tools, which is just meaningless. Eliminate all of them with a sleight of hand

Step 2: That said, between A and E, which use the participial ‘including’, to modify freely any fitting noun in the foregoing portion. E is better because it keeps the parallelism in ‘hunters and scavengers’ in tact rather than in ‘hunters and scavenging’
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We need has(sing verb) and not have so elimninate A,B

Couple of reasons to elimnate C,D

C-> uses "that" which as worded refers to Gemany the nearest noun

X RATHER THAN Y is the idiom

X->systematic hunters of large animals
Y->mere scavengers of meat

We dont need "as" again since it violates the idiomatic usage

D-> which refers to germany the nearest noun and changes the meaning

Hence E

17. The new image of Stone Age people as systematic hunters of large animals, rather than merely scavenging for meat, have emerged from the examination of tools found in Germany, including three wooden spears that archaeologists believe to be about 400,000 years old.

A merely scavenging for meat, have emerged from the examination of tools found in Germany, including --- S-V ERROR The image - have (X)
B. as mere scavenging for meat, have emerged from examining tools found in Germany, which include --- like A
C. as mere meat scavengers, has emerged from examining tools found in Germany that includes --- that refers to Germany as verb includes is singular.
D. mere scavengers of meat, has emerged from the examination of tools found in Germany, which includes --- Like C
E. mere scavengers of meat, has emerged from the examination of tools found in Germany, including --- I dont know what kind of modifier is this but logically its describing tools.. is it an absolute phrase ? i am not sure.. but this option is best through POE.

But my question still stays! will D be correct if it is include instead of includes?
"tools found in Germany" in this found in Germany modifies tools and thus which would in turn modify tools?

Yes, sentence will be correct if you replace includes with include in following sentence.

Plural verb will look for nearest plural noun and that is tools not Germany. Thus, such sentence is considered fine.

D. mere scavengers of meat, has emerged from the examination of tools found in Germany, which includes

Hi akshat1989,
This is in response to your PM.

Let’s first try to understand the modification of a slightly far away placed noun by ‘which’:
• Emily Dickinson’s letters to Susan Huntington Dickinson, which were written over a period beginning a few years before Susan’s marriage to Emily’s brother and ending shortly before Emily’s death in 1886, outnumber her letters to anyone else.

In the above sentence, the modifier ‘which’ jumps over the preceding noun “Susan Huntington Dickinson” to modify “Emily Dickinson’s letters”. This modification is possible since the phrase ‘to Susan Huntington Dickinson’ cannot be placed anywhere else without changing the intended meaning of the sentence. Also, it does not make sense for 'which' to modify "Susan Huntington Dickinson" since this gives an illogical meaning that Susan Huntington Dickinson were written over a period.

Please refer to the following article to know more how a noun modifier can modify slightly far away nouns:
noun-modifiers-can-modify-slightly-far-away-noun-135868.html

Now, coming to your question:
• The new image of Stone Age people as systematic hunters of large animals, rather than mere scavengers of meat, has emerged from the examination of tools found in Germany,
o which include three wooden spears that archaeologists believe to be about 400,000 years old.

Now, since the modifier “found in Germany” refers to ‘tools’, we can’t place it anywhere else in the sentence without changing the meaning of the sentence. So, 'which' jumps over “found in Germany” to modify "tools".
Also, there is no ambiguity in this modification since the plural verb ‘include’ tells us that ‘which’ is plural and hence it should have a plural antecedent. So, the only logical antecedent for ‘which’ is ‘tools’.
So, this sentence would be correct if the verb ‘includes’ is replaced by ‘include’.

Hope this helps!
Deepak
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Here the 2 elements of parallelism are:

systematic hunters of large animals and mere scavengers of meat.

One does not need to repeat as in the second element because of the once-out-twice-in rule. In option E the first as is outside the parallelism loop:

as [X rather than Y].

Nevertheless you could as well consider that as is within the parallelism loop; in such case it would be repeated in the second element as well:

[as X rather than as Y].

Where do u see the parallelism in here?

Parallelism marker is X, rather than Y.
In option A: X = systematic hunters of large animals, Y= merely scavenging for meat.... faulty parallelism (hunters and scavenging)

In option E: X = systematic hunters of large animals, Y= mere scavengers of meat... correct parallelism (hunters and scavengers)

Actually between A and E, E should first win because of subject-verb agreement.

We always recommend that whenever you spot subject-verb being tested, that should always be your first criterion of eliminating incorrect answer choices, because this criterion is almost always easy to implement and very objective.
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