I will go with B, although D was a conteder

The yield of natural gas from Norway’s Troll gas field is expected to increase annually until the year 2005 and then to stabilize at six billion cubic feet a day , which will allow such an extraction rate at least for 50 years’ production.

A. 2005 and then to stabilize at six billion cubic feet a day, which
will allow such an extraction rate at least for (which modifies day=>OUT)
B. 2005 and then to stabilize at six billion cubic feet a day, an extraction rate that will allow at least (the last part modifies "six billion cubic feet a day"=>OK)
C. 2005 and then stabilizing at six billion cubic feet a day, with such an extraction rate at the least allowing (a day, with=>OUT)
D. 2005, then stabilizing at six billion cubic feet a day, allowing such an extraction rate for at least ("allow ..for" here is not appropriately used; "then stabilizing" lacks parallel antecendent; besides, "allowing" modifies "yield"=>wrong sence =>OUT)
Allow for
TIME/MONEY to plan to use a particular amount of money, time, etc for something
Allow three hours for the whole journey.
E. 2005, then stabilizing at six billion cubic feet a day, which will allow such an extraction rate for at least (which modifies day=>OUT)

go with answer B.

The yield of natural gas from Norway’s Troil gas field is expected to increase annually until the year 2005 and then to stabilize at six billion cubic feet a day, an extraction rate that will allow at least 50 years’ production

the conjunction "and" is essential and need to use "to stabilize" for llism with "to increase". the clause "which will allow" in A is incorrect.

The yield of natural gas from Norway's Troll gas field is expected to increase annually until the year 2005 and then to stabilize at six billion cubic feet a day, which will allow such an extraction rate at least for 50 years' production

a) 2005 and then to stabilize at six billion cubic feet a day, which will allow such an extraction rate at least for

b) 2005 and then to stabilize at six billion cubic feet a day, an extraction rate that will allow at least

C) 2005 and then stabilizing at six billion cubic feet a day, with such an extraction rate at the least allowing

d) 2005, then stabilizing at six billion cubic feet a day, allowing such an extraction rate for at least

e) 2005, then stabilizing at six billion cubic feet a day, which will allow such an extraction rate for at least

Why is the Answer Not "D"?

Most Importantly what is an Appositive and an Appostive Phrase??

I look forward to your responses Thank You in advance!!

D is incorrect: Stabilizing is an incorrect verb form; it should be an infinitive to parallel to increase the subsequent phrase is awkward and confusing because it is not clear what noun allowing is supposed to modify.

B is correct because the infinitive to stabilize parallels to increase.

Appositives are nouns, noun phrases, or series of nouns placed next to another word or phrase to identify or rename it. Below is a few examples of appositive phrases (Non-restrictive), highlighted in bold.

The firm chose Mary, vice president of public affairs, as its chief executive officer.
Neil Armstrong, the first man who walked on the moon, is a native of Ohio.
Her husband, Fritz, is a nice guy.

Let me know if you have additional questions. Further reading: http://www.sinclair.edu/centers/tlc/pub/handouts_worksheets/grammar_punctuation_writing/phrase_appositive.pdf
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Thank you for the response it makes total sense. As for the worksheet that is amazing!! I went ahead and found a bunch of more handouts on their website regarding Punctuation and Grammar. Thank You So Much!!

http://www.sinclair.edu/centers/tlc/lmr ... /index.cfm

IMO B,
The yield is supposed to increase and to stabilize. Hence C, D, and E are gone.
Out of A and B, "which" in A is incorrectly referring to day.

B wins..

The yield of natural gas from Norway's Troil gas field is expected to increase annually until the year 2005 and then to stabilize at six billion cubic feet a day, which will allow such an extraction rate at least for 50 years' production.

A. 2005 and then to stabilize at six billion cubic feet a day, which will allow such an extraction rate at least for.
B. 2005 and then to stabilize at six billion cubic feet a day, an extraction rate that will allow at least.
C. 2005 and then stabilizing at six billion cubic feet a day, with such an extraction rate at the least allowing.
D. 2005, then stabilizing at six billion cubic feet a day, allowing such an extraction rate for at least.
E. 2005, then stabilizing at six billion cubic feet a day, which will allow such an extraction rate for at least.

Here is the notes that I got from Thursday's with Ron session on March, 26 2015 The use of AND

See the video from 49:00 to 01:03:00 below


======================
Comma + __ING
======================

I dropped the bags onto the floor, scaring the dogs
1. comma + verb+ing : Same time frame as the main action. (dogs got scared when bags are dropped)
2. Comma + __ING Must describe the main action in some way
. Immediate, simultaneous consequence
. Further description
. Subordinate action
3. The main action should describe directly
. Of the people/things in the sentence, the SUBJECT should be most directly responsible for '__ING' action

CORRECT: Colin was struck by a bus, dying instantly (same time frame as main action)
NOT CORRECT: Colin was struck by a bus, dying in the hospital an hour later (DIFFERENT TIME FRAME, Cannot use comma + __ING)

Analysis:
- The point of ",__ING" is it has to be contemporaneous(in same time frame) of preceding clause
- Option (D) and (E) ", then stabilizing" is wrong
- Option (C) does not have parallel structure ".. to increase ... and then stabilizing"
- Option (A) and (B) has parallel structure ".. to increase ... and then to stabilize"
- Option (A) - "which will allow such an extraction" gives wrong meaning..

Answer (B)

The sentence is about predictions that Troll gas field's yield would increase until it stabilized at a particular extraction rate in 2005. The term extraction rate refers to six billion cubic feet a day, so it is redundant and confusingly circular to rename six billion cubic feet with the relative pronoun which in the subject position and then reintroduce extraction rate as the object

A The relative phrase beginning with which is nonsensical, since the pronoun reference is inaccurate, and the phrase essentially says that the extraction rate enables the extraction rate. "which" refers to "day", and "a day will allow such an extraction rate" is not correct

B Correct. The infinitive to stabilize parallels to increase; information about the six billion cubic feet a day is expressed clearly and concisely in an appositive phrase containing a relative clause (an extraction rate that will allow ... ).

C The phrasing is awkward and unclear; stabilizing is an incorrect verb form; it should be an infinitive to parallel to increase. Also "with such an extraction rate" is not the right idiom

D Stabilizing is an incorrect verb form; it should be an infinitive to parallel to increase the subsequent phrase is awkward and confusing because it is not clear what noun allowing is supposed to modify. "allowing such an extraction rate" is not the right idiom

E Stabilizing violates the requirement of parallelism, and which introduces a nonsensical redundancy, effectively making the claim that the extraction rate (six billion cubic feet) enables the extraction rate.
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A. 2005 and then to stabilize at six billion cubic feet a day, which will allow such an extraction rate at least for - Wrong: 1) Modifier

B. 2005 and then to stabilize at six billion cubic feet a day, an extraction rate that will allow at least - Correct

C. 2005 and then stabilizing at six billion cubic feet a day, with such an extraction rate at the least allowing - Wrong: 1) Parallelism 2) Modifier

D. 2005, then stabilizing at six billion cubic feet a day, allowing such an extraction rate for at least - Wrong: 1) Parallelism 2) Modifier

E. 2005, then stabilizing at six billion cubic feet a day, which will allow such an extraction rate for at least - Wrong: 1) Parallelism 2) Modifier

A: which is wrongly modifying day
B: correct with noun phrase at the end as modifier
C: not parallel
D: last sentence doesn't have anything to modify
E: same as D

Which Rule: "which" only refers to nouns, but it can not be used to refer to people.


"which" is illogically modifying "day." "day" will not allow a certain extraction rate, the fact that the yield is going to increase annually until 2005 is what will lead to a certain extraction rate.
Illogical. Bad modifier.



Correct. We have parallel structure to increase and then to stabilize. The meaning is also made clear.


We have a parallel structure, an (C) breaks it. "The yield is expected to increase until the year 2005 and then stabilizing

We should identify the and, which is a parallel marker, and make sure that "stabilizing" is in the same form as "to increase." See answer choice (B).


The meaning isn't clear with this answer choice. I have no problem with this answer choice not using "to stabilize." This answer choice is simply taking a different structural approach, which happens to be incorrect.

The middle clause, "then stabilizing..... feet a day" doesn't have a logical referent. What is stabilizing? The Yield? The year 2005? Illogical!

Further, this structure would infer that the middle clause is a non-essential modifier. By reading the sentence without the modifier, let's see if that would make sense.

What is "allowing" the extraction rate? Annual increases until 2005? No, that's illogical. The meaning of the sentence is dependent on the information in this middle clause. We need the "six billion cubic feet a day" information in order for this sentence to make sense.

This sentence structure is incorrect and breaks the meaning of the sentence.


Same error as A
Illogical. Bad modifier.
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This question is based on Modifiers and Parallelism.

The subject of the modifier “which will allow such an extraction rate at least for” at the end of the sentence is not clear. The relative pronoun ‘which’ is placed after the noun ‘day’. However, it is not the day that will allow such an extraction rate. A relative pronoun cannot refer to a clause. So, Option A can be ruled out.

The parallelism is maintained in Option B. The absolute modifier at the end clarifies the meaning. So, B is the best of all the options.

Option C lacks parallelism. The participle ‘stabilizing’ is not parallel to the infinitive ‘to increase’. The prepositional phrase “with such an extraction rate at the least allowing” changes the meaning. The phrase ‘at least’ is misplaced. So, Option C can be eliminated.

Option D also lacks parallelism. The modifier at the end of the option distorts the meaning. So, Option D can be eliminated.

Option E also lacks parallelism. The relative pronoun does not have an appropriate antecedent in this option either. So, Option E can also be eliminated.

Therefore, B is the most appropriate option.

Jayanthi Kumar.
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AndrewN, Could you provide your take on the question above?

Sure thing, kntombat. If you strip the sentence of its modifiers and get it down to a barebones level, it is easy to spot the logical continuation:

The yield... is expected to increase... and then to stabilize...

There are parallel expectations here that are joined by a comma-less and (as in, A and B). To be honest, I checked the rest of the answers for this parallelism in verb conjugation right away.

B. to increase... and then to stabilize
C. to increase... and then stabilizing
D. to increase... then stabilizing
E. to increase... then stabilizing

It is not as though there could never be a sentence that employed different conjugations of a verb, but on the GMAT™, if a parallel element exists to something before a comma-less and, that sentence is strongly preferred. Between (A) and (B), only the latter part differs:

A. which will allow such an extraction rate at least for [50 years' production]
B. an extraction rate that will allow at least [50 years' production]

In terms of meaning, choice (A) is a mess. The which clause seems to be commenting on the entire sentence up to that point, something better accomplished by the phrase in (B); such an extraction rate is somewhat confusing, since we have not seen such a rate mentioned explicitly (whereas (B) labels it such); and the split timeline, with words falling between will allow and at least, is harder to follow than the alternative presented in (B). In short, there is no compelling reason to steer clear of (B), making it the best answer of the lot. I like to think of these kinds of questions as sub-1-minute questions. Again, if you cannot find a reason to argue against an answer choice, then pick it. (Watch how many questions you start to get right.)

I hope that helps. Thank you for thinking to ask me about this one.

- Andrew

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