There are a few acts of nature, such as a total solar eclipse or a

Question

There are a few acts of nature, such as a total solar eclipse or  a dormant volcano exploding, that are so rare and so dramatic as to seem like metaphors for the virtue of patience itself .

A) a dormant volcano exploding, that are so rare and so dramatic as to seem like metaphors for the virtue of patience itself

B) an explosion of a dormant volcano, that are so rare and dramatic enough that they seem like metaphors for the virtue of patience themselves

C) the explosion of a dormant volcano, that are so rare and so dramatic that it seems like a metaphor for the virtue of patience itself

D) the explosion of a dormant volcano, that are so rare and dramatic enough as to seem like a metaphor for the virtue of patience themselves

E) a dormant volcano exploding, that are so rare and so dramatic that they seem to be a metaphor for the virtue of patience themselves

PiyushK · Accepted Answer

This one is copied from NYtimes :
https://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/08/nyreg ... .html?_r=0

Original::
There are a few acts of nature, such as the passage of Halley’s comet or the transit of Venus, that are so rare and so dramatic as to seem like metaphors for the virtues of patience itself. <<-- here virtues is plural -- I think that's a mistake in this sentence.

There are a few acts of nature, such as a total solar eclipse or a dormant volcano exploding, that are so rare and so dramatic as to seem like metaphors for the virtue of patience itself.

Splits are:
1) a dormant volcano exploding V/S an explosion of a dormant volcano
2) so rare and so dramatic as to V/S that are so rare and so dramatic that V/S that are so rare and dramatic enough that/as to
3) itself V/S themselves.

Lets take split-3 first : here itself is used to put emphasis on the virtue of patience. the virtue of patience is singular thus itself is fine. Thus, we can eliminate B ,D and E.

Between A and C: In C pronoun it is not appropriate as few acts of nature is a plural entity.

A) a dormant volcano exploding, that are so rare and so dramatic as to seem like metaphors for the virtue of patience itself
B) an explosion of a dormant volcano, that are so rare and dramatic enough that they seem like metaphors for the virtue of patience themselves
C) the explosion of a dormant volcano, that are so rare and so dramatic that it seems like a metaphor for the virtue of patience itself
D) the explosion of a dormant volcano, that are so rare and dramatic enough as to seem like a metaphor for the virtue of patience themselves
E) a dormant volcano exploding, that are so rare and so dramatic that they seem to be a metaphor for the virtue of patience themselves

Takeaway :
Itself and themselves can be used as reflexive pronoun or as noun intensifier. For more details refer page 233-234, MGMAT SC.
Check whether itself or themselves is following a verb or a noun, if it is following a verb then there are high chances that it is working as reflexive pronoun, or if it is following a noun then definitely it is used to put emphasis on the presence of that noun in the sentence and accordingly we will have to choose plural or singular form of reflexive pronoun.

Where we use reflexive pronoun : We use reflexive pronoun if action is done by subject on itself. e.g. He killed himself -- action done on self.

Incorrect usage: MR. XYZ will come for lunch with myself. << Incorrect. -- instead of myself use me.

daagh · Answer

The reflexive pronoun at the end of the clause stands for 'the virtue' which is singular; therefore 'themselves' is out of the race and we have to take 'itself' . We can safely remove B, D, and E. 
Between A and C, we can disregard C for using an unidiomatic expression ‘dramatic enough’ and also for calling the plural ‘acts’ as a singular ‘metaphor. However, the two versions of exploding, and explosion do not impact the outcome of the choice. 
So A

shank001 · Answer

There are a few acts of nature, such as a total solar eclipse or a dormant volcano exploding, that are so rare and so dramatic as to seem like metaphors for the virtue of patience itself.

A) a dormant volcano exploding, that are so rare and so dramatic as to seem like metaphors for the virtue of patience itself –  Correct. 'Itself' refers to virtue. Hence correct 
B) an explosion of a dormant volcano, that are so rare and dramatic enough that they seem like metaphors for the virtue of patience  themselves  –  Incorrect. Themselves is plural whereas virtue is singular 
C) the explosion of a dormant volcano, that are so rare and so dramatic that  it  seems like a metaphor for the virtue of patience itself –  Incorrect ‘it’ is ambiguous. should be plural to refer to acts of nature 
D) the explosion of a dormant volcano, that are so rare and dramatic enough as to seem like a metaphor for the virtue of patience  themselves  –  Incorrect. Themselves is plural whereas virtue is singular 
E) a dormant volcano exploding, that are so rare and so dramatic that they seem to be a metaphor for the virtue of patience  themselves  –  Incorrect. Themselves is plural whereas virtue is singular

Maksym · Answer

OE is as follows:

In a confusing and unusual sentence such as this, it is essential that you find the easiest, most concrete errors first. The easiest error is found in (C) – the “it” improperly refers back to the plural “acts of nature”. (B) and (D) both contain the illogical and incorrect structure “so rare and dramatic enough” and also use “themselves” improperly at the end. “Themselves” is referring to patience so must be singular. (E) is correct until the very end (and contains the “so…that” structure that people prefer over “so as to” ) where it also contains the error with “themselves” It makes no sense to say “that they (the acts of nature) seem to be a metaphor…themselves” Correct – “they seem to be a metaphor for the virtue of patience ITSELF” - emphasizing that the acts are a metaphor for that one core virtue. Many people do not pick (A) because of the unusual “so…as to” idiom but that is exactly the kind of decision point that you are unqualified to make! “So…as to” in this example is perfectly correct and only (A) has all of the other elements correctly structured. Correct answer is (A).

ggurface · Answer

My answer is B.

Reasoning:

There are a few acts of nature, such as a total solar eclipse  or a dormant volcano exploding, that are so rare and so dramatic as to seem like metaphors for the virtue of patience itself.

A. a dormant volcano exploding, that are so rare and so dramatic as to seem like metaphors for the virtue of patience itself

B. an explosion of a dormant volcano, that are so rare and dramatic enough that they seem like metaphors for the virtue of patience themselves

C. the explosion of a dormant volcano, that are so rare and so dramatic that it seems like a metaphor for the virtue of patience itself

D. the explosion of a dormant volcano, that are so rare and dramatic enough as to seem like a metaphor for the virtue of patience themselves

E. a dormant volcano exploding, that are so rare and so dramatic that they seem to be a metaphor for the virtue of patience themselves

Essentially what we need to say is: "There are acts, such as   and  , that are   and   that they seem to be metaphors for patience themselves.

Now notice there are a few splits.

First, we have "a dormant volcano exploding" vs "an/the explosion of a dormant volcano". I could be wrong, but I believe "the explosion of" is more parallel to "a total solar eclipse" than "volcano exploding". While we cannot use this to rule out answers immediately, we should hold this thought.

Secondly, we have the split at the end between itself/themselves. This is where this question becomes hazy due to its quality, since it is not an official GMAC/OG question. Are we referring to "the few acts of nature" or "virtue of patience"?. I believe this is a crucial differentiation that must be used to split the answers. Logically, the referend must be "the few acts of nature" because if "virtue of patience" was intended, you can completely omit the last word - "... seem like metaphors for the virtue of patience" is 100% clear and adding "itself" to the end of that phrase changes nothing. Therefore, we must choose "themselves".

E expresses this clearly, but I do not think the singular tense of "a metaphor" is correct for "they". The only other answer that expresses this clearly is B, which correctly uses the plural "metaphors" and "themselves".

However, my answer changes to A if "itself" references, although redundant in my opinion, "the virtue of patience".

rukna · Answer

Same doubt. Was confused b/w A and C.

"dormant volcano exploding" doesn't seem parallel with a noun. 
Can someone from veritas explain.

spetznaz · Answer

Option A , IMHO. My analysis of the question :

Meaning : The author says that there are a few acts of nature that are so rare and so dramatic as to seem like metaphors for the virtue of patience. The acts of nature being total solar eclipse and dormant volcano exploding.

Error analysis :

S-V --> correct. are correctly used with acts of nature 
Idiom --> So X as to ; correct
Parallelism --> so rare || so dramatic 
Pronoun --> Itself correctly refers to virtue

POE :

Option A --> Correct
Option B --> themselves is wrong
Option C --> Idiom usage ? So x as to ought to be used (experts please verify my understanding) 
Option D & E --> themselves is wrong.

Answer must be option A.

sayantanc2k · Answer

As already explained above, "dormant volcano exploding" is not the ideal construction - it should have been "explosion of a dormant volcano". The acts of nature are "eclipse" and "explosion", not "eclipse" and "dormant volcano".

techiesam · Answer

Hi Sayntan,

I have a doubt about option A.According to  MGMAT SC  guide a  simple gerund  can't go parallel with a  noun .Only a  complex gerund phrase  can be parallel with a  noun. 
So , the exploding of volcano(though sounds terrible) could go parallel with total solar eclipse.

Please enlighten me if I'm wrong.

sayantanc2k · Answer

When there is a noun available, do not use a gerund. When used in parallel with another noun, "explosion" is better than simple or complex gerund.

ParthSanghavi · Answer

VeritasPrepBrian

Thoughts on this?

(B) seems correct to me. but OA is (A).

(A) seems more wordy.

VeritasPrepBrian · Answer

Good question - and even thought it shows up in solutions and forum threads, I'd always try to find a better reason to eliminate an answer than "it's wordy." Otherwise the whole game would just be pick the shortest answer, which of course is way too easy. So while it's not bad strategy to say that if you're between two answers  and don't see any other actionable differences  then pick the shorter one, make sure you heed that caveat "if there are no other actionable differences."

Here note that you have a couple indications that they're testing singular vs. plural. The last word of each answer choice gives you a choice between "itself" (singular) and "themselves" (plural) and in between you have "it seems like" vs. "they seem like" and "metaphor" vs. "metaphors." This is in large part a singular/plural question. And you know that numerical agreement (with subject-verb and with pronoun) is something the GMAT frequently tests, so I'd definitely prioritize that kind of decision over wordiness, or "it feels wrong," etc.

So if you're debating A vs. B, note that A uses "itself" and B uses "themselves." The pronoun is referring to "patience" which is singular, so that's why you need A and not B.

Shrey9 · Answer

But A has "metaphors" with "as to seem like" and "itself" in the last
Do we need metaphor here or metaphors? Which one is singular?

Posted from my mobile device

VeritasPrepBrian · Answer

So with "metaphor" vs. "metaphors," recognize that you're dealing with the plural "there are few events," so that calls for the plural "metaphors" - those few events seem like metaphors.

With "itself" vs. "themselves," the key there is recognizing where the emphasis is going. The addition of the reflexive pronoun there is usually to add emphasis to a particular noun. For example:

I delivered the package to John myself --> "myself" is emphasizing that I was the one who delivered the package (when you might think I would have hired FedEx or asked someone else to do it)

I bought a book that was signed by the author herself -->"himself" is emphasizing that it's noteworthy that the author was the one who signed the book

Note that in either case there are multiple nouns that could receive the pronoun treatment, so you have read into the meaning of the sentence to determine which noun is deserving of that extra emphasis. Here "patience" is described as a particular virtue, and it makes sense to highlight that these events are metaphors for a specific virtue. I'd argue it doesn't make much sense to say "themselves" because there aren't really any other options for what could serve as those metaphors (think of the "I delivered the package myself" example...with that there may have been other options for deliverers so it makes a little sense to highlight that it was me. But in this case there really aren't other options). So the meaning dictates that we're emphasizing "patience," a singular virtue, and that's why you'd go with "itself."

MikeScarn · Answer

Here was my order of eliminations, for better or worse:

Eliminate (B) and (D) for redundant use of the word "enough"

B)  an explosion of a dormant volcano, that are so rare and dramatic  enough  that they seem like metaphors for the virtue of patience themselves
 D)  the explosion of a dormant volcano, that are so rare and dramatic  enough  as to seem like a metaphor for the virtue of patience themselves

These answer choices have other issues, such as " themselves " at the end, referring to the singular word "virtue."

(D)  Also has a parallelism issue "such as   a  solar eclipse or  the  explosion of...

Next I eliminated (C) for a pronoun error

C)  the explosion of a dormant volcano, that are so rare and so dramatic that  it  seems like a metaphor for the virtue of patience itself

" it " jumped out to me here. What is the singular pronoun "it" referring to?   Acts  of nature , which is plural.

(C)  also has the same parallelism issue as (D).

Finally, I was between (A) and (E)

I finally honed in on the final split between "themselves." I realized I needed " itself " to refer to  virtue .

In hindsight, the quickest way to get through this tough question is to start with the last split between "themselves" and "itself." I also think that that is the easiest split to make a decision on.

aniket16c · Answer

Official explanation:

In a confusing and unusual sentence such as this, it is essential that you find the easiest, most concrete errors first. The easiest error is found in (C) – the “it” improperly refers back to the plural “acts of nature”. (B) and (D) both contain the illogical and incorrect structure “so rare and dramatic enough” and also use “themselves” improperly at the end. “Themselves” is referring to patience so must be singular. (E) is correct until the very end (and contains the “so…that” structure that people prefer over “so as to” ) where it also contains the error with “themselves” It makes no sense to say “that they (the acts of nature) seem to be a metaphor…themselves” Correct – “they seem to be a metaphor for the virtue of patience ITSELF” - emphasizing that the acts are a metaphor for that one core virtue. Many people do not pick (A) because of the unusual “so…as to” idiom but that is exactly the kind of decision point that you are unqualified to make! “So…as to” in this example is perfectly correct and only (A) has all of the other elements correctly structured. Correct answer is (A).

Archit3110 · Answer

a good SC

A)  a dormant volcano exploding, that are so rare and so dramatic as to seem like metaphors for the virtue of patience itself  ; itself pronoun referent goes with singular the virtue correct

B) an explosion of a dormant volcano,  that  are so rare and dramatic enough that they seem like metaphors for the virtue of patience  themselves  the first that is okay , but the other that usage is lacking demonstrative ( adjective infront of noun which is missing) wrong also themselves is plural wrong 
 
C) the explosion of a dormant volcano, that are so rare and so dramatic that  it  seems like a metaphor for the virtue of patience itself ; pronoun referent issue

D) the explosion of a dormant volcano, that are so rare and dramatic enough as to seem like a metaphor for the virtue of patience  themselves  ; themselves is plural wrong

E) a dormant volcano exploding, that are so rare and so dramatic that they seem to be a metaphor for the virtue of patience  themselves 
themselves is plural wrong

kittle · Answer

@Sayntan,

Wrong. Here we are judging parallelism hence in that we would just focus on that. "A DORMANT VOLCANO EXPLODING" represents an action - which thus is an apt "act of nature" just like the solar eclipse, so I think this is correct and the rest of the choices could be only rejected on the other errors pointed out here. Thanks.

thangvietnam · Answer

I am sorry. there is no "exploding" as pure noun in english. only pure noun can go with adjective such as dormant . gerund, which contain some features of noun, but not all, can not go with adjective like dormant.

There are a few acts of nature, such as a total solar eclipse or a

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