When viewed from the window of a speeding train, the speed with which

Question

When viewed from the window of a speeding train,  the speed with which nearby objects move seems faster than that of  more distant objects.

(A) the speed with which nearby objects move seems faster than that of
 
(B) the speed that nearby objects move seems faster than for
 
(C) the speed of nearby objects seems faster than
 
(D) nearby objects' speeds seem to be faster than those of
 
(E) nearby objects seem to move at a faster speed than do

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EMPOWERgmatVerbal · Accepted Answer

Hello Everyone!

This is a great example of a sentence with a modifier that you might find on the GMAT exam – and it’s an easy one to answer quickly if you know what to look for! Let’s take a closer look to come up with the right answer.

Whenever you see a sentence that starts with a modifier phrase, whatever that phrase is referring to  must  come directly after the comma:

After melting in the sun, the Popsicle turned into a bright green puddle. →  GOOD

After melting in the sun, the green puddle from the Popsicle was bright green. →  BAD

Here is a simple test to find the right answer: If you ask yourself the question, “ What  melted in the sun?” you would answer “the Popsicle.” The Popsicle melted in the sun, not the puddle, so Popsicle needs to come first!

For our sentence, we must ask ourselves, “ What  is viewed from the window of a speeding train?” The answer is “nearby objects,” which tells us that must be the  first  thing that follows the comma! Let’s see how each of the answers holds up:

A.  the speed  with which nearby objects move seems faster than that of →  WRONG

B.  the speed  that nearby objects move seems faster than for →  WRONG

C.  the speed  of nearby objects seems faster than →  WRONG

D.  nearby objects' speeds  seem to be faster than those of →  WRONG

E.  nearby objects  seem to move at a faster speed than do →  CORRECT!

See? If you know how to quickly check that your modifiers and subjects are next to each other, these kinds of questions are easy to answer in a breeze!

Don’t study for the GMAT. Train for it.

prabsahi · Answer

I would go for option E and below is my thought process:

When viewed from the window of a speeding train---This expression is followed by a comma so it should 
modify the word that comes just after it.

Option A,B,C --The expression seems to modify which is incorrect.What do we view outside the window of a train..we view the objects eg..tress,field ranches,birds,poles
moving at a faster pace..we do not view the pace itself.

Option D: Uses possessive noun Mary's cat..implies we are talking about CAT only (belongs to Marry)
 So here also expression nearby "objects' speeds" refers to speeds which is incorrect.

We are left with only option E and that's the correct choice.

Please Give Kudos if it helps !!

ExpertsGlobal5 · Answer

Dear Friends,

Here is a detailed explanation to this question-

Meaning is crucial to solving this problem: 
Understanding the intended meaning is key to solving this question; the intended meaning of this sentence is that when nearby objects are viewed from the window of a speeding train, they seem to move at a faster speed than do more distant objects.

Concepts tested here: Meaning + Modifiers + Comparisons

• In a “phrase + comma + noun” construction, the phrase must correctly modify the noun; this is one of the most frequently tested concepts on GMAT sentence correction.
• Comparisons can only be made between similar things.

A:  This answer choice incorrectly uses "When viewed from the window of a speeding train" to modify "the speed", illogically implying that   the speed   of nearby objects is viewed from the window of a speeding train; the intended meaning is that the   nearby objects  , themselves, are viewed from the window of a speeding train; remember, in a “phrase + comma + noun” construction, the phrase must correctly modify the noun.

B:  This answer choice incorrectly uses "When viewed from the window of a speeding train" to modify "the speed", illogically implying that   the speed   of nearby objects is viewed from the window of a speeding train; the intended meaning is that the   nearby objects  , themselves, are viewed from the window of a speeding train; remember, in a “phrase + comma + noun” construction, the phrase must correctly modify the noun. Moreover, Option B further alters the meaning of the sentence through the phrase "the speed that nearby objects move"; the construction of this phrase leads to an incoherent meaning; the intended meaning is that nearby objects seem to move at a faster speed than do more distant objects.

C:  This answer choice incorrectly uses "When viewed from the window of a speeding train" to modify "the speed", illogically implying that   the speed   of nearby objects is viewed from the window of a speeding train; the intended meaning is that the   nearby objects  , themselves, are viewed from the window of a speeding train; remember, in a “phrase + comma + noun” construction, the phrase must correctly modify the noun. Further, Option C incorrectly compares "the speed of nearby objects" to "more distant objects"; remember, comparisons can only be made between similar things.

D:  This answer choice incorrectly uses "When viewed from the window of a speeding train" to modify "nearby objects' speeds", illogically implying that   the speed   of nearby objects is viewed from the window of a speeding train; the intended meaning is that the   nearby objects  , themselves, are viewed from the window of a speeding train; remember, in a “phrase + comma + noun” construction, the phrase must correctly modify the noun.

E:   Correct.  This answer choice correctly uses "When viewed from the window of a speeding train" to modify "nearby objects", conveying the intended meaning - that the   nearby objects  , themselves, are viewed from the window of a speeding train. Moreover, Option E uses the clause "nearby objects seem to move at a faster speed", conveying the intended meaning - that nearby objects seem to move at a faster speed than do more distant objects. Further, Option C correctly compares "seem to move" with "do".

Hence, E is the best answer choice.

To understand the concept of "Phrase Comma Subject" and "Subject Comma Phrase" on GMAT, you may want to watch the following video (~1 minute):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqgMtdyK2D4

All the best!
Experts' Global Team

GyMrAT · Answer

I think the answer is E.

"When viewed from the window of a speeding train,"

should modify "nearby objects"

Thanks,
GyM

SSM700plus · Answer

When viewed from the window of a speeding train,  the speed with which nearby objects move seems faster than that of  more distant objects.
 
A. the speed with which nearby objects move seems faster than that of
 
B. the speed that nearby objects move seems faster than for
 
C. the speed of nearby objects seems faster than
 
D. nearby objects' speeds seem to be faster than those of
 
E. nearby objects seem to move at a faster speed than do

The modifier "When viewed from the window of a speeding train" should be followed by the modified entity - objects (near by object).

eliminate A, B & C.

D is wrong because of possessive nearby objects'.

E is the best of all.

wardalaknaoui1 · Answer

When viewed from the window of a speeding train, the speed with which nearby objects move seems faster than that of more distant objects.
A. the speed with which nearby objects move seems faster than that of
B. the speed that nearby objects move seems faster than for
C. the speed of nearby objects seems faster than
D. nearby objects' speeds seem to be faster than those of
E. nearby objects seem to move at a faster speed than do
When viewed from the window of a speeding train, Can you view a speed, the answer is no, so eliminate A,B,C,D, and you're left with E

grace177 · Answer

I have a question about the understanding the structure of the sentence.

"When viewed from the window of a speeding train, nearby objects seem to move at a faster speed than do more distant objects. "

why isn't it written as "
When viewed from the window of a speeding train, nearby objects seem to move at a faster speed than more distant objects."

if it is subjective compares with sub ( nearby objects Vs more distant objects ), why is there a " do " in front of subjective ? whether could it be omitted?

thanks.

prabsahi · Answer

The comparison here involves action..
The complete sentence would read as 
"When viewed from the window of a speeding train, nearby objects seem to move at a faster speed than do more distant objects(seem to move). "

We are comparing the  pace of movement of the two objects.

With just the action word((do)) ,it says the necessary comparison without repeating the entire sentence again.

Press Kudos of it helps!!

daagh · Answer

The first issue is that this is not a comparison question alone, but also a modification question. What is viewed are the nearby objects and not their speed. Hence, A through D is out at first glance itself.

Coming to comparison in E, what are being compared are not the nearby objects with distant objects but rather the action of their seeming movements. When you compare one arm with a word of action, then the other arm has to be matched with another parallel word of action. Hence, 'do' is required

HasnainAfxal · Answer

A.  the speed  with which nearby objects move seems faster than that of

B.  the speed  that nearby objects move seems faster than for

C.  the speed  of nearby objects seems faster than

D.  nearby objects' speeds  seem to be faster than those of

E.  nearby objects  seem to move at a faster speed than do

dcummins · Answer

This is made very simple by thinking about it logically.

You can't view speed, you view the objects. 
 
Eliminate any answers that state that you view  "the speed"

Eliminate options A, B, C and D

Option   E :  "when viewed from the window..., nearby objects seem to...than do...more distant". This comparison is logically and grammatically parallel.

10210219 · Answer

I still can't understand why "do" is in front of the "more distant objects " in the option (E)？
I think it should be “than more distant object do”...

would anyone be so kind to help me? thank u very much!!

AjiteshArun · Answer

In some cases, it's possible to put a verb before its subject. This doesn't always mean that we have to switch them. It just means that there is nothing wrong with it. If you're wondering why the GMAT would do this, well, the people who make the questions probably want to see whether we'll remove such options (and therefore get the question wrong).

Another example: He joined the company, and so did his sister. We'll need to "whitelist" this sort of usage.

mahi816 · Answer

thanks for the explanation.

"He joined the company, and so did his sister."

After rewriting the above example ....

He joined the company, and his sister did(joined) so.

Is the above sentence correct or else please explain that one

AjiteshArun · Answer

When  so  is used in the ~addition sense (to "add on" to something), we should invert the normal order (the normal order is subject first).

1.  He joined the company, and so did his sister.  ← This one gives us that ~addition meaning.

2.  He joined the company, and his sister did so.  ← This one does not give us the ~addition meaning (the kind of meaning we'd get from "ABC, and also XYZ").

3.  He joined the company, and his sister did so too.  ← Here the  too  helps to give us the additional emphasis that the  so  provided in (1).

Connor1396 · Answer

I have solved the question without any problem focusing on the modification issue.
I just had one doubt.

In the official explanation it is written that along with the modification error, there is also the error of parallelism in comparison in option A.
Can you help with that?

daagh

Thank you in advance

daagh · Answer

@Connors

When viewed from the window of a speeding train, the speed with which nearby objects move seems faster than that of more distant objects.

Error 1. As you have said, - the modification error.
 
2. The idiom error. The speed at which is better than the speed with which

3. Comparison error: When expanded this means that 'the speed with which nearby objects move seems faster than the speed of more distant objects.

What is logically being compared is the speed at which the nearby objects move in the first arm with the speed at which the distance objects move in the second. The action 'move' is central to the comparison and since it is an action verb, it should reflect in both the arms for parallel comparison. 
Since the action verb move is absent in the second arm, the comparison turns out to be between the action of move in the first arm and just only the speed of more distant objects in the other, which we must deem it as an improper comparison.

CrackverbalGMAT · Answer

This is an interesting question. It has language that might trip up most non-native speakers who go “by the ear” – the addition of ‘do’ can be confusing.

When we see a  modifier  that opens a sentence, we should always be on the lookout for the  subject  of the clause. And this subject must come right after the comma.

With this question, what do you see ‘when viewed from the window of a train’? You don’t see ‘the speed’ but you see the ‘nearby objects’.

Now let’s check out the options:

(A)  the speed with which nearby objects move seems faster than that of 
 Incorrect subject after comma.   Eliminate.

(B) the speed that nearby objects move seems faster than for
 Incorrect subject after comma.   Eliminate.

(C) the speed of nearby objects seems faster than
 Incorrect subject after comma.   Eliminate.

(D) nearby objects' speeds seem to be faster than those of
 It’s not objects’ speed that is the subject but the objects themselves.   Eliminate.

(E) nearby objects seem to move at a faster speed than do
 Correct order of words. Right comparison of action.   This is the best option. 
 
Hope this helps!

callmeDP · Answer

hey,  generis

Could you please help me out with this I seem to have an unpopular opinion on this from the other answers.

When I read the first part, "When viewed from the window of a speeding train" - I immediately asked myself What is that you are viewing from the window and the answer seems to some object/physical thing

And I found option E reasonably mentioned nearby objects. I said Cool.

But then I asked myself, Nearby objects seem to move faster than do far objects

How is it that objects are moving? Are they meant to be moving or shouldn't the idea that they are moving illogical ?

Does this make sense? lmk your thoughts 
Thanks.

When viewed from the window of a speeding train, the speed with which

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GMAT Sentence Correction (SC - EA only) Questions

When viewed from the window of a speeding train, the speed with which

Prep Toolkit

615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

745 with Only Self-Prep and GMAT Club

From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

My Rewards