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Be sure to select an answer first to save it in the Error Log before revealing the correct answer (OA)!
Difficulty:
55%
(hard)
Question Stats:
57% (01:42) correct
43%
(01:49)
wrong
based on 10187
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Although some had accused Smith, the firm’s network manager, of negligence when the crucial data went missing, the CEO defused a situation that was quite tense with her public statement that the debacle was not Smith’s fault.
A. a situation that was quite tense with her public statement that the debacle was not Smith’s fault
B. a situation that was quite tense, by publicly stating that the debacle was not Smith’s fault
C. a situation, which was quite tense, by stating publicly that Smith was not responsible for the debacle
D. a quite tense situation with a public statement about the debacle not being Smith’s fault
E. a quite tense situation by publicly stating the debacle not to have been Smith’s fault
SC36241.01
OG2020 NEW QUESTION
A. a situation that was quite tense with her public statement that the debacle was not Smith’s fault
B. a situation that was quite tense, by publicly stating that the debacle was not Smith’s fault
C. a situation, which was quite tense, by stating publicly that Smith was not responsible for the debacle
D. a quite tense situation with a public statement about the debacle not being Smith’s fault
E. a quite tense situation by publicly stating the debacle not to have been Smith’s fault
SC36241.01
OG2020 NEW QUESTION
03 May 2019, 21:20
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Hello Everyone!
Let's tackle this question, one thing at a time, and narrow it down to the correct choice! To start, let's take a quick scan over the options and highlight any major differences in orange and purple:
Although some had accused Smith, the firm’s network manager, of negligence when the crucial data went missing, the CEO defused a situation that was quite tense with her public statement that the debacle was not Smith’s fault.
A. a situation that was quite tense with her public statement that the debacle was not Smith’s fault
B. a situation that was quite tense, by publicly stating that the debacle was not Smith’s fault
C. a situation, which was quite tense, by stating publicly that Smith was not responsible for the debacle
D. a quite tense situation with a public statement about the debacle not being Smith’s fault
E. a quite tense situation by publicly stating the debacle not to have been Smith’s fault
After a quick glance over the options, it appears there are a lot of differences. However, we can narrow it down to 3 main issues:
1. a situation that was quite tense / a situation, which was quite tense / a quite tense situation (Clarity & Meaning)
2. with her public statement / by publicly stating / by stating publicly / with a public statement (Clarity & Meaning)
3. that the debacle... / that Smith was not responsible... / about the debacle... / the debacle not to have been... (Wordiness)
Let's start with #1 on our list because it should eliminate 2-3 options rather quickly. We need to determine if it's better to say "a situation that was quite tense" and "a quite tense situation." This is an issue of clarity. WHAT did the CEO diffuse? A situation. To make sure that's absolutely clear, it makes more sense to keep those two things together. This becomes even more important when the word "quite" is involved:
Mandy passed an exam that was quite difficult. --> OK
Mandy passed a quite difficult exam. --> WRONG
So - let's see how each option handles this particular issue:
A. a situation that was quite tense with her public statement that the debacle was not Smith’s fault
B. a situation that was quite tense, by publicly stating that the debacle was not Smith’s fault
C. a situation, which was quite tense, by stating publicly that Smith was not responsible for the debacle (different problem - save for later)
D. a quite tense situation with a public statement about the debacle not being Smith’s fault
E. a quite tense situation by publicly stating the debacle not to have been Smith’s fault
We can eliminate options D & E because they don't use the proper construction when describing the situation. Notice how I left option C off the table? It's also incorrect, and here is why:
C. a situation, which was quite tense, by stating publicly that Smith was not responsible for the debacle
This is INCORRECT because the addition of "which" turns this phrase into a non-essential modifier. This sentence tells us that the phrase "which was quite tense" isn't important information to the overall meaning of the sentence. In this sentence, it IS important to know that the situation the CEO diffused was tense - otherwise why would she bother dealing with it?
We can eliminate option C because it created a non-essential phrase that then changed the overall meaning and clarity.
Now that we only have 2 options left, let's take a closer look at each one to determine which is better:
A. a situation that was quite tense with her public statement that the debacle was not Smith’s fault
This is INCORRECT because the phrase "with her public statement" is problematic. By not giving clear credit to the CEO for making the statement, readers might think that the CEO diffused the situation with a public statement made by someone else, or by not actually making the statement herself. This isn't a strong enough way to say what they mean, so it's not the best choice.
B. a situation that was quite tense, by publicly stating that the debacle was not Smith’s fault
This is CORRECT. It's clear that the CEO made a public statement herself with the phrase "by publicly stating." It gives credit where it's due, and it's absolutely clear what the writer intended to say.
There you have it - option B is the correct choice! It's absolutely clear what is going on in the sentence, and all of the actions are tied to the correct people.
Don't study for the GMAT. Train for it.
Let's tackle this question, one thing at a time, and narrow it down to the correct choice! To start, let's take a quick scan over the options and highlight any major differences in orange and purple:
Although some had accused Smith, the firm’s network manager, of negligence when the crucial data went missing, the CEO defused a situation that was quite tense with her public statement that the debacle was not Smith’s fault.
A. a situation that was quite tense with her public statement that the debacle was not Smith’s fault
B. a situation that was quite tense, by publicly stating that the debacle was not Smith’s fault
C. a situation, which was quite tense, by stating publicly that Smith was not responsible for the debacle
D. a quite tense situation with a public statement about the debacle not being Smith’s fault
E. a quite tense situation by publicly stating the debacle not to have been Smith’s fault
After a quick glance over the options, it appears there are a lot of differences. However, we can narrow it down to 3 main issues:
1. a situation that was quite tense / a situation, which was quite tense / a quite tense situation (Clarity & Meaning)
2. with her public statement / by publicly stating / by stating publicly / with a public statement (Clarity & Meaning)
3. that the debacle... / that Smith was not responsible... / about the debacle... / the debacle not to have been... (Wordiness)
Let's start with #1 on our list because it should eliminate 2-3 options rather quickly. We need to determine if it's better to say "a situation that was quite tense" and "a quite tense situation." This is an issue of clarity. WHAT did the CEO diffuse? A situation. To make sure that's absolutely clear, it makes more sense to keep those two things together. This becomes even more important when the word "quite" is involved:
Mandy passed an exam that was quite difficult. --> OK
Mandy passed a quite difficult exam. --> WRONG
So - let's see how each option handles this particular issue:
A. a situation that was quite tense with her public statement that the debacle was not Smith’s fault
B. a situation that was quite tense, by publicly stating that the debacle was not Smith’s fault
C. a situation, which was quite tense, by stating publicly that Smith was not responsible for the debacle (different problem - save for later)
D. a quite tense situation with a public statement about the debacle not being Smith’s fault
E. a quite tense situation by publicly stating the debacle not to have been Smith’s fault
We can eliminate options D & E because they don't use the proper construction when describing the situation. Notice how I left option C off the table? It's also incorrect, and here is why:
C. a situation, which was quite tense, by stating publicly that Smith was not responsible for the debacle
This is INCORRECT because the addition of "which" turns this phrase into a non-essential modifier. This sentence tells us that the phrase "which was quite tense" isn't important information to the overall meaning of the sentence. In this sentence, it IS important to know that the situation the CEO diffused was tense - otherwise why would she bother dealing with it?
We can eliminate option C because it created a non-essential phrase that then changed the overall meaning and clarity.
Now that we only have 2 options left, let's take a closer look at each one to determine which is better:
A. a situation that was quite tense with her public statement that the debacle was not Smith’s fault
This is INCORRECT because the phrase "with her public statement" is problematic. By not giving clear credit to the CEO for making the statement, readers might think that the CEO diffused the situation with a public statement made by someone else, or by not actually making the statement herself. This isn't a strong enough way to say what they mean, so it's not the best choice.
B. a situation that was quite tense, by publicly stating that the debacle was not Smith’s fault
This is CORRECT. It's clear that the CEO made a public statement herself with the phrase "by publicly stating." It gives credit where it's due, and it's absolutely clear what the writer intended to say.
There you have it - option B is the correct choice! It's absolutely clear what is going on in the sentence, and all of the actions are tied to the correct people.
Don't study for the GMAT. Train for it.
Updated on: 23 Jun 2022, 11:05
Originally posted by GMATGuruNY on 04 May 2019, 04:17.
Last edited by GMATGuruNY on 23 Jun 2022, 11:05, edited 2 times in total.
Last edited by GMATGuruNY on 23 Jun 2022, 11:05, edited 2 times in total.
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Bunuel
A: a situation that was quite tense with her public statement
Here, the referent for the red portion is unclear.
While the red portion is intended to modify defused (expressing how the CEO defused a situation), a reader might construe that the red portion is serving to modify the portion in blue (expressing why the situation was tense).
Also, it is not crystal clear whether her refers to Smith or to the CEO.
Eliminate A.
A which-clause provides NONESSENTIAL information.
If a which-clause is removed, the remaining words must convey a clear and complete meaning.
If we remove the which-clause from C, we get:
The CEO defused a situation by stating publicly that Smith was not responsible for the debacle.
Here, it is unclear what situation is being diffused.
Since removing the which-clause yields an incomplete meaning, eliminate C.
Generally, a VERBing modifier expresses a TEMPORARY action happening at the same time as the main action.
D: the debacle not being Smith's fault
Here, the usage of being implies that the debacle was TEMPORARILY not BEING Smith's fault at the same time as the CEO defused.
This meaning is nonsensical.
It is illogical to convey that the situation was not Smith's fault only temporarily.
Eliminate D.
E: by publicly stating the debacle not to have been Smith's fault
Here, the red portion seems to be an adjective describing the debacle.
As a result, the following meaning is conveyed:
The CEO was stating the debacle.
What KIND of debacle?
A debacle NOT TO HAVE BEEN SMITH'S FAULT.
This meaning is nonsensical.
It is not possible to state a debacle.
Eliminate E.
LINKING VERBS are forms of to be such as is, are, was, were, etc.
One purpose of a linking verb is to express a STATE-OF-BEING:
Mary IS tall.
The boys ARE happy.
The situation WAS tense.
by + VERBing serves to express HOW an ACTION is performed.
Since a state-of-being is not an action, by + VERBing cannot serve to modify a linking verb.
OA: The CEO defused a situation that was quite tense, by publicly stating that the debacle was not Smith’s fault.
In accordance with the rule above, by publicly stating cannot serve to modify the linking verb was.
As a result, it is clear that by publicly stating is serving to modify DEFUSED -- the nearest preceding ACTION -- expressing HOW the CEO DEFUSED a situation.
