S94-05

Question

In the last few decades, physicists have identified the existence of different "flavors" of subatomic particles called quarks,  most of them as small or smaller than the electron, which display  a property known as color charge.

A. most of them as small or smaller than the electron, which display
B. most of them as small or smaller than the electron and displaying
C. mostly as small or smaller than the electron, displaying
D. mostly at least as small as the electron, which display
E. most of them at least as small as the electron, displaying

Bunuel · Answer

Official Solution:

In the last few decades, physicists have identified the existence of different "flavors" of subatomic particles called quarks,  most of them as small or smaller than the electron, which display  a property known as color charge.

A. most of them as small or smaller than the electron, which display
B. most of them as small or smaller than the electron and displaying
C. mostly as small or smaller than the electron, displaying
D. mostly at least as small as the electron, which display
E. most of them at least as small as the electron, displaying

The ERRORs in original are- 
1) There is an idiomatic error in this sentence.  As   small or smaller than  is an improper idiom;  as X as   Y , and  more X than Y  is correct. However,  as small.... than  is not correct. 
 
2) Additionally, the adjective clause beginning with-  which display - does not logically or grammatically describe the singular  electron , the noun before the clause.
 
 Choice  E  is correct. The idiomatic error is fixed, and the participle phrase beginning with  displaying  refers to the noun  quarks . The correct answer is  E .
 
Choices A, B and C all retain  as small or smaller than  error and can be eliminated.
 
Choice C improperly uses the adverb  mostly , which seems to describe  how   small  the quarks are and not the number of quarks that are  as small as  the electron. 
 
Choice D contains both modification errors.

Answer: E

dominicraj · Answer

Hi,

If E is the correct answer then displaying is modifying electron and not the quark which is incorrect.

Kindly clarify if I am wrong.

Regards,
Dom.

mudit20111989 · Answer

I take E as an answer but I feel there is a meaning error in E.
Size of Quark is either equal to Electron or smaller than Electron.
So quarks are at most as big as electrons.

Please correct me if I am wrong

AA2014 · Answer

"at most as big as" and "at least as small as" are the same thing since both mean that the size of quarks is equal to or less than the electrons.

mechosive · Answer

Whether it is 'displaying' or 'which display' , both will modify quarks.
But my doubt is how to decide which on is correct ?

Regards.

AkashKashyap · Answer

Hello,

Can anyone please how option E retails the original meaning of the question?

Thanks
Akash

fahadkhanali · Answer

Hi..

Here are my two cents. 
Here we have to remember the Verb-ing modifer rule. If a verb-ing mod. is present after a claus, preceded with a comma, then it does either of two functions 
a) presents a new information about the clause
 or 
b) present result of the preceding clause.

Thus "displaying a property known as color charge" adds information to the preceding clause i.e subatomic particles called quarks and thus makes (E) the correct answer.

rondevid25 · Answer

If the comma is added after the clause, then the -ing modifier following that comma will modify the entire preceding clause and not just closest noun. Option E would have been nonsensical if the -ing modifier was used without the comma, because then, the modifier modifies the preceding noun which in this case is 'electron'.

I hope this helps.

I hope this helps.

shouri · Answer

I think this is a  poor-quality  question and I don't agree with the explanation. Shouldn't display modify quarks and not electrons?

puneet3048gupta · Answer

@e-gmat , kindly explain if we should go with the intended meaning mentioned in the Original sentence !!!

arijitdas31 · Answer

If we are using ing modifier then isnt it true the owner of that ing verb must reside in the main sentence. So can it imply that physicist is working on the verb displaying and if so it would be in correct.

Please help

Please help

jbansal99 · Answer

I think this is a  high-quality  question and I agree with explanation.

arunram1981 · Answer

Minor gripe, as somebody who has made a living as a technical writer and copy editor for years: No doubt, this is a tricky SC question. But, as with too many 700-level SC questions I've seen, the correct answer (E) still yields a sentence that would never be acceptable for print. I would never append an adjective clause beginning with a gerund to a needlessly wordy descriptive phrase like "most of them at least as small as the electron". I know, I know

The GMAT is testing students' ability to recognize 'correct' sentences, but I do hope students remember that 'correct' does not always mean 'acceptable.' Separately, I truly admire the non-native English speakers who attempt the GMAT verbal section -- this is very challenging stuff indeed.

PearlRay · Answer

I agree with the idiomatic error of as small or smaller than , however, Displaying modifies the preceding clause- shouldn't the doer of the action and the doer of the modifier be the same? Here the doer of the clause is physicists. The meaning becomes nonsensical that the physicists displayed a property of colour charge by identifying the quarks-please clarify?

S94-05

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