Extra Help With A Manhattan GMAT SC Explanation 6th Ed. Chapter 2 #6

Question

This is from the second chapter of the sixth edition of MGMAT's SC guide. The question is which construction of the underlined portion of the sentence is correct?

A) Students at Carver High School are encouraged to pursue only those extracurricular activities from which  stems success in college applications 
B) success in college applications stems.

The explanation states that both options are correct, and in the original construction the inverted order of the subject (success) and verb (stems) is allowed. The inversion is allowed because it follows which or, "in similar positions."

My questions are:

Is the underlined portion an example of a modifier that is an adjectival clause?

Can anyone expand on the "similar positions" that is referenced in the explanation?

I originally picked B, and I'm trying to come to grips with the inverted subject and verb in this example.

damyanti · Answer

Normally, subject comes before verb; in inverted, verb comes before subject:).

Students at Carver High School are encouraged to pursue only those extracurricular activities from which stems success in college applications.

"stems" is the verb and here it comes before the subject "success". Hence, it is inverted.

I also feel that underlined portion is adjectival clause. Not sure what is meant by ""in similar positions".

By the way, I feel option C would also be correct: success stems in college applications.

wakk0 · Answer

Thanks for replying  damyanti . Your third choice seems fine to me. I think I finally nailed my "ear discomfort" down to the prepositional phrase between success and stems in option B. For some reason it just seems awkward to me.

I'm still wondering about the cryptic "in similar positions" comment though. Maybe someone else could chime in?

DollyS · Answer

Hi

Here is my bit-

I believe "in similar positions" refers to the "positions in which there is nothing in front of the verb that is eligible to be the subject of the verb". In this case "which" comes before the verb, however, which cannot be the subject of the verb and thus inverse construction is allowed.

Let's take another example:

In you lies the power to change the world.

"in you" isn't eligible to be the subject of the verb "lies" and thus in this case too, its inverse construction is acceptable.

Now let's look at these sentences-

What you are missing is an important rule.    
my friends are my life. 
my life is my friends.

The inverse construction is not allowed in any of these sentences as in each of these constructions the subject is placed before the verb.

Hope it helps!
Dolly

Extra Help With A Manhattan GMAT SC Explanation 6th Ed. Chapter 2 #6

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