Recently, two calliopes, hummingbirds that weigh one-tenth of an ounce

Question

Recently, two calliopes,  hummingbirds that weigh one-tenth of an ounce each, were seen flying in several northeastern parks and conservancy centers instead of the Gulf of Mexico, their normal flight path at this time of year.

A: hummingbirds that weigh one-tenth of an ounce each, were seen flying in several northeastern parks and conservancy centers instead of the Gulf of Mexico, their normal flight path at this time of year

B: hummingbirds that weigh one-tenth of an ounce each, were seen flying in several northeastern parks and conservancy centers instead of the Gulf of Mexico, the birds’ normal location at this time of year

C: a hummingbird that weighs one-tenth of an ounce, were seen flying in several northeastern parks and conservancy centers; at this time of year, the birds’ normal flight path is over the Gulf of Mexico

D: hummingbirds that weigh one-tenth of an ounce each, were seen flying in several northeastern parks and conservancy centers; at this time of year, the birds’ normal flight path is over the Gulf of Mexico

E: a hummingbird that weighs one-tenth of an ounce, was seen flying in several northeastern parks and conservancy centers; at this time of year, its normal flight path is over the Gulf of Mexico

push12345 · Accepted Answer

Two calliopes is mentioned so we need humming birds i.e. plural
So C and E are out

A- wrong as it indicates normal flight path aS gulf of Mexico ,it is not path it is the place

B-wrong as it says gulf of Mexico is birds normal location.it is not intended meaning here

D correctly conveys intended meaning and also usage of semicolon is appropriate distinguishing two independent sentences appropriately.

Give kudos if it helps

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Raksat · Answer

Official Explanation:

As you assess your decision points on this problem, you should quickly see that you're presented with a singular/plural choice between "hummingbirds" and "a hummingbird" as the first word of each choice. Note that in this case, that noun as the beginning of an appositive modifier describing "two calliopes." For this reason, you need a plural noun to agree with the plural "calliopes," so you can eliminate (C) and (E).

A less-obvious decision point is the main difference between (A), (B), and (D). (D) is the only of the remaining choices (choice (C) does this as well) that adds the preposition "over" before "the Gulf of Mexico." Choices (A) and (B) omit this extra pronoun, which creates the illogical/ridiculous meaning "the birds were seeing flying in several parks instead of (in) the Gulf of Mexico." When two items are connected using the same preposition (for example "Katie is a standout in both the pool and the classroom") that preposition must logically work with each noun. "In the Gulf of Mexico" suggests that the birds were flying underwater, an illogical meaning. Therefore only choice (D) can be correct.

zahidhasanalvi · Answer

I think Option A is the correct answer. 
Here, “hummingbirds that weigh one-tenth of an ounce each” defines calliopes(a special type of hummingbird) perfectly. 
The subject “two calliopes” is plural so the verb is also plural “were seen”. 
The last portion of the sentence “the birds’ normal location at this time of the year” perfectly defines the location “the Gulf of Mexico”.

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Nightmare007 · Answer

Oh i thought Gulf of mexico is some place. So Its just like Bay of Bengal or Arabian Sea.

Answer is now obviously D.

daagh · Answer

Don't have to scratch one's head too much. Here is a quick-fix.

two calliopes are not one hummingbird; Remove C and E. 
Instead of has been never right in GMAT' Remove A and B. 
You are left with D that is error-free

AliciaSierra · Answer

"Instead of" has been never right in GMAT!.--> It is new information but why "Instead of" has never been right ...

daagh · Answer

'Instead of' has not been correct only when it is being used vis-à-vis rather than or instead. 'instead of' has been used in some non-underlined parts in some GMATPREP questions.

Why 'rather than' or 'instead' is preferred over 'instead of' is a matter of observation and conjecture although GMAT itself per se has not made the reasons explicit. 
Probably, whenever there is some preference or penchant involved for something over something, then, 'rather than' makes the inclination more obvious than 'instead of.'
 
Let's take the case in front.

Recently, two calliopes, hummingbirds that weigh one-tenth of an ounce each, were seen flying in several northeastern parks and conservancy centers instead of the Gulf of Mexico, their normal flight path at this time of year.

The birds have certainly preferred northeastern parks and conservancy centers for some reason over their usual path. Therefore, we can boldly reject 'instead of.'

Another probable reason is that 'instead of,' a prepositional phrase cannot take anything other than a noun or a noun phrase after that. Whereas, 'rather than' can take both verb and noun. 'Rather than' can also introduce a clause as a conjunction and can take a preposition.

A case in point.

The parachute-like membranes of Africa's scaly-tailed flying squirrels differ from those of the flying squirrels in the family Sciuridae  because they are attached to a cartilage rod at the elbow instead of  the wrist. 
(A) because they are attached to a cartilage rod at the elbow instead of 
(B) because of being attached to a cartilage rod at the elbow rather than at 
(C) in their attachment to a cartilage rod at the elbow instead of being attached at 
(D) in that, they are attached to a cartilage rod at the elbow rather than at 
(E) in their being attached to a cartilage rod at the elbow instead of 
Ans: D.

Here, 'instead of' is unable to take the prepositional phrase 'at the elbow,' lest it should become unparallel.

All said and done; this perception might be of some help when someone is hard pressed for time in the hall.

goaltop30mba · Answer

Consider the statement... *birds* were seen flying in.... instead of the *gulf of mexico*

Isn’t the comparison ambiguous?

Can the Gulf of Mexico fly unless it has angelic wings ? ...

Both A & B are out due to the same ambiguity in terms of meaning.

C and E clearly have a subject - verb issue.. left with D..

Also D is absolutely correct as it doesn’t have the meaning ambiguity that i just mentioned above..

D is the answer

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aashusuman1 · Answer

GMATNinja

Please explain why A is wrong. Isn't it clearly stating that birds were seen in area X insted of Area Y which is their normal path ?

ExpertsGlobal5 · Answer

Hello  aashusuman1 ,

We hope this finds you well.

To answer your query, Option A modifies "the Gulf of Mexico" with "their normal flight path", illogically implying that the Gulf of Mexico,   itself  , is the birds' normal flight path; this meaning is illogical because a gulf is a body of water, meaning it cannot be a flight path; remember, in a “noun + comma + phrase” construction, the phrase must correctly modify the noun; this is one of the most frequently tested concepts on GMAT sentence correction.

The intended meaning is that the birds' normal flight path   passes over   the Gulf of Mexico; Option D avoids the modifier seen in Option D and conveys this meaning by using the independent clause "at this time of year, the birds’ normal flight path is over the Gulf of Mexico" rather than the “noun + comma + phrase” construction.

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

Redwhite387 · Answer

Why is option 'B' wrong. 
Like northeastern parks and conservancy centers, Gulf of Mexico is a location. And Gulf of Mexico is the location where the birds are expected to be

Recently, two calliopes, hummingbirds that weigh one-tenth of an ounce

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Recently, two calliopes, hummingbirds that weigh one-tenth of an ounce

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