Last visit was: 01 Sep 2026, 11:02 It is currently 01 Sep 2026, 11:02
Home
Messages
Tests
Schools
Events
Close
GMAT Club Daily Prep
Thank you for using the timer - this advanced tool can estimate your performance and suggest more practice questions. We have subscribed you to Daily Prep Questions via email.

Customized
for You

we will pick new questions that match your level based on your Timer History

Track
Your Progress

every week, we’ll send you an estimated GMAT score based on your performance

Practice
Pays

we will pick new questions that match your level based on your Timer History
Not interested in getting valuable practice questions and articles delivered to your email? No problem, unsubscribe here.
Go to My Error Log Learn more
Close
Request Expert Reply
Confirm Cancel
Back to Forum
Create Topic
   1   2   3   
Sub 505 (Easy)|   Modifiers|         
User avatar
rish2708
User avatar
Joined: 12 Jul 2017
Last visit: 15 Sep 2022
Posts: 173
Own Kudos:
245
 [1]
Given Kudos: 442
Location: India
Schools: ISB '21 (A)
GMAT 1: 570 Q43 V26
GMAT 2: 690 Q50 V32
GPA: 3.8
Schools: ISB '21 (A)
GMAT 2: 690 Q50 V32
Posts: 173
Kudos: 245
 [1]
The webbed feet of the Alabio duck has neither nerves nor blood vessel 12 Jul 2019, 09:17
1
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Issues in the sentence:
Issue #1:
The webbed feet is plural ( so we should have a plural verb)
Issue #2:
which renders VS rendering:
rendering is preferred because blood vessels do not render the duck incapable of the feeling. The later half after comma should modify the whole sentence.
Also gramitacally, which renders is wrong. Which renders seems to modify BLOOD VESSELS ( a plural noun) so RENDERS can't be there

A, B , C are eliminated on above grounds

Between D and E:
D has "the duck" and E has "their"
Their does not have any clear referrent. So option E is incorrect. D must be the best choice

Answer D.

Regards,
Rishav
User avatar
bae
User avatar
Joined: 09 Apr 2017
Last visit: 11 Mar 2021
Posts: 43
Own Kudos:
43
 [1]
Given Kudos: 368
GPA: 3.99
Posts: 43
Kudos: 43
 [1]
The webbed feet of the Alabio duck has neither nerves nor blood vessel 12 Jul 2019, 09:31
1
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
A. …feet…has…(subject verb error)
…Blood vessels, which renders…
Which-modifies the noun blood vessels, absurd in meaning
-out-
B. …feet…has…(subject verb error)
…Blood vessels, which renders…
Which-modifies the noun blood vessels, absurd in meaning
-out-
C. Verb-ing causing, modifies the preceding action have no nerves -ok
feet…have-ok
…them (ambiguous)…their
-out-
D. Verb-ing causing, modifies the preceding action have no nerves -ok
feet…have-ok
…duck…its (clarity) -ok
wins
E. Verb-ing causing, modifies the preceding action have no nerves -ok
feet…have-ok
…them (ambiguous) …-
…them…its(plural antecedent, singular noun)
-out-
D, wins
User avatar
GKomoku
User avatar
Joined: 06 Mar 2018
Last visit: 23 Mar 2022
Posts: 301
Own Kudos:
963
 [1]
Given Kudos: 3,680
Status:To infinity and beyond
Location: Kazakhstan
Concentration: Technology, Finance
Schools: Stanford '23 Sloan '23
GPA: 3.87
Schools: Stanford '23 Sloan '23
Posts: 301
Kudos: 963
 [1]
The webbed feet of the Alabio duck has neither nerves nor blood vessel 12 Jul 2019, 09:32
1
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post

The webbed feet of the Alabio duck has neither nerves nor blood vessels, which renders the duck incapable of feeling the cold on its feet.



Meaning:


1. The webbed feet of the Alabio duck haven't any nerves
2. The webbed feet of the Alabio duck haven't blood vessels
3. Hence the duck incapable of feeling the cold on its feet

Errors:


Attachment:
A.PNG
A.PNG [ 77.37 KiB | Viewed 1994 times ]

This is a simple classic.
Plural subject doesn't agree with singular verb. We need to have 'have' here.

Attachment:
which.PNG
which.PNG [ 29.08 KiB | Viewed 1993 times ]

'which' here modifies 'blood vessels'
is we say -- blood vessels renders the duck incapable of feeling the cold on its feet
1. we have SV agreement error
2. this sentence doesn't make any sense from the meaning stand point


POE:



We can eliminate (A) and (B) because of SV agreement error.

(A) has neither nerves nor blood vessels, which renders the duck incapable of feeling the cold on its feet.
(B) has neither nerves nor blood vessels, which renders them incapable of feeling the cold on their feet.
(them and their- don't agree with antecedent 'duck')

So now we have correct SV agreement.
V-ing modifier here is also correct.

Attachment:
V-ing.PNG
V-ing.PNG [ 29.56 KiB | Viewed 1958 times ]

(C) and (E) can be eliminates as (B) for same reason, them and their- don't agree with antecedent 'duck'

(C) have neither nerves nor blood vessels, rendering them incapable of feeling the cold on their feet.
(E) have neither nerves nor blood vessels, rendering them incapable of feeling the cold on its feet.


(D) have neither nerves nor blood vessels, rendering the duck incapable of feeling the cold on its feet.
Attachment:
D.PNG
D.PNG [ 92.24 KiB | Viewed 1970 times ]

D is the answer.

User avatar
LevanKhukhunashvili
User avatar
Joined: 13 Feb 2018
Last visit: 23 Jan 2021
Posts: 369
Own Kudos:
460
 [1]
Given Kudos: 50
GMAT 1: 640 Q48 V28
GMAT 1: 640 Q48 V28
Posts: 369
Kudos: 460
 [1]
The webbed feet of the Alabio duck has neither nerves nor blood vessel 12 Jul 2019, 09:40
1
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
The subject of the sentence is "Feet" plural
Drop A and B

(C) have neither nerves nor blood vessels, rendering them incapable of feeling the cold on their feet.
Imo "Duck" is not a subject, it's in just a prep phrase "of the Alabio duck" and "them" or "thair cant refer back to prep phrase

(D) have neither nerves nor blood vessels, rendering the duck incapable of feeling the cold on its feet.
now "duck" is a noun and "its" can refer to it

(E) have neither nerves nor blood vessels, rendering them incapable of feeling the cold on its feet.
again "them" and "it's" they even dont agree in number with each other :)

IMO
Ans: D
avatar
avin2788
avatar
Joined: 09 Jan 2019
Last visit: 31 Jan 2021
Posts: 13
Own Kudos:
22
 [1]
Given Kudos: 99
Location: India
Schools: IIMA IIM IIMB
GMAT 1: 690 Q48 V36
GPA: 3.7
Schools: IIMA IIM IIMB
GMAT 1: 690 Q48 V36
Posts: 13
Kudos: 22
 [1]
The webbed feet of the Alabio duck has neither nerves nor blood vessel 12 Jul 2019, 09:52
1
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
The webbed feet of the Alabio duck has neither nerves nor blood vessels, which renders the duck incapable of feeling the cold on its feet.

(A) has neither nerves nor blood vessels, which renders the duck incapable of feeling the cold on its feet.
(B) has neither nerves nor blood vessels, which renders them incapable of feeling the cold on their feet.
(C) have neither nerves nor blood vessels, rendering them incapable of feeling the cold on their feet.
(D) have neither nerves nor blood vessels, rendering the duck incapable of feeling the cold on its feet.
(E) have neither nerves nor blood vessels, rendering them incapable of feeling the cold on its feet.

Error : "feet" is the subject, hence "have" should be the correct verb. ii) "which" is incorrect, a modifier starting with verb+ing is required here to make the complete meaning.

verb+ing is required because it will modify the whole preceding clause and correctly convey the result as stated in the later half of the sentence.

Hence, correct answer - D. (E is wrong because of incorrect "them".
User avatar
freedom128
User avatar
Joined: 30 Sep 2017
Last visit: 01 Oct 2020
Posts: 939
Own Kudos:
1,395
 [1]
Given Kudos: 402
GMAT 1: 720 Q49 V40
GPA: 3.8
Products:
My Reviews
GMAT 1: 720 Q49 V40
Posts: 939
Kudos: 1,395
 [1]
The webbed feet of the Alabio duck has neither nerves nor blood vessel 12 Jul 2019, 10:03
1
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
The webbed feet of the Alabio duck has neither nerves nor blood vessels, which renders the duck incapable of feeling the cold on its feet.

(A) has neither nerves nor blood vessels, which renders the duck incapable of feeling the cold on its feet.
Incorrect Subject-Verb agreement, i.e. the feet of the Alabio duck has... In addition, it is not clear whether the nearest noun that the word which modifies is nerves or blood vessels.

(B) has neither nerves nor blood vessels, which renders them incapable of feeling the cold on their feet.
Incorrect Subject-Verb agreement, i.e. the feet of the Alabio duck has.... It is also not clear whether the nearest noun that the word which modifies is nerves or blood vessels. Furthermore, the use of pronouns them and their is incorrect as these pronouns refer to duck, which is singular

(C) have neither nerves nor blood vessels, rendering them incapable of feeling the cold on their feet.
The use of pronouns them and their is incorrect as these pronouns refer to duck, which is singular

(D) have neither nerves nor blood vessels, rendering the duck incapable of feeling the cold on its feet.
CORRECT ANSWER. This choice is grammatically correct and conveys the intended meaning unambiguously.

(E) have neither nerves nor blood vessels, rendering them incapable of feeling the cold on its feet.
The pronoun them has no clear antecedent. It might refer to nerves, blood vessels, or the feet


Correct answer is (D)
avatar
Vinit1
avatar
Joined: 24 Jun 2019
Last visit: 28 Feb 2020
Posts: 55
Own Kudos:
100
 [1]
Given Kudos: 66
Posts: 55
Kudos: 100
 [1]
The webbed feet of the Alabio duck has neither nerves nor blood vessel 12 Jul 2019, 10:06
1
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Below is my thought process... I could be wrong.

The webbed feet of the Alabio duck has neither nerves nor blood vessels, which renders the duck incapable of feeling the cold on its feet.

Clear Mistakes - Feet HAS... should be HAVE

Discarded options are prefixed with X

X(A) has neither nerves nor blood vessels, which renders the duck incapable of feeling the cold on its feet.
>> feet is plural so feet HAVE is correct. HAS is incorrect.

X(B) has neither nerves nor blood vessels, which renders them incapable of feeling the cold on their feet.
>> feet is plural so feet HAVE is correct. HAS is incorrect.

X(C) have neither nerves nor blood vessels, rendering them incapable of feeling the cold on their feet.
>>Alabio duck is singular.... so THEIR feet is incorrect. It should be ITS feet.

(D) have neither nerves nor blood vessels, rendering the duck incapable of feeling the cold on its feet.
>> This is CORRECT. HAVE is used for feet, and ITS is used for duck.

X(E) have neither nerves nor blood vessels, rendering them incapable of feeling the cold on its feet.
>> Here also use of HAVE and ITS is correct, But, THEM is referring to singular Duck. It should be IT. Also use of them is confusing... is it referring to duck, nerves, vessel, feet ???


ANSWER: D
avatar
Srijan2609
avatar
Joined: 06 Aug 2018
Last visit: 07 Oct 2020
Posts: 15
Own Kudos:
60
 [1]
Given Kudos: 93
Posts: 15
Kudos: 60
 [1]
The webbed feet of the Alabio duck has neither nerves nor blood vessel 12 Jul 2019, 10:09
1
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
My choice is D

Let's get to the options

(A) has neither nerves nor blood vessels, which renders the duck incapable of feeling the cold on its feet.

SV error starighway , feet is plural

(B) has neither nerves nor blood vessels, which renders them incapable of feeling the cold on their feet

Same as A

(C) have neither nerves nor blood vessels, rendering them incapable of feeling the cold on their feets.

Them refers to feet ,wrong meaning

SV error as their is wrong it's is right

(E) have neither nerves nor blood vessels, rendering them incapable of feeling the cold on its feet

Same them error as C

D is correct !!

Posted from my mobile device
User avatar
MahmoudFawzy
User avatar
Joined: 27 Oct 2018
Last visit: 20 Feb 2021
Posts: 660
Own Kudos:
2,204
 [1]
Given Kudos: 200
Status:Manager
Location: Egypt
Concentration: Strategy, International Business
Schools: NTU '20 HKUST '21 Japan MBA
GPA: 3.67
WE:Pharmaceuticals (Healthcare/Pharmaceuticals)
Schools: NTU '20 HKUST '21 Japan MBA
Posts: 660
Kudos: 2,204
 [1]
The webbed feet of the Alabio duck has neither nerves nor blood vessel 12 Jul 2019, 11:33
1
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
First split: "has" vs "have":
"feet" is plural, so "have" provides the correct SV agreement --> A,B out

Second split: "them incapable" vs "duck incapable":
"them" refers to the feet, but the duck feels, not the feet. Thus "them" conveys incorrect meaning --> C,E out

Third split: "its feet" vs "their feet":
"Alabio duck" is singular, so "its feet" provides the correct SV agreement --> B,C out

Fourth split: "which renders" vs "rendering"
"which" can't modify the whole clause, besides "renders" as a singular had no antecedent except "duck", which is illogical --> A,B out

D
User avatar
harry89
User avatar
Joined: 17 Aug 2016
Last visit: 07 Jan 2020
Posts: 4
Own Kudos:
30
 [1]
Given Kudos: 9
Posts: 4
Kudos: 30
 [1]
The webbed feet of the Alabio duck has neither nerves nor blood vessel 12 Jul 2019, 12:46
1
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
The webbed feet of the Alabio duck has neither nerves nor blood vessels, which renders the duck incapable of feeling the cold on its feet.

(A) has neither nerves nor blood vessels, which renders the duck incapable of feeling the cold on its feet. - should be 'have' not 'has', feet are plural
(B) has neither nerves nor blood vessels, which renders them incapable of feeling the cold on their feet.- same reason as (A)
(C) have neither nerves nor blood vessels, rendering them incapable of feeling the cold on their feet. - them in the second part is making the sentence confusing.
(D) have neither nerves nor blood vessels, rendering the duck incapable of feeling the cold on its feet. - seems correct
(E) have neither nerves nor blood vessels, rendering them incapable of feeling the cold on its feet. - same reason as (c)

IMO. the correct answer is (d)
User avatar
firas92
User avatar
Current Student
Joined: 16 Jan 2019
Last visit: 24 Jul 2026
Posts: 616
Own Kudos:
1,800
 [1]
Given Kudos: 142
Location: India
Concentration: General Management
Schools: Tepper '23 (M$) Foster '23 (D)
GMAT 1: 740 Q50 V40
WE:Sales (Other)
Products:
My Reviews
Schools: Tepper '23 (M$) Foster '23 (D)
GMAT 1: 740 Q50 V40
Posts: 616
Kudos: 1,800
 [1]
The webbed feet of the Alabio duck has neither nerves nor blood vessel 12 Jul 2019, 13:24
1
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Splits:

1. The webbed feet........have/has

Feet is plural, so have is the right usage.

2. cold on its feet/cold on their feet

This refers to the Alabio duck which from the non underlined portion should be considered singular

cold on its feet is the right usage.

(A) has neither nerves nor blood vessels, which renders the duck incapable of feeling the cold on its feet.
"has"does not agree in number with "feet" - Eliminate

(B) has neither nerves nor blood vessels, which renders them incapable of feeling the cold on their feet.
"has"does not agree in number with "feet" - Eliminate

(C) have neither nerves nor blood vessels, rendering them incapable of feeling the cold on their feet.
"their" does not agree in number with "the Alabio Duck" - Eliminate

(D) have neither nerves nor blood vessels, rendering the duck incapable of feeling the cold on its feet.
"have" agrees in number with feet and "its" agrees in number with "the Alabio Duck" - Keep

(E) have neither nerves nor blood vessels, rendering them incapable of feeling the cold on its feet.
"them" is ambiguous - unclear of which noun it refers to. - Eliminate

Answer is (D)
avatar
anusaini
avatar
Joined: 06 May 2019
Last visit: 24 Jul 2019
Posts: 5
Own Kudos:
10
 [1]
Given Kudos: 138
Location: India
Schools: INSEAD Jan '20
Schools: INSEAD Jan '20
Posts: 5
Kudos: 10
 [1]
The webbed feet of the Alabio duck has neither nerves nor blood vessel 12 Jul 2019, 18:18
1
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Observations from original stem:
1) Plural form of foot is feet, therefore plural verb must be used
2) Duck is singular, therefore, singular pronoun must be used


(A) has neither nerves nor blood vessels, which renders the duck incapable of feeling the cold on its feet.
feet ..has (subject-verb error)

(B) has neither nerves nor blood vessels, which renders them incapable of feeling the cold on their feet.
feet ..has (subject-verb error) .... duck ...them (Pronoun error)

(C) have neither nerves nor blood vessels, rendering them incapable of feeling the cold on their feet.
duck..them (pronoun error)

(D) have neither nerves nor blood vessels, rendering the duck incapable of feeling the cold on its feet.
Looks good

(E) have neither nerves nor blood vessels, rendering them incapable of feeling the cold on its feet.

them ...its (pronoun error)
User avatar
nick1816
User avatar
Retired Moderator
Joined: 19 Oct 2018
Last visit: 12 Mar 2026
Posts: 1,841
Own Kudos:
8,775
 [1]
Given Kudos: 707
Location: India
Posts: 1,841
Kudos: 8,775
 [1]
The webbed feet of the Alabio duck has neither nerves nor blood vessel 12 Jul 2019, 18:43
1
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
(A) has neither nerves nor blood vessels, which renders the duck incapable of feeling the cold on its feet.....need plural verb because feet is plural
(B) has neither nerves nor blood vessels, which renders them incapable of feeling the cold on their feet.......same as option A
(C) have neither nerves nor blood vessels, rendering them incapable of feeling the cold on their feet....should be its instead of their
(D) have neither nerves nor blood vessels, rendering the duck incapable of feeling the cold on its feet.
(E) have neither nerves nor blood vessels, rendering them incapable of feeling the cold on its feet......antecedent of then is ambiguous.

IMO D
User avatar
Mizar18
User avatar
Joined: 28 Jan 2019
Last visit: 23 Oct 2025
Posts: 172
Own Kudos:
272
 [1]
Given Kudos: 130
Location: Peru
Posts: 172
Kudos: 272
 [1]
The webbed feet of the Alabio duck has neither nerves nor blood vessel 12 Jul 2019, 19:17
1
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
The webbed feet of the Alabio duck has neither nerves nor blood vessels, which renders the duck incapable of feeling the cold on its feet.

(A) has neither nerves nor blood vessels, which renders the duck incapable of feeling the cold on its feet. - feet is plural so we must use "have",which refers to blood vessels, because is the effect of not having nerves nor blood vessels what makes the duck incapable of feeling, so Incorrect
(B) has neither nerves nor blood vessels, which renders them incapable of feeling the cold on their feet.- same errors as A
(C) have neither nerves nor blood vessels, rendering them incapable of feeling the cold on their feet. them is referring to feet, so it is non sense, incorrect
(D) have neither nerves nor blood vessels, rendering the duck incapable of feeling the cold on its feet. Correct
(E) have neither nerves nor blood vessels, rendering them incapable of feeling the cold on its feet.them is referring to feet, so it is non sense, incorrect

D is our answer
User avatar
globaldesi
User avatar
Joined: 28 Jul 2016
Last visit: 15 Jul 2026
Posts: 1,136
Own Kudos:
2,062
 [1]
Given Kudos: 67
Location: India
Concentration: Finance, Human Resources
Schools: ISB '18 (D)
GPA: 3.97
WE:Project Management (Finance: Investment Banking)
Products:
My Reviews
Schools: ISB '18 (D)
Posts: 1,136
Kudos: 2,062
 [1]
The webbed feet of the Alabio duck has neither nerves nor blood vessel 12 Jul 2019, 20:40
1
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
The webbed feet of the Alabio duck has neither nerves nor blood vessels, which renders the duck incapable of feeling the cold on its feet.

Usage of word "feet" explains that its plural, hence correct verb form should be have
eliminate A and B
which in original sentence refers to vessels , it is incorrect. Correct usage should modifiers
Now its the duck which can not feel cold so them is incorrect as them refers back to feet
Thus only correct left option id D

(A) has neither nerves nor blood vessels, which renders the duck incapable of feeling the cold on its feet. Incorrect because of has
(B) has neither nerves nor blood vessels, which renders them incapable of feeling the cold on their feet.Incorrect because of has
(C) have neither nerves nor blood vessels, rendering them incapable of feeling the cold on their feet.Them refers to feet not duck
(D) have neither nerves nor blood vessels, rendering the duck incapable of feeling the cold on its feet.Correct as explained in explanation
(E) have neither nerves nor blood vessels, rendering them incapable of feeling the cold on its feet..Them refers to feet not duck also them is not correct with its
User avatar
Sayon
User avatar
Joined: 08 Jan 2018
Last visit: 03 Jan 2023
Posts: 73
Own Kudos:
279
 [1]
Given Kudos: 374
Posts: 73
Kudos: 279
 [1]
The webbed feet of the Alabio duck has neither nerves nor blood vessel 12 Jul 2019, 22:39
1
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
(A) has neither nerves nor blood vessels, which renders the duck incapable of feeling the cold on its feet.
Feet is plural. So “has” is wrong.

(B) has neither nerves nor blood vessels, which renders them incapable of feeling the cold on their feet.
]Same SV agreement error as (A). In addition, “their” grammatically points to “feet”, makes the sentence illogical.

(C) have neither nerves nor blood vessels, rendering them incapable of feeling the cold on their feet.
“them” grammatically points to “feet”, makes the sentence illogical.

(D) have neither nerves nor blood vessels, rendering the duck incapable of feeling the cold on its feet.
Corrects the errors given in other options. Hold.

(E) have neither nerves nor blood vessels, rendering them incapable of feeling the cold on its feet.
“them” grammatically points to “feet”, makes the sentence illogical.

Answer D
User avatar
shridhar786
User avatar
Joined: 31 May 2018
Last visit: 08 Feb 2022
Posts: 322
Own Kudos:
1,792
 [1]
Given Kudos: 132
Location: United States
Concentration: Finance, Marketing
Posts: 322
Kudos: 1,792
 [1]
The webbed feet of the Alabio duck has neither nerves nor blood vessel 12 Jul 2019, 23:17
1
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
(A) has neither nerves nor blood vessels, which renders the duck incapable of feeling the cold on its feet.
s--v agreement error

(B) has neither nerves nor blood vessels, which renders them incapable of feeling the cold on their feet.
s--v agreement error.....them and their refers to what?

(C) have neither nerves nor blood vessels, rendering them incapable of feeling the cold on their feet.
them and their refers to what?

(D) have neither nerves nor blood vessels, rendering the duck incapable of feeling the cold on its feet.
(correct) s-v agreement.....correctly conveys that the duck has neither nerves nor blood vesels as a result the duck is incapable of feeling the cold on its feet

(E) have neither nerves nor blood vessels, rendering them incapable of feeling the cold on its feet.
them....refers to what?
avatar
simpersome
avatar
Joined: 26 May 2017
Last visit: 09 Nov 2021
Posts: 3
Own Kudos:
4
 [1]
Given Kudos: 34
Location: India
Concentration: General Management, Entrepreneurship
Schools: Tuck '22 (I) Kellogg MMM '22 (A)
GMAT 1: 740 Q50 V40
GPA: 3.34
WE:General Management (Energy)
Schools: Tuck '22 (I) Kellogg MMM '22 (A)
GMAT 1: 740 Q50 V40
Posts: 3
Kudos: 4
 [1]
The webbed feet of the Alabio duck has neither nerves nor blood vessel 12 Jul 2019, 23:51
1
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
(A) has neither nerves nor blood vessels, which renders the duck incapable of feeling the cold on its feet. Feet is plural and requires the use of have
(B) has neither nerves nor blood vessels, which renders them incapable of feeling the cold on their feet. Feet is plural and requires the use of have
(C) have neither nerves nor blood vessels, rendering them incapable of feeling the cold on their feet. Use of pronoun them is ambigious
(D) have neither nerves nor blood vessels, rendering the duck incapable of feeling the cold on its feet. Correct
(E) have neither nerves nor blood vessels, rendering them incapable of feeling the cold on its feet. Use of pronoun them is ambiguous and usage of its is wrong
avatar
Diya52
avatar
Joined: 21 Nov 2018
Last visit: 01 Sep 2026
Posts: 111
Own Kudos:
130
 [1]
Given Kudos: 123
Location: India
GPA: 3.5
Products:
My Reviews
Posts: 111
Kudos: 130
 [1]
The webbed feet of the Alabio duck has neither nerves nor blood vessel 13 Jul 2019, 00:56
1
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
The webbed feet of the Alabio duck has neither nerves nor blood vessels, which renders the duck incapable of feeling the cold on its feet.

(A) has neither nerves nor blood vessels, which renders the duck incapable of feeling the cold on its feet. - feet is plural so has is not the correct verb. which modifies the closest noun blood vessels but the blood vessels dont render the duck incapable instead the entire fact that it has neither nerve nor blood vessels renders it incapable.
(B) has neither nerves nor blood vessels, which renders them incapable of feeling the cold on their feet. - same problem as A with has and which. also them stands for singular noun duck and hence is incorrect
(C) have neither nerves nor blood vessels, rendering them incapable of feeling the cold on their feet. - them and their is incorrect
(D) have neither nerves nor blood vessels, rendering the duck incapable of feeling the cold on its feet. - This is correct. Have correctly refers to feet, ing-modifier "rendering" is used to modify the entire clause "have neither nerves nor blood vessels". incorrect pronoun them is replaced with the duck.
(E) have neither nerves nor blood vessels, rendering them incapable of feeling the cold on its feet. - them is incorrect.

IMO D
User avatar
aarkay
User avatar
Joined: 12 Jan 2018
Last visit: 17 Oct 2020
Posts: 39
Own Kudos:
142
 [1]
Given Kudos: 133
Posts: 39
Kudos: 142
 [1]
The webbed feet of the Alabio duck has neither nerves nor blood vessel 13 Jul 2019, 01:30
1
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post

Error Analysis: : 'feet' is plural, should get plural verb 'have'. Also, we need to have verb+ing modifier to show the result of preceding action- duck's feet not having blood vessels/nerves. Relative pronoun 'which' cannot modify action.

(A) has neither nerves nor blood vessels, which renders the duck incapable of feeling the cold on its feet. - Incorrect, as per above analysis.

(B) has neither nerves nor blood vessels, which renders them incapable of feeling the cold on their feet.- Incorrect, subject-verb agreement error as in A

(C) have neither nerves nor blood vessels, rendering them incapable of feeling the cold on their feet. - Incorrect, subject-verb agreement error is fixed. But, there pronoun antecedent error. It should logically refer to the duck. The way its worded now, it seems like it is referring to 'feet'.

(D) have neither nerves nor blood vessels, rendering the duck incapable of feeling the cold on its feet. - Correct.

(E) have neither nerves nor blood vessels, rendering them incapable of feeling the cold on its feet.-Incorrect. Same as C. 'them' and 'its'? Illogical.

Ans: D
   1   2   3   
Moderators:
GMATNinja
GMAT Club Verbal Expert
7399 posts
AbhishekP220108
Verbal Forum Moderator
704 posts