Certain flea control methods can become ineffective if used repeatedly

Question

Project SC Butler: Sentence Correction (SC2) 
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Certain flea control methods can become ineffective if used repeatedly on an animal; one reason is suggested by evidence that fleas, like cockroaches, adapt to their environment and become increasingly immune to popular flea medicine with each generation.

A) Certain flea control methods can become ineffective if used repeatedly on an animal; one reason is suggested by evidence that fleas, like cockroaches, adapt to their environment and become increasingly immune to popular flea medicine with each generation.

B) If used repeatedly on an animal, one reason that certain flea control methods can become ineffective is suggested by evidence that fleas, like cockroaches, increasingly adapt to their environment and become more immune to popular flea medicine with each generation.

C) If used repeatedly on an animal, one reason certain flea control methods can become ineffective is suggested by evidence that there are fleas, like cockroaches, that increasingly adapt to their environment and become more immune to popular flea medicine with each generation.

D) Certain flea control methods can become ineffective if they are used repeatedly on an animal; one reason, which derives from evidence, suggests that fleas, like cockroaches, adapt to their environment and become immune to increasingly popular flea medicine with each generation.

E) The evidence that fleas, like cockroaches, adapt to their environment and become increasingly immune to popular flea medicine with each generation is suggestive of one reason, if used repeatedly on an animal, certain flea control methods can become ineffective.

generis · Answer

OFFICIAL EXPLANATION

Project SC Butler: Sentence Correction (SC2)

THE PROMPT

• Meaning?
Repeated use of some flea control methods can create a situation in which failure is almost unavoidable, because evidence suggests that with each generation, fleas become more immune to the (anti-)flea medicine.

THE OPTIONS

• I see no issues
• "one reason" refers to the fact that certain flea control methods "can become ineffective if used repeatedly"
• not quite sure how to say this loudly and clearly: evidence can suggest a reason that something is happening.
I cannot figure out what is controversial about this idea.
Evidence THAT fleas adapt to environments suggests one reason that certain flea control methods can become effective if used repeatedly on an animal.

It is true that evidence itself cannot literally talk.
It is also true that at times GMAC does not like inanimate objects to have agency.
But as I have mentioned quite a few times now, there are many, many exceptions to this preference in standard written English.
These exceptions are idiomatic and this one is no different!
These three sentences are all   correct:  
→ A page in a chapter states, "Make sure that you vote early."
→ The poster said, "We will drive you to the single ballot drop-off box in the county. Call the number XXX-XXX-XXXX."
→  The sample suggested that if good COVID testing were available, more than one-third of the people in that state would test positive, whether they were pre-symptomatic, asymptomatic, or symptomatic.

• the introductory phrase  If used repeatedly on an animal  seems to be modifying/defining  one reason.  
That modification is ludicrous.

• same modifier problem as that in option B
• no reason exists to insert  there are  into this sentence
→ at times, it is wise to insert  there are.  This question is not one of those times.
→ contrary to popular belief, GMAC actually does have a few questions in which  there are  is correct. 
→ but in this case, there are just adds more words to an already long and somewhat confusing sentence
ELIMINATE C

•  increasingly  now modifies  popular flea medicine. 
→ why on earth would a flea medicine become "increasingly" more popular? And what does that fact, if true, have to do with the sentence?
→ this logic is at worst ridiculous and at best not nearly as sound as the logic in option A
•  it is okay to change the meaning of option A.   It is not okay to create illogical meaning. 
ELIMINATE D

• Because the sentence structure is so strained, I have no idea whether  if used repeatedly  is supposed to modify  one reason. 
If so, that modification creates an unintelligible sentence.  "One reason" is not used repeatedly on an animal. 
• to create a logical sentence,  if used repeatedly on an animal  should be placed after the word  ineffective

• and how, exactly, is evidence of any sort "suggestive of" a  reason?  To be  suggestive of  is to be  evocative (of) , to  cause you to think about something .
For evidence to suggest a reason is fine.
For evidence to be suggestive of a reason is not fine.
I could rant some more about this sentence, but we'll leave the rant there.
ELIMINATE E

The correct answer is A.

• NOTES 
The official question on which this question is partly based can be found by clicking  this link, here .

COMMENTS

RamTee  , welcome to SC Butler.

This question is based on an official one that makes good writers crazy. I've linked to that official question in "Notes."
(Once again: before you criticize any official SC question, write a good sentence correction question yourself. Doing so is incredibly difficult. I do not claim that GMAT SC sentences are elegant prose.)

EDIT:  kudos to coherent explanations even if you made a bad assumption along the way.

Mona2019 · Answer

Certain flea control methods can become ineffective if used repeatedly on an animal; one reason is suggested by evidence that fleas, like cockroaches, adapt to their environment and become increasingly immune to popular flea medicine with each generation.

A) Certain flea control methods can become ineffective if used repeatedly on an animal; one reason is suggested by evidence that fleas, like cockroaches, adapt to their environment and become increasingly immune to popular flea medicine with each generation. 
 Correct

B) If used repeatedly on an animal, one reason that certain flea control methods can become ineffective is suggested by evidence that fleas, like cockroaches, increasingly adapt to their environment and become more immune to popular flea medicine with each generation. 
 Incorrect  
if used repeatedly phrase seems to modify one reason. it should be modifying certain flea control methods.

C) If used repeatedly on an animal, one reason certain flea control methods can become ineffective is suggested by evidence that there are fleas, like cockroaches, that increasingly adapt to their environment and become more immune to popular flea medicine with each generation. 
 Incorrect  
same error as B

D) Certain flea control methods can become ineffective if they are used repeatedly on an animal; one reason, which derives from evidence, suggests that fleas, like cockroaches, adapt to their environment and become immune to increasingly popular flea medicine with each generation. 
 Incorrect  
fleas are becoming increasingly immune and not immune to increasingly popular.

E) The evidence that fleas, like cockroaches, adapt to their environment and become increasingly immune to popular flea medicine with each generation is suggestive of one reason, if used repeatedly on an animal, certain flea control methods can become ineffective. 
 Incorrect  
if used repeatedly on an animal seems to modify one reason.

IMO A is the answer

AntrikshR · Answer

Certain flea control methods(N) can become(V) ineffective if used repeatedly on an animal; --IC one reason is suggested by evidence ---Passive structure (Not favorable) that fleas (N), like cockroaches, adapt (V) to their environment and become increasingly immune to popular flea medicine with each generation. --Fleas adapt to their environment and become Increasingly immune to popular medicine

, adverb increasingly is incorrectly modifying immune (Noun), it should modify popular (Adjective) --The medicine was gaining popularity not the immunity. A) Certain flea control methods can become ineffective if used repeatedly on an animal; one reason is suggested by evidence that fleas, like cockroaches, adapt to their environment and become increasingly immune to popular flea medicine with each generation. --Incorrect B) If used repeatedly on an animal, one reason that certain flea control methods can become ineffective is suggested by evidence that fleas, like cockroaches, increasingly adapt to their environment and become more immune to popular flea medicine with each generation. --Whole lotta Errors! --Run on sentence --What is used repeatedly is not clear? Reason? --one reason that blah blah... is suggested by evidence? Not making any sense --fleas increasingly adapt to their environment and become more immune ---Not parallel C) If used repeatedly on an animal, one reason certain flea control methods can become ineffective is suggested by evidence that there are fleas, like cockroaches, that increasingly adapt to their environment and become more immune to popular flea medicine with each generation. --What is used on animal? Reason?

--that there are fleas that increasingly adapt??? --increasingly adapt to their environment and become more immune ---not parallel D) Certain flea control methods can become ineffective if they are used repeatedly on an animal; ---IC one reason (N) , which derives from evidence,--Non essential modifier suggests (V) that fleas, like cockroaches, adapt to their environment and become immune to i ncreasingly popular flea medicine with each generation. --No Errors E) The evidence that fleas, like cockroaches, adapt to their environment and become increasingly immune to popular flea medicine with each generation is suggestive of one reason, if used repeatedly on an animal, certain flea control methods can become ineffective. --increasingly immune? --The evidence is suggestive of one reason??? --Run on sentence

RamTee · Answer

Suggested by evidence is wrong (IMO) in option A.

Only sentence which has the correct usage of colon, idiom (derive from evidence), and pronouns (their = fleas) is D.

carrotcake · Answer

Certain flea control methods can become ineffective if used repeatedly on an animal; one reason is suggested by evidence that fleas, like cockroaches, adapt to their environment and become increasingly immune to popular flea medicine with each generation.

#1 - the original statement sounds good!

A) Certain flea control methods can become ineffective if used repeatedly on an animal; one reason is suggested by evidence that fleas, like cockroaches, adapt to their environment and become increasingly immune to popular flea medicine with each generation.

#2 - no reason to start with 'if' and it doesn't fit well with the rest of the sentence

B)  If used repeatedly on an animal , one reason that certain flea control methods can become ineffective is suggested by evidence that fleas, like cockroaches, increasingly adapt to their environment and become more immune to popular flea medicine with each generation.

C)  If used repeatedly on an animal , one reason certain flea control methods can become ineffective is suggested by evidence that there are fleas, like cockroaches, that increasingly adapt to their environment and become more immune to popular flea medicine with each generation.

#3 - no need to repeat 'they are', unnecessary use of 'derives from evidence'

D) Certain flea control methods can become ineffective if  they are  used repeatedly on an animal; one reason,  which derives from evidence,  suggests that fleas, like cockroaches, adapt to their environment and become immune to increasingly popular flea medicine with each generation.

#4 - way too complicated way to say what already was originally stated

E) The evidence that fleas, like cockroaches, adapt to their environment and become increasingly immune to popular flea medicine with each generation is suggestive of one reason, if used repeatedly on an animal, certain flea control methods can become ineffective.

Conclusion: A

winterschool · Answer

Certain flea control methods can become ineffective if used repeatedly on an animal; one reason is suggested by evidence that fleas, like cockroaches, adapt to their environment and become increasingly immune to popular flea medicine with each generation.

A)  Certain flea control methods can become ineffective if used repeatedly on an animal; one reason is suggested by evidence that fleas, like cockroaches, adapt to their environment and become increasingly immune to popular flea medicine with each generation.   Correct

B)  If used repeatedly on an animal, one reason  that certain flea control methods can become ineffective is suggested by evidence that fleas, like cockroaches, increasingly adapt to their environment and become more immune to popular flea medicine with each generation.  Incorrect

modifier error - 'If used repeatedly on an animal,' modifies one reason

C)  If used repeatedly on an animal, one reason  certain flea control methods can become ineffective is suggested by evidence that there are fleas, like cockroaches, that increasingly adapt to their environment and become more immune to popular flea medicine with each generation.  Incorrect

modifier error - 'If used repeatedly on an animal,' modifies one reason

D) Certain flea control methods can become ineffective if they are used repeatedly on an animal; one reason, which derives from evidence, suggests that fleas, like cockroaches, adapt to their environment and  become immune to increasingly popular  flea medicine with each generation.  Incorrect

I missed 'become immune to increasingly popular' and choose D, which is wrong, so answer should be A

E) The evidence that fleas, like cockroaches, adapt to their environment and become increasingly immune to popular flea medicine with each generation  is suggestive of one reason, if used repeatedly on an animal, certain flea control methods can become ineffective .  Incorrect

passive form, meaning change

Neha2404 · Answer

IMO-A

A) Certain flea control methods can become ineffective if used repeatedly on an animal; one reason is suggested by evidence that fleas, like cockroaches, adapt to their environment and become increasingly immune to popular flea medicine with each generation. 
Correct

B) If used repeatedly on an animal, one reason that certain flea control methods can become ineffective is suggested by evidence that fleas, like cockroaches, increasingly adapt to their environment and become more immune to popular flea medicine with each generation. .

.use of if used repeatedly on animals is is incorrectly modifying to one reason

C) If used repeatedly on an animal, one reason certain flea control methods can become ineffective is suggested by evidence that there are fleas, like cockroaches, that increasingly adapt to their environment and become more immune to popular flea medicine with each generation. 
use of if used repeatedly on animals is incorrectly modifying to one reason 
Use of Become more immune is incorrect

D) Certain flea control methods can become ineffective if they are used repeatedly on an animal; one reason, which derives from evidence, suggests that fleas, like cockroaches, adapt to their environment and become immune to increasingly popular flea medicine with each generation. 
- use of increasingly is incorrect it is modifying to popular

E) The evidence that fleas, like cockroaches, adapt to their environment and become increasingly immune to popular flea medicine with each generation is suggestive of one reason, if used repeatedly on an animal, certain flea control methods can become ineffective.

Use of is suggestive of one reason is awkward

Posted from my mobile device

generis · Answer

The official explanation is  here .

AntrikshR · Answer

generis : Can you please explain how 'increasingly immune' is correct in option A?. If I understand correctly, immune is a noun and 'increasingly' is an adverb. Adverbs don't modify nouns. Please correct me if my understanding is wrong.

Mona2019 · Answer

Increasingly is an adverb modifying become in option A, IMO.

Posted from my mobile device

AntrikshR · Answer

Increasingly is an adverb modifying become in option A, IMO. Posted from my mobile device Hi, Thanks for replying on my post. "Flees (N) become increasingly immune to popular flea medicine" Intended Meaning: "Fleas are rapidly becoming immune to the XYZ medicine" IMO ,The word Immune is actually an adjective , which is modifying Flees and "increasingly" is modifying the adjective 'immune'. Other examples: "Research (N) has shown (V) that social media sites (N) like Instagram are becoming (V) increasingly commercialized , generating profits for both companies and users" Reference: https://aacijournal.biomedcentral.com/a ... 20-00474-6 "Sites are becoming increasingly commercialized" ---Commercialized is an adjective as it's modifying sites...and increasingly is an adverb modifying the adjective 'commercialized' Yesterday's (Adj) GMAT test (N) was (V) extremely (Adv) difficult (Adj). generis ..please correct me if I am wrong. It's easy to miss things like these..I am still learning

Certain flea control methods can become ineffective if used repeatedly

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GMAT Sentence Correction (SC - EA only) Questions

Certain flea control methods can become ineffective if used repeatedly

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