Though the law will require emissions testing of all diesel vehicles,

Question

Though the law will require emissions testing of all diesel vehicles, from tractor trailers to excursion buses, it will have no effect on sport utility vehicles, almost all of which are gasoline  powered, and will not be subjected to emissions-control standards as stringent as they are for  diesel-powered vehicles.

A. powered, and will not be subjected to emissions-control standards as stringent as they are for

B. powered, and therefore not subjected to emissions-control standards that are as stringent as those of

C. powered and therefore not subject to emissions-control standards as stringent as those for

D. powered, which are not subject to emissions-control standards as stringent as they are for

E. powered and therefore they are not subject to emissions-control standards as stringent as those of

https://www.nytimes.com/1998/10/15/nyregion/albany-to-make-trucks-and-buses-pass-emission-tests-as-cars-do.html

Though the law will require testing of all diesel vehicles, from tractor-trailers to excursion buses, it will have no effect on sport utility vehicles, almost all of which are gasoline- powered and are not subject to standards as stringent as those for  other cars. Sales of diesel-powered utility vehicles are beginning to pick up, however, and the diesel vehicles will be subject to the new emissions program for buses and trucks.

Deepakdc · Answer

Can any expert provide a detailed POE of the same?

Without including the idiomatic elimination?! It would help a lot. Thanks!

CrackverbalGMAT · Answer

Hi,

I have given above a detailed explanation of the question.

To address the second part of your question, Option B can also be eliminated on the basis of the participle for 'subjected'. The usage of this word changes the meaning of the sentence. 'To be subject' to something means to be under the necessity of undergoing something, which in this case, is the emissions control standards.

'To be subjected to something' on the other hand means to be put through something. The participle form conveys the meaning that the gasoline powered vehicles are not put through the emissions control standards. But vehicles can only be put through emissions controls, not their standards. Vehicles can only be said to be under the necessity of following the standards.

Option E can also be ruled out on the basis of the pronoun 'they'. The placement of the pronoun affects the parallelism since the previous modifier begins with the relative pronoun 'which'. The best version is Option C.

I hope this helps.

Jayanthi Kumar.

devansh18 · Answer

Hi experts

I am unable to eliminate option A on solid grounds
Is option A incorrect since ", and" warrants a independent clause and we do not have a subject in that second part starting from ", and"?

Thanks, Devansh

EducationAisle · Answer

Tricky indeed Devansh.

No that's just fine.

An issue with few options presented here (including A) is the incorrect usage of "subjected to".

As mentioned  here , when the intent is to portray a "legal position" (as is the case in the current sentence),  subject to  is the right usage.

kakakakaak · Answer

my only problem with c is that it does not have verb after use of "and".

GMATGuruNY · Answer

X is SUBJECTED to Y: 
Here, Y is an action that is actually performed upon X.
 Every visitor is subjected to a background check .
Conveyed meaning:
If someone visits, a background check will actually be performed.

X is SUBJECT to Y. 
Here, Y is not an action actually performed upon X but is only a RULE that APPLIES to X.
 Every visitor is subject to a background check. 
Conveyed meaning:
A rule specifies that -- if someone visits -- a background check MAY be performed.
However, there is no indication that a background check will ACTUALLY be performed.

A and B:  subjected to emissions-control standards 
Here,  standards  do not constitute an ACTION that is actually performed upon the vehicles.
Thus, this usage of  subjected to  is inappropriate.
Eliminate A and B.

ExpertsGlobal5 · Answer

Hello  kakakakaak ,

We hope this finds you well.

To provide a bit of clarity here, we would like to point out that "and" is not preceded by a verb either; "gasoline powered" is an adjective, as is "not subject to...", and both work in conjunction with the verb "are".

We hope this helps.
All the best!
Experts' Global Team

Pankaj0901 · Answer

AndrewN

Reading the explanations in this thread, I got a bit confused with answers that talk about "comma". I have well understood the OA and hence no issues there. However, as an aside with respect to "comma" usage, is the following understanding correct?

When Independent clauses are conjuncted by "and", there MUST be a "comma" before "and". (Manhattan SC guide states this)
In all other cases, in which clauses or phrases are conjuncted by "and", a "comma" before "and" is not wrong. Basically, an extra comma is not wrong as authors often use comma rhetorically to give a pause. (as a thumb rule!?)

Example:
He wanted to succeed and therefore he spent so much.  WRONG 
He wanted to succeed, and therefore he spent so much.  CORRECT 
 Comma is needed to join two IC's.

He wanted to succeed and therefore spent so much.  CORRECT 
He wanted to succeed, and therefore spent so much.  CORRECT  -  usually when sentences are long?   official example  (I just pulled out a CR question randomly)  But she is worried that her blood of HDL, ''good'' cholesterol, is lower than is often considered optimal for heart health , and  has thus considered consuming foods such as chicken or fish that would increase her blood level of this beneficial substance. 
 Comma is not compulsory, but not wrong if applied.

AndrewN · Answer

Yes,  Pankaj0901 , your understanding of commas, for GMAT™ purposes, is sound. Remember, comma conventions are pretty flexible in written English. I wrote as much in response to a query on  this official SC question  earlier today. If a comma seems strange to you, do not eliminate the answer choice, but place it on hold and look to see how other answer choices may address the same issue.

Thank you for thinking to ask.

- Andrew

Pankaj0901 · Answer

I just found an official sentence, from a CR option choice, that doesn't use a comma between two clauses separated by "and".

Link, Option C: https://gmatclub.com/forum/the-spacing- ... tml#p52699 (C) The flute was made from a cave-bear bone and the campsite at which the flute fragment was excavated was in a cave that also contained skeletal remains of cave bears . But, I have not come across a single Official SC question that has a correct choice without a "comma" in between the two clauses. Of course, a "comma" isn't the reason to eliminate those choices, as those choices have bigger problems. But, the logic always helped to eliminate one or two incorrect choices quickly at least.

Anshul1223333 · Answer

in C]

C. powered and therefore not subject to emissions-control standards as stringent as those for

1. don't we say ''subjected to something' ?

2. emission control standards as stringent as ( dont we mean here that emission control standards are appliied more stringently compared to rest of vehicles)

3. should there be a comma before 'and'

RonTargetTestPrep · Answer

Different meanings.

Subjected to   = put through (some sort of difficult ordeal / stressful trial or test of one's abilities)
E.g.,  There is no reason why smartphones should be  subjected to  extreme tests that do not closely mimic actual real-life mishaps, such as being dropped onto concrete from a height of 15 feet.

Subject to   = covered by / required to conform to (rules or regulations)
E.g.,  Smartphones sold outside Japan are not  subject to  the Japanese law stipulating that all camera phones must emit a full-volume shutter sound whenever a photo is taken.

The sentence mentions standards that are  NOT  as stringent as those for certain other vehicles.

More importantly, this phrasing is the same in all five answer choices, so there's no sense in trying to question it or formulate nonexistent 'alternatives' to it.

• GMAC's correct answers are not wrong. The answer to "Is this official correct answer wrong because _______?" is always no.

• The presence/absence of single commas is not tested on this exam.

mansianand1234 · Answer

the first two below is a pair of dependent +IC

the 3rd clause is also a dependent clause. it is preceded by a comma.

1 Though the law will require emissions testing of all diesel vehicles

2 it will have no effect on sport utility vehicles

3 almost all of which are gasoline powered and not subject to emissions-control standards

So, essentially we have- DC,IC,DC ? Is this the structure?

Raman109 · Answer

Though the law will require emissions testing of all diesel vehicles, from tractor trailers to excursion buses, it will have no effect on sport utility vehicles, almost all of which are gasoline  powered, and will not be subjected to emissions-control standards as stringent as they are for  diesel-powered vehicles.

Option Elimination -

A. powered, and will not be subjected to emissions-control standards as stringent as they are for - As GMATNinja beautifully explained the distinction between the usage of "they," the third-person plural pronoun, and "those," the plural demonstrative pronoun. "they" maintains continuity with a previously mentioned noun, while "those" introduces a new set for comparison or contrast.
The Smiths adopted two puppies last month. They have quickly become a beloved part of the family. Here, "they" refers to the same puppies.
The laptops she has are much more powerful than those I have. Here, "those" refers to the "laptops" but a different one. While we are on the same topic, "these" is another demonstrative plural pronoun used for plural things closer to the speaker. These cookies are delicious. And "those" refers to plural things farther from the speaker. E.g., Those birds are flying high in the sky.

Here, "those" refers to the emission-control standards but not the same standards for the diesel-powered ones. Diesel-powered uses diesel, and gasoline-powered uses refined fuel, which is gasoline. Moreover, Diesel powered have a higher compression ratio than gasoline, which means their operating principle differs. Can we use the same standards for both? No.

B. powered, and therefore not subjected to emissions-control standards that are as stringent as those of - "those for" is better as "diesel-powered" vehicles don't have standards on their own. We are talking about "standards" for "diesel-powered vehicles."Moreover, "subjected to" involves undergoing a process or experience, while "subject to" refers to under the influence or governance of certain conditions or rules.
E.g., The cars we drive are subjected to torture track testing during their development stage to ensure that all the parts are adequately designed.
All employees are subject to the company's code of conduct. Moreover, the "that are" relative clause is redundant.

C. powered and therefore not subject to emissions-control standards as stringent as those for - ok.

D. powered, which are not subject to emissions-control standards as stringent as they are for - "which" without "and" can refer to "gasoline-powered," which, because of the presence of the linking verb "are" is a subject complement of the earlier "which" but "gasoline-powered" is also adjectival and "which" as a pronoun" generally refers to noun and not adjectives. Moreover, we need "they" and not "those."

E. powered and therefore they are not subject to emissions-control standards as stringent as those of - "they are" adds unnecessary redundancy as we already have a subject and a verb that can refer to this part after "and." Moreover, we need "those for" as "diesel-powered" vehicles don't have standards on their own.

NakulDiwakar10 · Answer

AjiteshArun   MartyMurray 
can you guys please explain why option e) is incorrect

MartyMurray · Answer

Here's the (E) version.

Though the law will require emissions testing of all diesel vehicles, from tractor trailers to excursion buses, it will have no effect on sport utility vehicles, almost all of which are gasoline  powered and therefore they are not subject to emissions-control standards as stringent as those of  diesel-powered vehicles.

The first issue is that, in this version, "and" connects two independent clauses. So, it should be preceded by a comma, but it isn't.

The main issue is that "they" is a redundant subject. "Almost all of which" would logically serve as the subject of both "are gasoline powered" and "are not subject to ...," as in "almost all of which are gasoline powered and therefore are not subject to ...."

With the addition of "they," the logic of the sentence is broken. In fact, it seems to convey the following:

Though the law will require emissions testing of all diesel vehicles, from tractor trailers to excursion buses, it will have no effect on sport utility vehicles ... therefore they are not subject to emissions-control standards as stringent as those of diesel-powered vehicles.

Notice that that version mixes the future and the present: "it WILL have no effect ... and therefore they ARE not subject," as if the future law is having an effect in the present. We can see that the meaning conveyed is not logical.

Finally, we can argue that "emissions-control standards as stringent as those of diesel-powered vehicles" conveys a somewhat illogical meaning since it seems to convey that diesel-powered vehicles possess emissions-control standards.

NakulDiwakar10 · Answer

MartyMurray  thank you so much for such a detailed response

Apeksha2101 · Answer

Why is THEY incorrect and THOSE correct?

GMATNinja · Answer

This is because the sentence refers to two different sets of standards: 1) emissions-control standards for diesel-powered vehicles and 2) emissions-control standards for sport utility vehicles. When comparing the two, we want to say that the emissions-control standards for sport utility vehicles are less stringent then THOSE for diesel-powered vehicles, where "those" refers to "emissions-control standards". If we use "they" instead, it sounds like we are referring to the emissions-control standards for diesel-powered vehicles , and that wouldn't make any sense. We obviously don't want to compare 1) emissions-control standards for diesel-powered vehicles and 2) emissions-control standards for diesel-powered vehicles for sport utility vehicles.

In short, "they" makes it sound like we're referring to a single set of standards, while "those" makes it clear that we're referring to two sets of standards (one for each type of vehicle). I hope that helps!

Though the law will require emissions testing of all diesel vehicles,

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GMAT Sentence Correction (SC - EA only) Questions

Though the law will require emissions testing of all diesel vehicles,

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