12 Days of Christmas GMAT Competition - Day 6: The most favorable time

Question

12 Days of Christmas 🎅 GMAT Competition with Lots of Questions & Fun

The most favorable time for moving a plant to a  growing area, rather than being the active, flowering stage of the plant’s reproductive cycle, would be the inactive, dormant stage , during which the plant can afford to bear the stress that replanting causes, without suffering from stunted leaf growth.

(A) growing area, rather than being the active, flowering stage of the plant’s reproductive cycle, would be the inactive, dormant stage
(B) growing area is not the active, flowering stage of the plant’s reproductive cycle but the inactive, dormant stage
(C) growing area is the inactive, dormant stage of the plant’s reproductive cycle rather than the active, flowering stage
(D) growing area, instead of being the active, flowering stage of the plant’s reproductive cycle, would be the inactive, dormant stage
(E) growing area is, instead of the active, flowering stage of the plant’s reproductive cycle, rather the inactive, dormant stage

Bunuel · Accepted Answer

Experts' Global Official Explanation:

Modifiers + Meaning + Comparison + Redundancy/Awkwardness + Idioms

Understanding the intended meaning is key to solving this question; the intended meaning of this sentence is that the most favorable time for moving a plant to a growing area is not the active, flowering stage of the plant’s reproductive cycle but the inactive, dormant stage, during which the plant can afford to bear the stress of replanting.

• “being” is only to be used when it is part of a noun phrase or represents the passive continuous verb tense; the use of passive continuous must be justified in the context.
• Statements of universal fact are best conveyed through the simple present tense.
• The simple future tense is used to refer to events that will happen in the future.
• 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.

A. This answer choice incorrectly uses the simple future tense verb “would be” to refer to a statement of universal fact; please remember, statements of universal fact are best conveyed through the simple present tense, and the simple future tense is only used to refer to events that will happen in the future. Further, Option A is needlessly wordy due to the use of the word “being”; please remember, “being” is only to be used when it is part of a noun phrase or represents the passive continuous verb tense.

B. Correct.  This answer choice correctly uses “during which the plant can afford…” to modify “the inactive, dormant stage”, conveying the intended meaning- that it is during the inactive, dormant stage that the plant can afford to bear the stress of replanting. Further, Option B correctly uses the simple present tense verb “is” to refer to a statement of universal fact. Additionally, Option B is free of any awkwardness or redundancy.

C. Trap. This answer choice incorrectly uses “during which the plant can afford…” to modify “the active, flowering stage” rather than “the inactive, dormant stage”, incorrectly implying that it is during the active, flowering stage that the plant can afford to bear the stress of replanting; the intended meaning is that it is during the inactive, dormant stage that the plant can afford to bear the stress of replanting; please remember, in a “noun + comma + phrase” construction, the phrase must correctly modify the noun.

D. This answer choice incorrectly uses the simple future tense verb “would be” to refer to a statement of universal fact; please remember, statements of universal fact are best conveyed through the simple present tense, and the simple future tense is only used to refer to events that will happen in the future. Further, Option D is needlessly wordy due to the use of the word “being”; please remember, “being” is only to be used when it is part of a noun phrase or represents the passive continuous verb tense.

E. This answer choice redundantly uses “instead of” alongside “rather than”, leading to awkwardness.

B is the best answer choice.

____________________________
  Video Explanation:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OKXRUuFm3j8

nivivacious · Answer

Note: Rather than is the right phrase here and not instead of
(A) Correct. This is the most grammatically correct and makes logical sense. It implies that the best time to move a plant is during the inactive, dormant stage not the active, flowering stage.
(B) Incorrect: This option seems to equate the "growing area" with stages of the plant's life cycle which is not logical. The growing area is a location and not a stage in a life cycle.
(C) Incorrect: This option has the same issue as option B. It incorrectly equates the "growing area" with stages of the plant's life cycle.
(D) Incorrect: This seems to suggest that the growing area itself would transform from one stage of the plant's life cycle to another which is not logical.
(E) Incorrect: This option is grammatically incorrect for the same reasons as options B, C, and D. It incorrectly equates the "growing area" with stages of the plant's life cycle.

VivekSri · Answer

I will go with option D as in my opinion rather than being is less idiomatic than instead of being, "would be" to express the preference for the inactive, dormant stage

Schinchan_bh · Answer

The most concise and grammatically correct option is:

(D) growing area, instead of being the active, flowering stage of the plant’s reproductive cycle, would be the inactive, dormant stage.
It conveys that the optimal time for relocating a plant to a growing area is during its inactive, dormant stage, as opposed to the active, flowering stage.

bv8562 · Answer

The most favorable time for moving a plant to a  growing area, rather than being the active, flowering stage of the plant’s reproductive cycle, would be the inactive, dormant stage , during which the plant can afford to bear the stress that replanting causes, without suffering from stunted leaf growth.

(A) growing area, rather than  being  the active, flowering stage of the plant’s reproductive cycle,  would  be the inactive, dormant stage
(B) growing area is  not the active , flowering stage of the plant’s reproductive cycle but the  inactive , dormant stage -  same comparison (Not active=inactive) 
(C)  growing area is the inactive, dormant stage of the plant’s reproductive cycle rather than the active, flowering stage  - Correct usage of rather X than Y
(D) growing area, instead of  being  the active, flowering stage of the plant’s reproductive cycle,  would  be the inactive, dormant stage
(E) growing area is,  instead of  the active, flowering stage of the plant’s reproductive cycle,  rather  the inactive, dormant stage -

Elite097 · Answer

The most favorable time for moving a plant to a growing area, rather than being the active, flowering stage of the plant’s reproductive cycle, would be the inactive, dormant stage, during which the plant can afford to bear the stress that replanting causes, without suffering from stunted leaf growth.

(A) growing area, rather than being the active, flowering stage of the plant’s reproductive cycle, would be the inactive, dormant stage—
 rather than being is implying as if the growing area is being the active stage rather than the reproductive cycle

(B) growing area is not the active, flowering stage of the plant’s reproductive cycle but the inactive, dormant stage
The placement of verb and meaning is absolutely clear and not… but is correct idiom

(C) growing area is the inactive, dormant stage of the plant’s reproductive cycle rather than the active, flowering stage
The non underlined portion is incorrectly modifying flowering stage

(D) growing area, instead of being the active, flowering stage of the plant’s reproductive cycle, would be the inactive, dormant stage
Usage of being is incorrect and also use of would is incorrect as there’s non need to state hypothetical tense

(E) growing area is, instead of the active, flowering stage of the plant’s reproductive cycle, rather the inactive, dormant stage
Instead and rather used together are redundant and also we don’t need to put essential info between commas

Ans B

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poojaarora1818 · Answer

The most favorable time for moving a plant to a  growing area, rather than being the active, flowering stage of the plant’s reproductive cycle, would be the inactive, dormant stage , during which the plant can afford to bear the stress that replanting causes, without suffering from stunted leaf growth.

(A) growing area, rather than being the active, flowering stage of the plant’s reproductive cycle, would be the inactive, dormant stage Correct 
(B) growing area is not the active, flowering stage of the plant’s reproductive cycle but the inactive, dormant stage Incorrect 
(C) growing area is the inactive, dormant stage of the plant’s reproductive cycle rather than the active, flowering stage Incorrect 
(D) growing area, instead of being the active, flowering stage of the plant’s reproductive cycle, would be the inactive, dormant stage Incorrect 
(E) growing area is, instead of the active, flowering stage of the plant’s reproductive cycle, rather the inactive, dormant stage Incorrect

arpan7 · Answer

being the is incorrect usage since it means time is trying to do something.
Inactive part should come later so that it is correctly modified by the next clause.
B is neat, simple and meaningful

hence B

Archit3110 · Answer

use of rather and instead is wrong in the given options , eliminate all option except B

(B) growing area is not the active, flowering stage of the plant’s reproductive cycle but the inactive, dormant stage 
co relative conjunction Not X.... But Y
 option B is correct

SushantPaudel · Answer

Let's clarify each option:

(A) growing area, rather than being the active, flowering stage of the plant’s reproductive cycle, would be the inactive, dormant stage.

This option conveys the intended meaning, but it is slightly wordy. The phrase "rather than being" can be simplified.

(B) growing area is not the active, flowering stage of the plant’s reproductive cycle but the inactive, dormant stage.

This option introduces a negative assertion, saying "is not," which changes the meaning. The original sentence is focused on what is favorable, not on what it is not.

(C) growing area is the inactive, dormant stage of the plant’s reproductive cycle rather than the active, flowering stage.

This option correctly conveys the intended meaning in a clear and concise manner. It is a good choice.

(D) growing area, instead of being the active, flowering stage of the plant’s reproductive cycle, would be the inactive, dormant stage.

This option is similar to (A) but avoids the slight wordiness by using "instead of being," but still option C seems more clear

(E) growing area is, instead of the active, flowering stage of the plant’s reproductive cycle, rather the inactive, dormant stage.

This option is verbose and somewhat awkward. The use of "is" and "rather" together makes the sentence less concise.

In summary, options (C) is more concise, making it a preferable choice.

sj296 · Answer

The sentence states that, favorable time for moving a plant is - 
not the active, flowering stage 
but the inactive, dormant stage 
during which plant can withstand stress without suffering from stunted growth of leaf (as it's being shifted in dormant state)

(A) growing area, rather than  being  the active, flowering stage of the plant’s reproductive cycle,  would be  the inactive, dormant stage.........unnecessarily wordy.

(B)  growing area is not the active, flowering stage of the plant’s reproductive cycle but the inactive, dormant stage .........This seems fine

(C) growing area is  the inactive, dormant stage  of the plant’s reproductive cycle  rather than the active, flowering stage ...............Distorts the intended meaning

(D) growing area,  instead of being  the active, flowering stage of the plant’s reproductive cycle,  would be  the inactive, dormant stage......... Meaning issue. Use of instead of being is not correct.

(E) growing area is,  instead of  the active, flowering stage of the plant’s reproductive cycle,  rather the inactive , dormant stage..................meaning issue. also, instead and rather both are being used incorrectly.

IMO OA should be B

rachana_shukla · Answer

(A) growing area, rather than being the active, flowering stage of the plant’s reproductive cycle, would be the inactive, dormant stage
 Incorrect

(B) growing area is not the active, flowering stage of the plant’s reproductive cycle but the inactive, dormant stage
 Correct

(C) growing area is the inactive, dormant stage of the plant’s reproductive cycle rather than the active, flowering stage
 Incorrect

(D) growing area, instead of being the active, flowering stage of the plant’s reproductive cycle, would be the inactive, dormant stage
 Incorrect

(E) growing area is, instead of the active, flowering stage of the plant’s reproductive cycle, rather the inactive, dormant stage
 Incorrect

pooh.2304 · Answer

Option (D) presents the information in a concise manner without unnecessary repetition. It uses a clear structure to convey the idea. The structure of the sentence maintains parallelism, making it easy to follow. The phrase "instead of being" is parallel to "would be," contributing to the overall coherence of the sentence.

oiploiloi · Answer

Going with A

(A) growing area, rather than being the active, flowering stage of the plant’s reproductive cycle, would be the inactive, dormant stage
The use of "being" makes this sentence sound awkward imo
(B) growing area is not the active, flowering stage of the plant’s reproductive cycle but the inactive, dormant stage
The answer I chose because it is straightforward
(C) growing area is the inactive, dormant stage of the plant’s reproductive cycle rather than the active, flowering stage
Makes no logical sense. It sounds as if the active flowering stage is when the plant can bear stress, so that should be when you do the replanting
(D) growing area, instead of being the active, flowering stage of the plant’s reproductive cycle, would be the inactive, dormant stage
Also uncomfortable with the use of "being" here
(E) growing area is, instead of the active, flowering stage of the plant’s reproductive cycle, rather the inactive, dormant stage
Using instead and rather in the same sentence is redundant

juancarlos12 · Answer

The most favorable time for moving a plant to a  growing area, rather than being the active, flowering stage of the plant’s reproductive cycle, would be the inactive, dormant stage , during which the plant can afford to bear the stress that replanting causes, without suffering from stunted leaf growth.

-->Meaning: We can move a plant in inactive state because the plan cannot suffer of leaf growth. 
 The keyword: , during which  this word  touch  the previous one, so the before word  should be Inactive plant,

(A) growing area,  rather than being  the active, flowering stage of the plant’s reproductive cycle, would be the inactive, dormant stage --> Akward
(B) growing area is  not  the active, flowering stage of the plant’s reproductive cycle  but  the inactive, dormant stage -->  Right parallelism and comparisson: Not plant but plan and the ",which" accurate modify inactive plant 
(C) growing area is the inactive, dormant stage of the plant’s reproductive cycle rather than the  active, flowering stage  --> It is not right because ",which" should modify "inactive plant" not "active plan"
(D) growing area,  instead of being  the active, flowering stage of the plant’s reproductive cycle, would be the inactive, dormant stage --> Akward
(E) growing area is , instead of the  active, flowering stage of the plant’s reproductive cycle , rather  the inactive, dormant stage --> Double comparisson is not right

Right answer: B

Kinshook · Answer

The most favorable time for moving a plant to a  growing area, 
rather than being the active, 
flowering stage of the plant’s reproductive cycle, 
would be the inactive, 
dormant stage , 
during which the plant can afford to bear the stress that replanting causes, 
without suffering from stunted leaf growth.

Usage of  rather than being  and  would be the  is awkward and incorrect

Concise and correct in meaning

It is NOT flowering stage, during which the plant can afford to bear the stress that replanting causes, without suffering from stunted leaf growth
Change in meaning
Incorrect

Usage of  instead of being  and  would be the   is incorrect

Usage of  is, instead of the active,  is incorrect

IMO B

brp616 · Answer

The answer is B! Let's run through

A - 'rather than being' is clunky and indirect

B - makes sense gramatically and ensures the last part of the sentence relates to the dormant stage

C - grammatically makes sense, but places the active stage after the dormant stage which makes the sentence mean the active stage is where it can bear replanting.

D - similar to A, has no verb and is clunky

E - uses 'instead' and 'rather' with no sense of what the best stage is

$!vakumar.m · Answer

The most favorable time for moving a plant to a  growing area, rather than being the active, flowering stage of the plant’s reproductive cycle, would be the inactive, dormant stage , during which the plant can afford to bear the stress that replanting causes, without suffering from stunted leaf growth.

(A) growing area, rather than being the active, flowering stage of the plant’s reproductive cycle, would be the inactive, dormant stage 
incorrect - the phrase “would be” makes the statement sound hypothetical rather than factual.

(B) growing area is not the active, flowering stage of the plant’s reproductive cycle but the inactive, dormant stage
Correct - Not X but Y - idiom used correctly. Option B is clear, concise, and directly states the fact without using any hypothetical language.

(C) growing area is the inactive, dormant stage of the plant’s reproductive cycle rather than the active, flowering stage
incorrect - , during which should modify the dormant stage instead of the active stage.

(D) growing area, instead of being the active, flowering stage of the plant’s reproductive cycle, would be the inactive, dormant stage
incorrect - the phrase “would be” makes the statement sound hypothetical rather than factual.

(E) growing area is, instead of the active, flowering stage of the plant’s reproductive cycle, rather the inactive, dormant stage 
incorrect - usage of instead of .... and rather the inactive ... is redundant. 
Answer B

Shwetamed · Answer

B.

A. 'rather than being' is wrong. 'would' implies its hypothetical rather than a fact
C. during which wrongly describes the flowering stage
D. 'would' wrong
E. doesnt make sense. not complete sentence

12 Days of Christmas GMAT Competition - Day 6: The most favorable time

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12 Days of Christmas GMAT Competition - Day 6: The most favorable time

Prep Toolkit

615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

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