Unlike the nests of leaf cutters and most other ants, situated undergr

Unlike the nests of leaf cutters and most other ants, situated underground or in pieces of wood, raider ants make a portable nest by entwining their long legs to form "curtains" of ants that hang from logs or boulders, providing protection for the queen and the colony larvae and pupae.


Unlike (used to compare nouns) the nests of leaf cutters and most other ants,
- situated (ed-modifier, modifying nests) underground or in pieces of wood,
raider ants (subject - plural) make (verb - plural) a portable nest by entwining (prep phrase) their (raider ants) long legs to form "curtains" of ants that hang from logs or boulders, providing (comma+ ing - presenting the result) protection for the queen and the colony larvae and pupae.

error 1 - nests are being compared to raider ants

(B) the nests of leaf cutters and most other ants, which are
nest with ants - wrong comparison

(C) leaf cutters and most other ants, whose nests are
correct

(D) leaf cutters and most other ants in having nests
in having nest - no sense

(E) those of leaf cutters and most other ants with nests
those of - antecedent?

EducationAisle sir,

In Option A, "situated underground..." is a past participial phrase. Isn't this past participial phrase modifying "ants". So the meaning conveyed is that the ants are situated underground or in pieces of wood.
Logically the past participial phrase should modify the noun or noun phrase whichever makes sense. Over here it should modify "nests".

Furthermore, in option D is "in pieces of wood" parallel to "in having nests" or "in pieces of wood" is parallel to "situated". In the latter case, both are functioning as adverbial phrases modifying the verb(are situated) and are parallel to each other.

Please share your two cents.

Agreed. I don't really see a modifier issue in A. The real issue is incorrect comparison.


Yes, parallelism is between "situated underground" or "in pieces of wood".

Sentence starts with "Unlike"

Unlike is used for comparison. We have match X and Y

Here, Y is "raider ants"

So, X must be similar to "raider ants"

In A and B

X is "the nests".

We cannot compare "nests" with raider ants. Eliminate A and B

In option E,

X is " those of leaf cutters and most other ants"

We cannot compare "something of ants" with "raider ants"

Eliminate E.

In option D,

X is " leaf cutters and most other ants " , which can be compared to raider ants

But "in having nests" incorrectly modifies "raider ants"

Eliminate D

Hence, C is the answer

Sentence is comparing ants. Unlike should be followed by leaf cutters and most other ants. A, B & E are out. D lacks the main verb hence incorrect. C is the right choice.

Unlike the nests of leaf cutters and most other ants, situated underground or in pieces of wood, raider ants make a portable nest by entwining their long legs to form "curtains" of ants that hang from logs or boulders, providing protection for the queen and the colony larvae and pupae.
When unlike is used , we need to compare noun with noun . Here, raider ants should be compared with other type of ants . So, we can pick options start with leaf cutters. Only C and D. Out of these two , i go with C as the comparison is very clear , shorter and sensible. Whose is also rightly referring back to those type of ants.

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