Last visit was: 23 Apr 2026, 10:52 It is currently 23 Apr 2026, 10:52
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
User avatar
rajathpanta
User avatar
Joined: 13 Feb 2010
Last visit: 24 Apr 2015
Posts: 142
Own Kudos:
495
 [16]
Given Kudos: 282
Status:Prevent and prepare. Not repent and repair!!
Location: India
Concentration: Technology, General Management
Schools: AGSM '15 YLP '16 IIMC (PGPEX) Melbourne '15
GPA: 3.75
WE:Sales (Telecommunications)
Schools: AGSM '15 YLP '16 IIMC (PGPEX) Melbourne '15
Posts: 142
Kudos: 495
 [16]
In 1972 votes were cast by 55% of the electorate;and 40% in 14 Nov 2012, 11:21
4
Kudos
Add Kudos
12
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
00:00
Start Timer
Pause Timer
Resume Timer
Show Answer
Hide
Show
History
B
Be sure to select an answer first to save it in the Error Log before revealing the correct answer (OA)!

Difficulty:

15% (low)

Question Stats:

72% (00:57) correct 28% (01:01) wrong based on 501 sessions

History

Date
Time
Result
Not Attempted Yet
In 1972 votes were cast by 55% of the electorate;and 40% in 1996.

a. electorate;and 40% in 1996 the figure was 40%
b. electorate;in 1996 the figure was 40%
c. electorate, and in 1996 40%
d.electorate, 40% in 1996 was the figure
e. electorate that fell to 40% in 1996
ShowHide Answer
Official Answer
B
User avatar
Carcass
User avatar
Board of Directors
Joined: 01 Sep 2010
Last visit: 23 Apr 2026
Posts: 4,712
Own Kudos:
37,837
 [4]
Given Kudos: 4,925
Posts: 4,712
Kudos: 37,837
 [4]
In 1972 votes were cast by 55% of the electorate;and 40% in 14 Nov 2012, 12:02
4
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Maryam787
rajathpanta
In 1972 votes were cast by 55% of the electorate;and 40% in 1996.

a. electorate;and 40% in 1996 the figure was 40%
b. electorate;in 1996 the figure was 40%
c. electorate, and in 1996 40%
d.electorate, 40% in 1996 was the figure
e. electorate that fell to 40% in 1996



Why not E option?
Show more


because E doen't make sense. It compares votes with electorate. The electorate fell OR the votes ???

here the best thing is to spot suddenly that a semicolon is used only to connect 2 indipendent clauses and AND to introduce a list or an explanation.

based on ONLY on this assumption the answer is B

moreover You have the beginning of the sentence with In 1972............in 1996. To maintain the things parallel and logical

I hope it is clear now ;)
avatar
Maryam787
avatar
Joined: 31 Aug 2012
Last visit: 18 Feb 2013
Posts: 15
Own Kudos:
10
Given Kudos: 52
GPA: 3.65
Posts: 15
Kudos: 10
In 1972 votes were cast by 55% of the electorate;and 40% in 18 Nov 2012, 00:49
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
carcass
Maryam787
rajathpanta
In 1972 votes were cast by 55% of the electorate;and 40% in 1996.

a. electorate;and 40% in 1996 the figure was 40%
b. electorate;in 1996 the figure was 40%
c. electorate, and in 1996 40%
d.electorate, 40% in 1996 was the figure
e. electorate that fell to 40% in 1996



Why not E option?


because E doen't make sense. It compares votes with electorate. The electorate fell OR the votes ???

here the best thing is to spot suddenly that a semicolon is used only to connect 2 indipendent clauses and AND to introduce a list or an explanation.

based on ONLY on this assumption the answer is B

moreover You have the beginning of the sentence with In 1972............in 1996. To maintain the things parallel and logical

I hope it is clear now ;)
Show more




Thank You, it was great help to me,,,,,,one kudos for your post,,,thank u once again
User avatar
susheelh
User avatar
Joined: 12 Jun 2016
Last visit: 13 Jun 2018
Posts: 144
Own Kudos:
298
Given Kudos: 151
Location: India
Concentration: Technology, Leadership
WE:Sales (Telecommunications)
Posts: 144
Kudos: 298
In 1972 votes were cast by 55% of the electorate;and 40% in 25 Sep 2017, 23:20
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Concept Tested

  • A semi-colon should always be followed by a independent clause. It should have a working verb
  • Two independent clause cannot be joined by a simple comma. This is called a 'Run-on' sentence and not allowed
  • 'And' is a coordinating conjunction. It used to connect two independent clauses. Both the clauses should have a working verb
  • Meaning of the sentence should be clear and logical

A. Semi-colon not followed by an Independent clause
B. Clear and correct.
C. 'And' is not joining two independent clauses
D. Run on sentence
E. Illogical. tells that Electorate fell to 40%

Correct Answer = B
User avatar
mohshu
User avatar
Joined: 21 Mar 2016
Last visit: 26 Dec 2019
Posts: 410
Own Kudos:
143
Given Kudos: 103
Products:
My Reviews
Posts: 410
Kudos: 143
In 1972 votes were cast by 55% of the electorate;and 40% in 26 Sep 2017, 07:58
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
rajathpanta
In 1972 votes were cast by 55% of the electorate;and 40% in 1996.

a. electorate;and 40% in 1996 the figure was 40%
b. electorate;in 1996 the figure was 40%
c. electorate, and in 1996 40%
d.electorate, 40% in 1996 was the figure
e. electorate that fell to 40% in 1996
Show more

55% refers to the figure... so in B the comparison is done better,,,

ans B
avatar
goalMBA1990
avatar
Joined: 21 Feb 2017
Last visit: 16 Sep 2018
Posts: 48
Own Kudos:
7
Given Kudos: 23
Posts: 48
Kudos: 7
In 1972 votes were cast by 55% of the electorate;and 40% in 26 Sep 2017, 08:29
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
I think in B second sentence is dependent clause. How can we connect independent and dependent clause using semicolon?

I think answer should be C.

Sent from my XT1663 using GMAT Club Forum mobile app
User avatar
susheelh
User avatar
Joined: 12 Jun 2016
Last visit: 13 Jun 2018
Posts: 144
Own Kudos:
298
Given Kudos: 151
Location: India
Concentration: Technology, Leadership
WE:Sales (Telecommunications)
Posts: 144
Kudos: 298
In 1972 votes were cast by 55% of the electorate;and 40% in 26 Sep 2017, 09:05
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
IMHO - In Option B - "In 1996 the figure was 40%" is an Independent clause. It can stand on its own. 'Figure' is the noun and 'was' is the working verb.

However in Option C - "in 1996 40%" is not an Independent clause. It has no noun and working verb.

goalMBA1990
I think in B second sentence is dependent clause. How can we connect independent and dependent clause using semicolon?

I think answer should be C.

Sent from my XT1663 using GMAT Club Forum mobile app
Show more
User avatar
agar123
User avatar
Joined: 03 Sep 2019
Last visit: 19 Oct 2021
Posts: 104
Own Kudos:
46
Given Kudos: 40
Posts: 104
Kudos: 46
In 1972 votes were cast by 55% of the electorate;and 40% in 31 Jul 2020, 16:34
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Hi,
Can someone please help with this question? I am confused about the option C
In 1972 votes were cast by 55% of the electorate;and 40% in 1996.

a. electorate;and 40% in 1996 the figure was 40%
b. electorate;in 1996 the figure was 40%
c. electorate, and in 1996 40%
d.electorate, 40% in 1996 was the figure
e. electorate that fell to 40% in 1996
Why c is wrong? why can't we have ellipses in place and read it as " electorate, and in 1996 votes were cast by 40% of the electorate?
User avatar
DmitryFarberMPrep
User avatar
Manhattan Prep Instructor
Joined: 22 Mar 2011
Last visit: 03 Mar 2026
Posts: 3,005
Own Kudos:
8,625
Given Kudos: 57
Expert
Expert reply
GMAT Focus 1: 745 Q86 V90 DI85
Posts: 3,005
Kudos: 8,625
In 1972 votes were cast by 55% of the electorate;and 40% in 31 Jul 2020, 18:25
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
agar123 Two thoughts on this:

1) Ellipsis is very tricky, so don't assume it can always be used. If we have a longer working option such as B, there is absolutely no reason to choose C. The answer won't be right simply because it cuts out words, especially if those cuts reduce the clarity of the sentence.
2) Ellipsis is not a free pass to cut as much of the sentence as we'd like. The subject of the first clause is "votes," so it's odd to simply leave "40%" in the second part. This approach would work much better if we said, "In 1972, 55% of the electorate cast votes, and in 1996, 40%." At least here, it's clear which part of the clause we have elided--all but the subject. In C, we're asked to fill in both the subject and the modifier in the second part, and that asks a lot more of the reader, even if there's no other competing interpretation that makes much sense. Also, a small point: we would still need a comma between 1996 and 40%.
User avatar
agar123
User avatar
Joined: 03 Sep 2019
Last visit: 19 Oct 2021
Posts: 104
Own Kudos:
46
Given Kudos: 40
Posts: 104
Kudos: 46
In 1972 votes were cast by 55% of the electorate;and 40% in 05 Aug 2020, 16:43
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
DmitryFarber
agar123 Two thoughts on this:

1) Ellipsis is very tricky, so don't assume it can always be used. If we have a longer working option such as B, there is absolutely no reason to choose C. The answer won't be right simply because it cuts out words, especially if those cuts reduce the clarity of the sentence.
2) Ellipsis is not a free pass to cut as much of the sentence as we'd like. The subject of the first clause is "votes," so it's odd to simply leave "40%" in the second part. This approach would work much better if we said, "In 1972, 55% of the electorate cast votes, and in 1996, 40%." At least here, it's clear which part of the clause we have elided--all but the subject. In C, we're asked to fill in both the subject and the modifier in the second part, and that asks a lot more of the reader, even if there's no other competing interpretation that makes much sense. Also, a small point: we would still need a comma between 1996 and 40%.
Show more

Got it. Thanks for your reply DmitryFarber.
User avatar
Advait01
User avatar
Joined: 09 Nov 2024
Last visit: 22 Apr 2026
Posts: 92
Own Kudos:
2
Given Kudos: 81
GMAT Focus 1: 645 Q81 V86 DI80
Products:
GMAT Club Tests Forum Quiz
GMAT Focus 1: 645 Q81 V86 DI80
Posts: 92
Kudos: 2
In 1972 votes were cast by 55% of the electorate;and 40% in 16 Mar 2026, 11:37
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
In 1972 votes were cast by 55% of the electorate;and 40% in 1996.

a. electorate;and 40% in 1996 the figure was 40%
b. electorate;in 1996 the figure was 40%
c. electorate, and in 1996 40%
d.electorate, 40% in 1996 was the figure
e. electorate that fell to 40% in 1996
Moderators:
GMATNinja
GMAT Club Verbal Expert
7391 posts
AbhishekP220108
501 posts
bhanu29
358 posts