The rain has flooded drainage canals in many orange-tree groves, which

Question

The rain has flooded drainage canals in many orange-tree groves,  which has caused the fruit to fall before it will ripen and also threatened to kill  the trees.

(A) which has caused the fruit to fall before it will ripen and also threatened to kill

(B) which not only caused the fruit to fall without ripening, but also threatened killing

(C) not only causing the fruit to fall before ripening, but also threatening to kill

(D) causing the fruit to fall before it will ripen, which will threaten killing

(E) causing the fruit to have fallen before it ripened, which threatened to kill

sisir · Answer

only option C is correct.

Eliminate A and B as which is used incorrectly here.

D and E are a bit tricky here as Verb+ing is used to explain the result for an action performed by the subject but which is again used incorrectly in both the options D and E.

AdmitJA · Answer

Hey Sisir,

Appreciate your prompt response. I was stuck between choices B and C and chose B because it looked parallel while C didn't. Please help me understand why you chose C over B and elaborate on the wrong usage of 'which'?

Thanks

EducationAisle · Answer

which  always modifies the  nearest grammatically eligible  word. So, in A and B,  which  modifies  orange-tree groves , suggesting that  orange-tree groves  caused the fruit to fall; however, from the context, it is clear that  flooding of drainage canals  caused the fruit to fall.

p.s. Our book   SC Nirvana   discusses the usage of  which  and  that , their application and examples in significant detail. If you can PM you email, I can send you the corresponding section.

vishwaprakash · Answer

the rain has flooded drainage canals in many orange-tree groves,  which has caused the fruit to fall before it will ripen and also threatened to kill  the trees.

Meaning :
It is causal statement, 
Cause -> The rain has flooded Canal in many Orange tree groves.
Effect -> Caused Fruit to Fall prematurely and Threatened to kill tree.

Sentence of the structure "Cause + "," + "Ving Modifier" " Is one of the best way to present cause and effect.

Error Analysis :
1. Relative Pronoun "Which", refers to Groves -- Making the meaning as "Groves caused the effect, instead of Flooded Canals"
2. "before it will ripen" - It is an awkward construction. Tense makes no sense, Fruit fallen in past, and "will Ripen" is indicating future tense. Illogical Tense sequence.

POE
a) which has caused the fruit to fall before it will ripen and also threatened to kill
Incorrect - Explained Above

b) which not only caused the fruit to fall without ripening, but also threatened killing
Incorrect - Which Refers to Groves

c) not only causing the fruit to fall before ripening, but also threatening to kill
Not Only X, but also Y - Idiom Is perfect.
"Causing the fruit to fell" and "Threatening to Kill" both are parallel 
Correct

d) causing the fruit to fall before it will ripen, which will threaten killing
"It will Ripen " Tense error as discussed above.
"Which" - which is referring to what, it should refer to Preceding noun, So can we assume "Fruit" Even if we break the rule and assume this, still the sentence will be illogical and meaning less.
Incorrect

e) causing the fruit to have fallen before it ripened, which threatened to kill
Incorrect "Which"
"to have fallen" - Present tense referring to something happened in past.

kawaljeet · Answer

took 50 Sec to choose option C.
POE is very easy.
A,B,D,E - Which is incorrectly used.

Experts... Correct If I am wrong

sahilvijay · Answer

In a,b,d,e there are too many errors, some of which are highlighted in red.

daagh · Answer

In the hall, there is no need to break one's head on such a basic level question by going into several errors. The relative pronoun 'which is wrong in all the choices except in C 
In A and B, which stands for the groves but it is the flooding that causes the problem. In D and E, the nearest noun is the pronoun 'it', the stepney of the noun 'fruit'. 
Can the fruit threaten to kill? Therefore, C is the answer.

All other errors are of academic interest yet worth learning, but at the end of the day, let's be guided by the maxim that one percent wrong is 100 percent wrong in GMAT.

VerbalBot · Answer

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The rain has flooded drainage canals in many orange-tree groves, which

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GMAT Sentence Correction (SC - EA only) Questions

The rain has flooded drainage canals in many orange-tree groves, which

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