Tilling means preparation of the soil to plant the seeds and keeping t

Question

Tilling means preparation of the soil to plant the seeds and keeping the soil in the best condition to help the crop grow until it is ready for harvesting. 
a)Tilling means preparation of the soil to plant the seeds and keeping the soil in the best condition to help the crop grow until it is ready for harvesting
b)Tilling means preparing the soil to plant the seeds and keeping the soil in the best condition to help the crop grow until it is ready to harvest
c)Tilling means preparation of the soil to plant the seeds and keeping the soil in the best condition for helping the crop grow until it is ready for harvesting
d)Tilling means preparing the soil to plant the seeds and to keep the soil in the best condition to help the crop to grow until it is ready to harvest
e)Tilling means preparing the soil to plant the seeds and keeping the soil in the best condition to help the crop grow until it is ready to be harvested

DmitryFarberMPrep · Accepted Answer

There is nothing wrong with E. "Ready to be harvested" is a perfectly good way to say that, and there's no tense issue. "Ready to harvest" and "ready to be harvested" are in the same tense! It's the same as "The pie is ready to eat" and "The pie is ready to be eaten." Normally, we'd say the first one in each case is in active voice and the second is in passive. Logically, then, we'd think that the first options are wrong. Crops can't harvest and pies can't eat! However, in some cases, we'll say this anyway since the meaning is clear. So if we want to be perfectly strict, we have to eliminate B and D. If we want to go with this commonly-used expression, that's fine, but that doesn't make E wrong.

Be careful about using a lot of your time studying questions of mysterious origin. I see a lot of people doing this, and as a result they come up with "rules" that don't actually exist. This will only do your SC score harm!

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Be careful about using a lot of your time studying questions of mysterious origin. I see a lot of people doing this, and as a result they come up with "rules" that don't actually exist. This will only do your SC score harm!

sandaki · Answer

I doubtful of the OA.

Eliminating ||ism error,we can narrow down to option B and E.

B is wrong in meaning as it conveys the meaning the crops are going to harvest.Like crops are doing the harvest.

B would have been correct if instead of "to harvest" it was "for harvest".

Option E,past tense is justified when being used with "ready to be".

Gnpth · Answer

What's the source of this question?

And to answer your question. E is wrong since "Harvested" is in past tense. When you define a process or a definition, you tend to keep the definition in the simple present.

abhimahna · Answer

Another question on ||ism concept.

a)Tilling means  preparation  of the soil to plant the seeds and  keeping  the soil in the best condition to help the crop grow until it is ready for harvesting -->  ||ism error.

b)Tilling means preparing the soil to plant the seeds and keeping the soil in the best condition to help the crop grow until it is ready to harvest

c)Tilling means  preparation  of the soil to plant the seeds and  keeping  the soil in the best condition for helping the crop grow until it is ready for harvesting  ||ism error.

d)Tilling means  preparing  the soil to plant the seeds and  to keep  the soil in the best condition to help the crop to grow until it is ready to harvest  ||ism error.

e)Tilling means preparing the soil to plant the seeds and keeping the soil in the best condition to help the crop grow until it is ready  to be harvested   Tense Issue.

Shaheensingh17 · Answer

abhimahna 
can you please elaborate on why not e,since tenses give me hard time

abhimahna · Answer

This sentence states a general fact. It explains a phenomenon known as tilting.

Facts should always be presented in simple tense. No need of using past tense to define a phenomenon.

Hence, E is incorrect.

Supermaverick · Answer

B certainly does not look to be a contender since it gives unintended meaning that crops
Would do the harvesting instead of being ready
to be harvested.

Sent from my ONEPLUS A3003 using  GMAT Club Forum mobile app

goforgmat · Answer

@sayantanc2k 
Whats wrong with E? Even though it is a general process that is being stated, I cant see why to be harvested is wrong.
Please explain this one!

Nightmare007 · Answer

I opt for B over E because . To harvest - intention is shown. 
to  be harvested  - This is NOT A TENSE ISSUE both are present - keep a note of "be" just like is harvested etc. But, crops to be harvested - somewhat passive. 
Hence, E is wrong. 
Please do correct me if i were wrong.

mihir0710 · Answer

Thank you so much  DmitryFarber  Sir,

Initially, I too thought that both are same but then with the understanding that "Crops can't harvest" I marked E and was about to think that my logic was correct but your post saved me...

DmitryFarberMPrep · Answer

Although I'd prefer to bury this flawed question, someone asked me why we can't have "preparation" and "keeping" parallel. Generally, we don't make simple gerunds (-ing nouns without "the") parallel to action nouns (preparation, development, maintenance, etc.). So "preparing and keeping" works, as would "preparation and maintenance" (since "keep" doesn't have a corresponding action noun). In some cases, we might get away with "preparation and THE keeping," as in "A successful interview depends on extensive preparation and the keeping of meticulous notes."

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avinashiitp · Answer

Hi Dmitry,

Just for my understanding, In the option "B", statement is "it is ready to harvest" that itself is in the passive construction. Let's say if i extend the sentence to "it is ready to harvest by farmer", then it makes perfect sense. However, it might be wrong according to you. Can you please elaborate It will be help for better undersatnding?

Same thing can be done for the option E, few extra words.

DmitryFarberMPrep · Answer

avinashiitp 
We can't say "ready to harvest by farmer"--something has to BE harvested BY a farmer. Answer choice B actually works better as is than with anything added. My point was more that E is okay than that B is wrong. Again, I'd recommend not trying to learn from poor questions. There are so many good official questions that will serve you much better!

CEdward · Answer

All points taken, but for the sake of neuroticism, B is wrong because of a meaning issue correct? crops don't harvest, but are harvested.

RajPushp · Answer

I think both B and E are correct.
there is nothing wrong in "crop is ready to harvest", it is like "food is ready to eat".

DmitryFarberMPrep · Answer

CEdward 
 
I addressed that above. It's fine to say "ready to harvest" in this context. Given the choice of replacing that construction with "for harvest" or "to be harvested," we might opt for one of those, but that's not a good enough difference to make for one valid answer to this question. That's a common problem with dubious SC questions--they over-rely on single differences of questionable importance.

Tilling means preparation of the soil to plant the seeds and keeping t

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